Fees

Our fees are charged on an hourly rate basis.  We do not offer a fixed fee service.  We will only charge you for the work that has been carried out.

Our hourly rates are as follows:

Director:              £400.00 + VAT

Solicitor:               £250.00 + VAT

Paralegal:             £100.00 + VAT

The overall cost will depend upon how much assistance you require – apply for probate or administer the estate or both, whether you have already completed some of the required steps and the number of assets and type of assets involved.

Below we have set out an estimate of our costs:

Where we are instructed to apply for probate:

We anticipate this will take between 5 and 10 hours work at £250.00 per hour plus VAT at 20%. Total costs estimated at £1,250-£2,500 +VAT at 20% and disbursements (this is not a fixed fee).

We will carry out the following work (but not limited to):

• 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
• Draft a legal oath for you to swear
• Make the application to the Probate Court on your behalf
• Obtain the Probate and securely send to you

Where we are instructed to deal with post-grant matters – administer the estate:

We anticipate this will take between 5 and 20 hours work at £250.00 per hour plus VAT at 20%. Total costs estimated at £1,250-£5,000 +VAT at 20% and disbursements (this is not a fixed fee).

We will carry out the following work (but not limited to):

• Collect all assets in the estate
• Pay any debts and liabilities
• Consider any lifetime tax issues
• Distribute the estate to the beneficiaries
• Update the estate accounts

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, more than one property and multiple bank accounts, costs will be at the higher end.

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

• There is a valid will
• All the assets are in the UK
• There is no more than one property and it is a residential property
• There are no more than two bank or building society accounts
• There are no other intangible assets
• There is one beneficiary and the beneficiary is not a charity
• 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
• There is no requirement for Trust Registration

Disbursements included in this fee (where applicable VAT is included at 20%):

• Probate application fee of £273.00
• Additional copies of the grant – £1.50 per copy (1 per asset usually)
• Bankruptcy-only Land Charges Department searches (£2.00 per beneficiary)
• Office copy entries – £3.00 plus VAT per property
• £100.00 to £250.00 plus VAT Post in The London Gazette – Protects against unexpected claims from unknown creditors.
• £50.00 to £250.00 plus VAT Post in a Local Newspaper – This also helps to protect against unexpected claims.

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 is 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.  We do not undertake conveyancing work.
• The costs estimate does not include any potential tax liabilities such as, but not limited to, Inheritance Tax, Capital Gains Tax or Income tax or related interest or penalty charges.

How long will this take?

On average, estates that fall within this range are dealt with within 6-18 months. Typically, obtaining the grant of probate takes 6-8 weeks depending on how quickly details about the deceased and the assets and debts can be ascertained.