Probate and Estate Administration Costs

We can help you through this difficult process by obtaining the Grant of Representation on your behalf:

This quote is for estates where:

• There is a simple estate with no foreign assets and no contentious issues
• 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 1-6 beneficiaries
• There are no disputes between beneficiaries or personal representatives
• There are no claims made against the estate
• If there is no Inheritance Tax payable and the executors do not need to submit any further information to HMRC other than forms IHT205 and IHT217 (if applicable) then our fixed fee is typically from £1,000 plus VAT of £200 and disbursements
• If there is Inheritance Tax payable and/or the executors need to submit a full Inheritance Tax Account (form IHT400) to HMRC then our fixed fee is typically from £2,000 plus VAT of £400 and disbursements

What is included

• Face to face meetings with the client
• Correspondence via email and/or post
• Making and receiving telephone calls
• Determining whether or not any Inheritance Tax will be payable and advising you accordingly
• Preparation of the probate application for the personal representatives and Inheritance Tax forms as stated above (based on the information and values regarding assets and liabilities of the estate that you provide to us)
• Attending upon the personal representatives to sign the probate application and complete the Inheritance Tax forms
• Making the application for the Grant to the Probate Registry and receiving the Grant
• Sending copies of the Grant of Representation to you, for you to carry on the estate administration yourself
• Payment of disbursements

Disbursements and additional fees

Disbursements are costs relating to your matter that are payable to third parties such as court fees. We handle the payment of disbursements on your behalf to ensure a smoother process. These include (but may not be limited to):

• Probate Court fee of £273.00
• Land Registry fee of £3.00 plus VAT of 60p
  
• Case management fee of £30.00 plus VAT of £6.00

Who will work on your matter

A fully qualified lawyer. Your matter will either be handled or supervised by a solicitor with at least 10 years experience in this area of work.
Some areas of work may be supported by our Paralegal team.
Administrative duties will be undertaken by our support staff.
As Head of Department, Adele Bebbington-Plant has overall responsibility for the supervision of all work carried out by her team.

Typical timescales

Typically, obtaining the Grant of Probate takes between 8-12 weeks from the point that we have received all of the information we require from you, but this timescale depends upon how quickly you and any third parties respond to our enquiries/application.

Key stages

• Registration of death certificate with relevant parties
• Section 27 notices (an advertisement that the Representative of an Estate places in the press local to the deceased’s property to inform any potential creditors that the Estate is soon going to be distributed), where relevant
• Obtain details of assets and liabilities
• Preparation/submission of relevant Inheritance Tax return and legal statement to obtain the grant of representation
• Payment of Inheritance Tax, where relevant (this is due at the end of the sixth month after the deceased’s death)
• Grant of representation issued by the Probate Registry
• Provide grant of representation to the personal representatives to enable them to complete the administration process

Factors which may increase costs

• The absence of valid will
• Multiple properties
• More extensive investments
• A large number of beneficiaries
• Inheritance tax payable
• An existing trust
• A will creating a trust
• Life policies
• Lifetime gifts
• Agricultural property or business property
• Lifetime and estate income tax
• Advice regarding (or the claiming of) the Residence Nil Rate Band

We can help you through this difficult process by obtaining the Grant of Representation and administering the estate on your behalf.

This quote is for estates where:

• There is a simple estate with no foreign assets and no contentious issues
• The Inheritance Tax Return forms are limited to the IHT205 and the IHT217 (excepted estates only)
• 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 1-6 beneficiaries
• There are no disputes between beneficiaries or personal representatives
• There is no Inheritance Tax payable and the executors do not need to submit any further information to HMRC other than the Inheritance Tax forms referred to above
• There are no claims made against the estate

What is included

• Face to face meetings with client
• Correspondence via email and/or post
• Making and receiving telephone calls
• Determining whether or not any Inheritance Tax is payable and advising you accordingly
• Preparation of the Oath for personal representatives and Inheritance Tax forms
• Attending upon the personal representatives to swear the Oath and complete the Inheritance Tax forms
• Making the application for the Grant to the Probate Registry and receiving the Grant
• Payment of disbursements from estate funds
• Settling any debts (that we are specifically made aware of) and funeral expenses from estate funds
• Collecting in the assets of the estate
• Distributing the estate to the beneficiaries in accordance with the personal representatives instructions and the Will
• Preparation of Estate Accounts

Who will work on your matter

A fully qualified lawyer. Your matter will either be handled or supervised by a solicitor with at least 10 years experience in this area of work.

Some areas of work may be supported by our Paralegal team.

Administrative duties will be undertaken by our support staff.

As Head of Department, Adele Bebbington-Plant has overall responsibility for the supervision of all work carried out by her team.

Typical timescales

On average, simple estates falling within this range are dealt with within 6-12 months. Typically, obtaining the Grant of Probate takes between 10 -16 weeks but this timescale depends on how quickly third parties such as banks, building societies and personal representatives correspond with us. Once we have received the Grant we can provide you with a further update in terms of the timescales involved.

Key stages

• Registration of death certificate with relevant parties
• Section 27 notices (an advertisement that the Representative of an Estate places in the press local to the deceased’s property to inform any potential creditors that the Estate is soon going to be distributed), where relevant
• Obtain details of assets and liabilities
• Preparation/submission of relevant Inheritance Tax return and legal statement to obtain the grant of representation
• Payment of Inheritance Tax, where relevant (this is due at the end of the sixth month after the deceased’s death)
• Grant of representation issued by the Probate Registry
• Registration of grant of representation with third parties
• Encashment /transfer of assets to beneficiaries and settle estate liabilities
• Preparation of estate accounts where relevant
• Calculation and payment of estate Income Tax where relevant
• Final distribution to beneficiaries

Factors which may increase costs

• The absence of valid will
• Multiple properties
• More extensive investments
• A large number of beneficiaries
• Inheritance tax payable
• An existing trust
• A will creating a trust
• Life policies
• Lifetime gifts
• Agricultural property or business property
• Lifetime and estate income tax

Our Fees

As Estates vary in complexity it is not possible to quote a fixed price until the overall amount of work involved has been established. We charge on a time spent basis. Please see details of our hourly rates below. Once we have met with you at the initial appointment we can provide you with an estimated range of costs depending upon what assets and liabilities are involved. Typically, we find that the overall costs work out at between 2% – 4% of the gross value of the estate, plus VAT at 20% and disbursements.

Disbursements and additional fees
Disbursements are costs relating to your matter that are payable to third parties such as court fees. We handle the payment of disbursements on your behalf to ensure a smoother process. These include (but are not limited to):

• Probate Court fee of £273.00
• Land Registry fee of £3.00 plus VAT of 60p
  
• Case management fee of £30.00 plus VAT of £6.00

Current Departmental hourly rates
Adele Bebbington-Plant, Solicitor  |  Director  |  Head of Private Client  |  Qualified 2007 £295 plus VAT of £59
Louise Holmes, Solicitor  |  Legal Director  | Head of Wills & Probate  |  Qualified 2011  |  Full member of STEP (Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners) £275 plus VAT of £55
Philip Appleby, Solicitor  |  Legal Director |  Qualified 2009  |  Full member of STEP (Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners) £275 plus VAT of £55
Georgina Roberts, Solicitor | Qualified 2013 £275 plus VAT of £55
Hannah Hobbs, Solicitor | Qualified 2020 £225 plus VAT of £45
Sarah Gill, Senior Paralegal  |  Qualified (Paralegal Practice Qualification in Wills, Probate and Administration) 2015 £200 plus VAT of £40

Legal Assistants £90 plus VAT of £18