Our prices for probate and administration of estates
Thank you for looking at our probate services. When dealing with the death of a loved one, sorting out the legal side can be overwhelming and confusing. Compassionate, experienced legal advice can make this difficult situation much easier on you and your family.
We have over 70 years’ experience of serving the local community, with an emphasis on probate and administration of estates. We will help you through the process of administering the estate with compassion and professionalism.
You can find out more about our private client team here.
We know how important it is that you know what to expect, so here we explain more about the process and the likely costs. We recognise that everybody’s needs are different, and circumstances can change unexpectedly, so we will always discuss the costs of your individual case at the outset. We will also update you regularly on your costs and if our initial estimate needs revising.
1. How much will it cost?
The costs involved in obtaining probate and administrating an estate can vary depending on the complexity of the estate and how much you want us to do.
We will charge you based on either:
- A fixed fee (if you only want us to obtain the grant of probate but are comfortable dealing with the rest of the administration of the estate yourself); or
- the time spent on your case (if you want us to deal with all the administration of the estate).
1.1. Fixed fees for obtaining the grant
We can obtain the grant of probate (or, where there is no will, the letters of administration) on your behalf. We can charge a fixed fee so you know exactly what it will cost you before we start work. We will then provide the grant to the executors/administrators of the estate, who will deal with the rest of the administration themselves.
Where we are obtaining the grant for a fixed fee we will:
- Provide you with a single dedicated and experienced professional to work on your case
- Identify the legally appointed executors, administrators and beneficiaries
- Accurately identify the type of Probate application you will require
- Obtain relevant documents required to make the application
- Complete the Probate Application and the HMRC Forms.
- Make the application to the Probate Court on your behalf
- Obtain the Probate and securely send copies to you
We have two fixed fees for obtaining the grant. The first applies to excepted estates where no Inheritance Tax is due and a full Inheritance Tax account on form IHT400 is not needed. The second applies to estates where a form IHT400 must be prepared.
| Our costs | VAT | Total |
Obtaining the grant for an excepted estate: | £900 | £180 | £1,080 |
Obtaining the grant where IHT400 must be prepared: | £1,650 | £330 | £1,980 |
Instead of the fixed fee, we will charge you based on the time spent, if:
- We spend more than 11 hours dealing with your case; or
- The estate includes assets where Agricultural Property Relief or Business Property Relief may apply.
1.2. Fee based on the time spent
If you want us to deal with the whole administration of the estate, we will charge you based on the time we spend working on your case. The fees will vary depending on the individual circumstances of your case and particularly the number and value of the bank accounts, shareholdings and other assets.
We charge for our time at an hourly rate of £195 plus vat or £100 plus VAT, depending on the level of case worker handling your matter.
In limited circumstances, which we describe below, we will charge an additional fee of 0.5% – 1.5% of the value of the estate, as well as the fee based on the time spent.
1.2.1. Excepted estates
If estate is excepted and no Inheritance Tax is due and a full Inheritance Tax account on form IHT400 is not needed, we will:
- Obtain the grant (as described above)
- Arrange for assets to be cashed/transferred.
- Arrange for the placement of Trustee Act Notices (if required).
- Arrange for the payment of debts
- Prepare the estate accounts
- Distribute of the estate to the beneficiaries, including obtaining their identification and arranging for bankruptcy searches to be conducted
- Liaise with HM Revenue and Customs about any estate income tax liability
We estimate our legal fees for dealing with an excepted estate will be as follows:
| Our costs | VAT | Total |
Administration of the estate on an excepted estate | £1,500 to £3,000 | £300 – £600 | £1,800 – £3,600 |
This estimate is based on there being no more than 10 bank accounts or shareholdings and no more than two properties.
1.2.2. Estates where a full inheritance tax account must be prepared
IF the estate is not excepted a full Inheritance Tax account on form IHT400 is needed. In these circumstances we will:
- Obtain the grant (as described above)
- Arrange for assets to be cashed/transferred.
- Arrange for the placement of Trustee Act Notices (if required).
