Price Transparency
The Solicitors Regulation Authority (“SRA”) requires that all regulated firms publish information on a select number of services specified by the SRA, including how the law firm charges and what these prices include.
It is hard to provide a single figure that applies to all, so we have provided a range of costs and an explanation of the basis for those charges.
Pricing for Probate
Below you will find pricing information relating to Probate matters.
If you would like a more accurate quotation, please contact our Private Client Team, who will give you a quotation based upon your specific circumstances.
Who will advise you?
Our Private Client Team has significant experience and will keep you informed at every stage of the process.
Range of costs
Our range of costs for Probate matters are as follows:
- Obtaining a Grant of Probate only - £1,000 to £1,500, plus VAT and disbursements.
· Simple case - £1,500 to £4,000, plus VAT and disbursements
- Higher complexity case - £4,000 to £7,000, plus VAT and disbursements.
What do the fees cover?
The fees set out above cover the following:
- Identifying the legally appointed Executors or Administrators and Beneficiaries;
- Accurately identifying the type of Probate application you will require;
- Obtaining the information needed to apply for the Grant of Probate;
- Advising and arranging advertisements for any unknown creditors;
- Preparing the Excepted Estate (abridged) Inheritance Tax Account (when a full Inheritance Tax Account is not required);
- Preparing the Statement of Truth;
- Applying to the Probate Registry on your behalf for the Grant of Probate and sufficient official copies;
- Contacting the Beneficiaries and verifying their identity;
- Collecting the assets;
- Paying estate liabilities and expenses;
- Preparing Estate Accounts;
- Distributing the assets; and
- Providing information about any additional costs that may be payable if the estate falls outside of the factors listed for this illustration.
The stages above are an indication of stages which may be required in any Probate matter. If some of these are not required, the fee may be less.
None of the above fee estimates include conveyancing fees. Conveyancing fees are estimated separately, and the estimates are made assuming; there are no claims against the Estate or disagreements between Beneficiaries or Executors, we are able to easily contact and/trace all assets and Beneficiaries, and we receive timely responses from Executors, Beneficiaries, HMRC and other third parties.
Variable factors that can make a case more complex
A case may become more complex in the following scenarios:
- Where there are multiple Beneficiaries.
· Where there is a property.
· Where there are multiple bank accounts.
· Where Inheritance Tax is payable.
· If there are labour intensive assets (such as a property that we need to clear).
· Where there are a large number of individual shareholdings outside of a portfolio.
· Where there is more than one property or rental properties.
· Where there are foreign assets.
· Where there is a business.
· Where there are related Trusts.
· Where negotiations are required with the Department for Work and Pensions or HM Revenue & Customs or the District Valuer.
- Where complex tax calculations are required (for example, Income or Capital Gains Tax).
A simple case may be an Estate with no Trusts where no Inheritance Tax is due and the assets pass to a surviving spouse or a small number of beneficiaries. Assets may include a property, a couple of bank accounts, a couple of shareholdings, a life policy and a private pension.
Disbursements
Disbursements are costs payable to third parties, and include Land Registry or Court fees.
The likely disbursements in an Estate Administration matter are:
- £155 plus 50p per copy of the Grant – Probate application fee
· £2 per beneficiary – Bankruptcy – only Land Charges Department searches
· £150 to £200 – post in the London Gazette and a local newspaper
- £3.60 per copy of Register of Title for Property – Land Registry Search fee.
How long will my matter take?
The timescales for finalising an Estate are difficult to predict accurately, particularly if there is a property that needs to be sold. As a guide, a simple case might be finalised within 3 to 6 months, whereas a more complex case may take between 6 months to a year (with some of the most complicated Estates taking over a year).