The fees that we will charge and the disbursements you are likely to incur are set out below.

Full Administration Services

Our full grant of probate and estate administration service includes completing HMRC inheritance tax returns, obtaining the grant of probate and collecting and distributing the assets.

Our fees will be charged on an hourly basis at a rate of £200 plus VAT per hour.  The amount of time that the matter will take will depend on the assets of the deceased and the number of beneficiaries.  It will also depend on whether the person who has died had a valid will or not. For example, for an estate where there is a single property and up to five bank accounts, the total value of the estate is not more than One Million Pounds and the sole beneficiary is the spouse of the deceased, we would estimate that the total amount of time spent on dealing with the matter will be 10 – 15 hours and therefore our fees will be £2,000 - £3,000 plus VAT. More time will be required to deal with more complicated assets.  On average the costs of dealing with an estate can vary between £2,000 - £4,500 plus VAT.  We can provide a more accurate estimate once we have a copy of the will of the deceased and an idea of the estate.  

In addition to our fees, you will also have to pay disbursements.  Disbursements are costs related to your matter that are payable to third parties.  These are as follows: -

• Probate application fee of £155
• £0.50 for each additional copy of the grant of probate
• £5 - £7 Swearing of the oath (per executor)
• Bankruptcy-only Land Charges Department searches (£2 per beneficiary)

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.

In certain estates, it may be necessary to incur additional disbursements, for example where a latest will cannot be located or there is a possibility that all creditors have not been traced.  Costs of these disbursements are likely to be as set out below.  We will inform you if it is advisable to incur these disbursements: -

• £90 - £95 to advertise in The London Gazette – Protects against unexpected claims from unknown creditors.
• £250 - £500 to advertise in a Local Newspaper – This also helps to protect against unexpected claims.
• £108 to for a wills search – This protects against claims by unknown beneficiaries

As part of our full grant of probate and estate administration service we will:

• 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
• Collect and distribute all assets in the estate

On average, obtaining the grant of probate takes 6 - 8 weeks. The next stage is collecting assets which takes approximately 6 – 8 weeks and finally the distribution of assets which takes approximately 2 – 4 weeks.   However, please note that larger or more complicated assets could take longer and it could take longer where it becomes necessary to trace the whereabouts of a will or trace missing assets.

The services quoted above do not include the following: -

• Collecting and distribution of overseas assets
• Dealing with the sale or transfer of any property in the estate is not included in the fees estimated.  We can carry out this work for you and will provide a separate quote for this.
• Filing Estate Tax Returns
• Dealing with any disputes between beneficiaries on division of assets. If disputes arise this is likely to lead to an increase in costs

Fixed Fee Services

We also provide a fixed fee service which involves completing Inheritance Tax Returns and obtaining the Grant of Probate.

For estate less than £1,000,000 where the spouse is the sole beneficiary*             £1,500 plus VAT

In all other cases for estates less than £325,000*                                                       £1,500 plus VAT

All other estates below £2,000,000                                                                               £2,500 plus VAT

*Only applicable where the deceased has died domiciled in England and Wales and did not have any assets outside England and Wales

In addition to our fees, you will also have to pay disbursements.  Disbursements are costs related to your matter that are payable to third parties.  These are as follows: -

• Probate application fee of £155
• £1.50 for each additional copy of the grant of probate
• £5 - £7 Swearing of the oath (per executor)

Our services for this will include the following: -

• Identify the legally appointed executors or administrators and beneficiaries
• Accurately identify the type of Probate application you will require
• 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

Our services will not include the following and we will expect you to:

• Obtain details of the assets and liabilities of the estate
• Collect and distribute all assets in the estate