Pricing for Probate
Our Fees for Probate and Administration of Estate:
PROBATE AND ESTATE ADMINISTRATION
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Grant of probate/ Administration |
2% of the gross value of the estate plus VAT
(Provided that there are no unusual circumstances such as disagreements between the beneficiaries, our total charges for estate will not exceed 4% of the gross estate plus VAT |
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Will Drafting |
£350 Plus VAT |
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Trust Documents |
£1000 Plus VAT |
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Disbursements |
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Probate Application Fee |
£273 ( or as applicable) |
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Swearing of the Oath |
£7 (per Executor) or as applicable |
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Bankruptcy Search |
(£2 per beneficiary) |
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Post in the London Gazette (Protects against unexpected claims from unknown creditors.) |
Approx. £70 plus VAT |
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Post in a Local Newspaper (This also helps to protect against unexpected claims) |
Approx. £110 plus VAT– |
Probate, applying for the grant, collecting, and distributing the assets.
When acting in the administration of an estate our charges will also include a value element which is percentage of gross value of estate. We undertake probate work under a fixed fee arrangement or at hourly rates depending on the complexity of the case. We have an initial consultation with our clients to discuss this and give a fee quote. Our hourly rates start at £150 per hour for a grade D fee earner (trainee solicitor, paralegal and other case workers) to £373 per hour for a grade A fee earner (director, solicitor, or legal executive with over 8 years’ experience). The exact cost will depend on the individual circumstances of the matter.
We anticipate that work on probate cases will take between 9 and more than 13 hours work but this can be discussed at the initial consultation once the work that needs to be done has been discussed.
As part of our fees, we handle the full process for you including:
1. Provide you with a dedicated and experienced probate solicitor to work on your matter.
2. Identify the legally appointed executors or administrators and beneficiaries.
3. Accurately identify the type of Probate application you will require.
4. Obtain the relevant documents required to make the application.
5. Complete the Probate Application and the relevant HMRC forms.
6. Draft a legal oath for you to swear.
7. Make the application to the Probate Registry on your behalf.
8. Obtain the Probate and securely send two copies to you.
9. Collect and distribute all assets in the estate.
Estimate for work on a case with a simple estate.
Our fixed fees start at 2% of the gross estate plus VAT plus disbursements.
This estimate is for estates where:
1. There is a valid will.
2. There is no more than one property.
3. There are no other intangible assets.
4. There are no disputes between beneficiaries on division of assets. If disputes arise this is likely to lead to an increase in costs
5. There is no inheritance tax payable, and the executors do not need to submit a full account to HMRC.
6. There are no claims made against the estate.
A higher fixed fee will apply if there are other factors or complexities or if a more senior fee earner works on the case.
Disbursements:
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.
Disbursements are NOT included in this estimate and are additional to the fixed fee.
1. Probate application fee of £215 (Personal application)
2. Probate court fee of £155.00 £7.00 to £10.00 Swearing of the oath (per executor).
3. Bankruptcy-only Land Charges Department searches (£2.00 per beneficiary).
4. £93.00 to £95.00 Post in The London Gazette – Protects against unexpected claims from unknown creditors.
5. £450.00 – £500.00 Post in a Local Newspaper – This also helps to protect against unexpected claims.
The application fee is £215 if the value of the estate is £5,000 or over – there is no fee if the estate is under £5,000.
Potential additional costs:
1. 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.
2. If any additional copies of the grant are required, they will cost £0.50 (1 per asset usually).
3. Dealing with the sale or transfer of any property in the estate is not included.
How long will this take?
⦁ Typically, obtaining the grant of probate takes a minimum of 6 weeks. Collecting assets then follows and once this has been done, we can distribute the assets. On average, estates that fall within this range are dealt with within 6 weeks – 6 months.
Other Probate work undertaken at Law & Co Solicitors
⦁ We can help in situations where there are:
⦁ Disputes
⦁ More than one property
⦁ Outstanding creditors
⦁ Other forms of assets
⦁ Overseas assets
Please contact us to discuss any help you might need in relation to the above or any other Probate related matters and to obtain a quote for the work that is needed.
Disclaimer:
Any materials provided by Law & Co Solicitors on this website are strictly for informational purposes only which does not, and cannot, constitute a legal advice. The use of this site does not create a lawyer-client relationship. Additionally, initiating a chat, email or other communication with our representatives through this site does not create solicitor/client relationship and information provided will not be considered confidential or privileged.
Guideline Hourly Rates:
VAT
Above rates are exclusive of VAT this is charged at 20% (if applicable)
Fee earner category and applicable rates (per hour):
Solicitor with over 8 years experience: £373
Partner, Solicitors and legal executives with over 4 years’ experience: £289
Solicitors with 3 years + experience: £260
Solicitors with less than 3 years experience: £230
Trainees and paralegal: £ 150
All fee earning members are subject to supervision
Our fees mentioned above are for one application only and does not include disbursements which may be incurred or become necessary. Furthermore, this does not include home office fees, IHS, court fees, application fees, third party fees and any other necessary expenses. In addition, if your matter proceeds further and becomes more complex then we may revise and increase our quote.