- Arrange for the payment of debts
- Prepare the estate accounts
- Distribute of the estate to the beneficiaries, including obtaining their identification and arranging for bankruptcy searches to be conducted
- Preparation the full account inheritance tax account (form IHT400) for HM Revenue and Customs and arrange for it to be approved by the Executors
- Arranging for the payment of any tax from the estate
- Liaise with HM Revenue and Customs
- Arrange for the completion of any tax return required for the deceased up to the date of death
We estimate our legal fees for dealing with an estate where a full Inheritance Tax account is needed will be as follows:
| Our costs | VAT | Total |
Administration of the estate on an estate where a full inheritance tax account must be prepared | £1,500 to £4,000 | £300 – £800 | £1,800 – £4,800 |
This estimate is based on there being no more than 10 bank accounts or shareholdings and no more than three properties.
1.2.3. When will you charge an additional fee based on the value of the estate?
We may charge a fee based on the value of the estate, in addition to the fee based on the time spent, where:
- The partners of the firm are appointed as the executors of the estate by the will; and/or
- Where the estate is unusually complex.
The additional fee, in these circumstances, is discretionary, and something we will discuss with you, if it is deemed appropriate.
If the partners of the firm are appointed as the executors of the estate by the will, we may charge 0.5% of the gross value of the estate, in addition to the charge based on the time spent.
Where the estate is unusually complex, we may charge a fee of 0.5% of the value of any property plus 1% of the value of the rest of the estate, in addition to the charge based on the time spent and any fee for acting as executors. We will always discuss with you at the outset of the case if it is likely that this additional fee will be charged. Circumstances where we may charge the additional fee for a complex estate include where there are:
- Property held overseas;
- There is a discretionary trust under the will; and
- Where Agricultural Property Relief (APR) or Business Property Relief (BPR) is claimed.
1.3. What factors could increase the costs?
The following factors could increase the costs:
- If there are a large number of bank accounts, shareholdings or other assets;
- A trust established under the Will;
- Missing beneficiaries or incapacitated beneficiaries;
Where Agricultural Property Relief (APR) or Business Property Relief (BPR) is claimed.
1.4. Costs payable to other organisations (disbursements)
Whether we act for you only obtain a grant on your behalf or deal with the whole of the administration of the estate there will be costs that need to be paid to other organisations (known as disbursements). These are likely to include:
Item | Amount (including VAT) |
Applicable in all cases: |
|
Probate fee | £155.00 |
Copy of the grant (per copy) | £1.50 |
Additional fees (not applicable in all cases) |
|
Land registry fees (per property) | £6.60 |
Land Registry registration fees (depending upon value of property) | £20.00 – £125.00 |
Bankruptcy Search fee per beneficiary (optional) | £2.00 |
Trustee Act notice fees (these may vary dependent upon the publication) | £38.40 – £192.00 |
Valuations of property | £200.00 to £300.00 |
1.5. Inheritance tax
The amount of Inheritance Tax that will be payable will depend on several factors including the size of the estate and actions taken by the deceased person before they died.
You can calculate the Inheritance Tax which may be due using a calculator on the government website, which can be found here.
1.6. Other costs
Additional costs could include:
- Tracing missing beneficiaries
- The conveyancing costs where a property needs to be sold. More details of these costs can be found here.
2. Is there anything that is not covered?
We cannot give you advice on tax or investment decisions. You may need to seek the advice of an accountant or financial advisor on these issues.
3. How long will it take?
On average, probate for the typical estate will take between 3-12 months. Generally, the time taken to obtain the Grant of Probate for straight forward estates will take 5 months for more complex estates up to 9 months. This will be followed by the collection of assets and distribution of the assets which can take between 3-6 months dependant on the complexity of the estate. If Inheritance Tax is an issue for the estate and there are foreign properties involved then this timescale is likely to be longer.
4. What are the key stages of the process?
The main stages of the administration of an estate are:
- Stage 1: identify the assets, contact the asset holders and determine the value of the assets.
- Stage 2: Apply for the grant of probate/letters of administration.
- Stage 3: Collect funds ready for distribution.
- Stage 4: Distribute funds.
- Stage 5: Produce the estate accounts.
5. Supervision
All our staff are supervised by the partners. David Fraser has particular responsibility for our private client team. For more information, including details of qualifications and experience of our team, please visit Our Team page.
