We can provide you with the specialist advice you need in order to organise your affairs throughout every stage of your life. Coming to terms with the death of a loved one is hard, we aim to take the stress away and make it as easy as we can.
Our team has over 30 years of collective experience in delivering high quality work in all matters relating to wills and estate administration. The team has particular expertise in high value estates and inheritance tax matters.
We have two members of the team who may work on your matter. Regardless of who works on your matter, they will be supervised by Ed Worrall as the Head of probate and estate administration.
An indication of our typical costs would be:-
PROBATE WORK - Applying for the grant, dealing with the estate administration including collecting and distributing the assets
We anticipate this will take between 10 and 20 hours work at £195.00 per hour. Total costs would therefore be estimated at £1,950 -£3,900 (Plus VAT @ 20%). In addition, up to 1% of the net value of the estate may be charged. Value is not automatically added to the hourly rate but a fair and reasonable amount will be ascertained according to the complexity of a particular case.
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 at the higher end.
We will handle the full process for you. This quote is for estates where:
Disbursements* included in this fee:
•Probate application fee of £300.00
•Bankruptcy-only Land Charges Department searches (£2.00 per beneficiary)
•£60.00 (approximate) Post in The London Gazette – Protects against unexpected claims from unknown creditors.
•£80.00 (approximate 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.
•If any additional copies of the grant are required, they will cost £1.50 (1 per asset usually).
•Dealing with the sale or transfer of any property in the estate is not included.
How long will this take?
On average, estates that fall within this range are dealt with within 6-12 months. Typically, obtaining the grant of probate takes 1-3 months. Collecting assets then follows, which can take a further 1-3 months. Once this has been done, we can distribute the assets, which normally takes 1-2 months.
If a property is to be sold in the estate, this can delay the final distribution of the estate depending on how quickly a buyer can be found. Typically money would be retained in the estate to meet ongoing expenses such as Utility bills, Buildings insurance etc, with a final distribution being made once the sale has completed.
Fixed fee to obtain Grant of Probate only
If you require help with the difficult process of obtaining the Grant of Probate where there is a Will but there is no Inheritance Tax payable, but wish to deal with the estate yourself as Executor, we can assist with this also.
How much does this service cost?
TOTAL: fixed fee of £750.00 (plus VAT @20% of £150.00). or £1,500.00 (plus VAT@20% of £300.00) if an Inheritance Tax return is also required to obtain a Grant to the estate.
This includes: verifying the value of the assets in the estate, completing any Inheritance Tax return required and obtaining the grant from the Court.
In addition to our fees would be the following disbursements*:
We can also assist with the following items if you require this:
•£60.00 (approximate) Post in The London Gazette – Protects against unexpected claims from unknown creditors.
•£80.00 (approximate) 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.
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
•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 send copies to you
On average, applications for Grants of Probate are dealt with within 2-4 months.
