Probate and Estate Administration Fees

We can help you through this difficult process by doing as much or as little as you need us to. You might want us to look after the full estate administration on your behalf. You may feel that whilst you want help obtaining a Grant of Probate, you are able to collect in and distribute the assets yourself.

Full estate administration

This includes the following:

· Identifying all the assets and liabilities

· Applying for the Grant

· Collecting assets

· Placing statutory notices to advertise for unknown creditors

· Distributing the assets

We will handle the full process for you. This quote is for estates where:

There is a valid will
There is no more than one property
There are no more than 10 bank or building society accounts
There are no other intangible assets
There are 1-10 beneficiaries
There are no disputes between beneficiaries on division of assets. If disputes arise this is likely to lead to an increase in costs
There is no inheritance tax payable and the executors do not need to submit a full account to HMRC
There are no claims made against the estate

The total cost will start at £1850 plus VAT

The exact cost will depend on the individual circumstances of the matter. For example, if there is one beneficiary and no property, costs will be at the lower end of the range. If there are multiple beneficiaries, a property and multiple bank accounts, costs will be higher and will be discussed with you at the outset once full information is available.

In addition, the following disbursements will be incurred;

Probate application fee of £155 plus £1.50 per official copy of the Grant
Bankruptcy-only Land Charges Department searches (£2 per beneficiary)
£300-£400 Post in The London Gazette and in a Local Newspaper – Protects against unexpected claims from unknown creditors.

Disbursements are costs related to your matter that are payable to third parties, such as court fees. We handle the payment of the disbursements on your behalf to ensure a smoother process.

Potential additional costs

If there is no will or the estate consists of any share holdings (stocks and bonds) there are likely to be additional costs that could range significantly depending on the estate and how it is to be dealt with. We can give you a more accurate quote once we have more information.
Dealing with the sale or transfer of any property in the estate is not included (see our conveyancing fees)

How long will this take?

On average, estates that fall within this range are dealt with within 6-9 months. Typically, obtaining the grant of probate takes 8-12 weeks once the application is submitted to the court. Collecting assets then follows, which can take between 4-6 weeks. Once this has been done, we can distribute the assets, which normally takes 1-2 weeks.

Obtaining Grant of Probate only

In some circumstances, we are able to offer a fixed fee. As part of our fixed fee we will:

Provide you with a dedicated and experienced probate solicitor to work on your matter
Identify the legally appointed executors or administrators and beneficiaries
Accurately identify the type of Probate application you will require
Obtain the relevant documents required to make the application
Complete the Probate Application and the relevant HMRC forms
Make the application to the Probate Court on your behalf
Obtain the Probate and securely send two copies to you

Our fixed fee is £1200 plus VAT for estates where;

There is a valid will
There is no more than one property
There are no more than 5-7 bank or building society accounts
There are no other intangible assets
There is no inheritance tax payable and the executors do not need to submit a full account to HMRC

Our fixed fee will be £750 plus VAT if you have already identified all the assets and liabilities and are able to give us clear instructions on the valuations of assets.