The Solicitors Regulatory Authority, the body which regulates law firms, require us to provide you with information on our costs in relation to certain legal services which we provide. This is so that you have the information you need to make an informed choice of legal service provider, and an understanding as to what the total cost of that service may be.
One such legal service is the administration estates which included the collection and distribution of money, property and other assets belonging to a person following their death, where these assets are in the UK, and they are not contested. For any other probate query, please contact the Probate Team for a no-obligation discussion.
Each probate matter which we deal with is unique, albeit that there are common elements to each case.
We have provided below pricing information for a number of different scenarios which we come across, however exact costs will depend on the specific circumstances. We have listed factors which may cause the price to vary but for an accurate quote, please contact a member of the team and explain your specific circumstances and requirements. In all cases, our fees are based on the time spent by all members of the team involved. Different members of the team may have involvement at different staged of the matter, due to the requirement for different levels of expertise, or availability of individuals. The current hourly rate bands are set out below. These rates do not include VAT, which will be charged at 20%.
| Senior Partners and Consultants | £220-£350 |
| Junior Partners | £190-£300 |
| Solicitors/Senior Executives | £150-£275 |
| Legal Executives and Senior Clerks | £140-£200 |
| Trainee Solicitors and Clerks | £100-£175 |
Applying for the Grant of Probate only
If there is a valid Will in place, you can instruct us to only apply to the Probate Registry to obtain the Grant of Probate on your behalf.
Non-Taxable Estates: Where the total value of the assets in the estate is less than the nil rate band
The exact cost will depend on the number of the assets in the estate and whether you are claiming any allowances.
| Legal Fees: | £800 – £1000 plus VAT at 20%
(Total including VAT £960- £1200) |
| Disbursements: These are costs relating to your matter that are payable to 3rd parties | |
| Probate Court Fee: | £300 for estates over £5000 (VAT not applicable) |
| Extra copies of the grant of probate (you would usually require one copy per asset) | £1.50 (VAT not applicable) |
| Land Registry Search Fee if the estate includes property | £3.00 plus VAT 20% (£3.60 incl VAT) per property owned |
| S.27 Notice in the London Gazette to protect against unexpected claims from unknown creditors | £111.25 plus VAT at 20% (£133.50 incl VAT) |
| S.27 Notice in a local newspaper to provide additional protection against unexpected claims | £100 to £200 plus VAT at 20% dependent on publication (£120 to £240 incl VAT) |
What this includes:
- Providing you with a dedicated and experienced probate solicitor or executive to work on your matter.
- Identifying the legally appointed Executors or Administrators.
- Completing the Probate Application for HMRC utilising the documents you have provided.
- Preparing necessary paperwork for signing.
- Making the application to HMRC on your behalf.
- Obtaining the Probate and sending two copies to you.
Taxable Estates: Where the total value of the assets in the estate exceeds the nil rate band
If an estate is taxable we are unable to provide a fixed fee. The exact cost will depend on the number and complexity of the assets in the estate, and whether you are claiming any tax reliefs. This has an impact on the extent of the reporting needed for HMRC. Our fees will be calculated based on the number of hours it takes to complete the required HMRC forms. The hourly rate will depend on the level of experience of the Fee Earner dealing with your matter.
| Legal Fees: | Between £1500 & £2500 plus VAT at 20% (Total including VAT £1800 – £3000) |
| Disbursements: These are costs relating to your matter that are payable to 3rd parties | |
| Probate Court Fee: | £300 for estates over £5000 (VAT not applicable) |
| Extra copies of the grant of probate (you would usually require one per asset) | £1.50 (VAT not applicable) |
| Land Registry Search Fee if the estate includes property | £3.00 plus VAT 20% (£3.60 incl VAT) per property owned |
| S.27 Notice in the London Gazette to protect against unexpected claims from unknown creditors | £111.25 plus VAT at 20% (£133.50 incl VAT) |
| S.27 Notice in a local newspaper to provide additional protection against unexpected claims | £100 to £200 plus VAT at 20% dependent on publication (£120 to £240 incl VAT) |
What this includes:
- Providing you with a dedicated and experienced probate solicitor or executive to work on your matter.
- Identifying the legally appointed Executors or Administrators.
- Completing the Probate Application for HMRC utilising the documents you have provided.
- Preparing necessary paperwork for signing.
- Making the application to HMRC on your behalf.
- Obtaining the Probate and sending two copies to you.
These estimates are for applying for the grant only. If the instructions extend beyond this, the price will increase. Examples of situations where the price would increase include, but are not limited to:
- If the person making the application is doing so acting under a Power of Attorney or a Court of Protection Deputyship.
- If you require advice on the valuations obtained for the assets in the estate.
- If there are any foreign or business assets in the estate.
Applying for the Grant of Probate, collecting and distributing assets
If there is a valid Will in place, you can instruct us to deal with the whole administration of the estate the cost for which would include:
- Providing you with a dedicated and experienced probate solicitor or executive to work on your matter.
- Identifying the legally appointed Executors or Administrators.
- Collecting the details of the assets and liabilities.
- Completing the Probate Application for HMRC utilising the information we have obtained
- Preparing necessary paperwork for signing.
- Making the application to HMRC on your behalf.
- Closing all accounts and arranging the sale of any property.
- Distributing the estate to beneficiaries in accordance with the Will.
Our fees will be calculated based on the number of hours it takes to complete the administration. The hourly rate will depend on the level of experience of the Fee Earner dealing with your matter.
Non-Taxable Estates: Where the total value of the assets in the estate is less than the nil rate band (before the use of the Residence Nil Rate Band)
| Legal Fees: | £3000-£6000 plus VAT at 20% (Total including VAT £3600 – £7200) |
| Disbursements: These are costs relating to your matter that are payable to 3rd parties | |
| Probate Court Fee: | £300 for estates over £5000 (VAT not applicable) |
| Extra copies of the grant of probate (you would usually require one per asset) | £1.50 (VAT not applicable) |
| Bankruptcy-only Land Charges search (per beneficiary): | £2 plus VAT charged at 20% (£2.40 incl VAT) |
| Land Registry Search Fee if the estate includes property | £3.00 plus VAT at 20% (£3.60 incl VAT) per property owned |
| S.27 Notice in the London Gazette to protect against unexpected claims from unknown creditors | £111.25 plus VAT at 20% (£133.50 incl VAT) |
| S.27 Notice in a local newspaper to provide additional protection against unexpected claims | £100 to £200 plus VAT at 20% dependent on publication (£120 to £240 incl VAT) |
Factors which may cause the costs to rise above this estimate are:
- If the person making the application is doing so acting under a Power of Attorney or a Court of Protection Deputyship.
- If the validity of the Will is questioned.
- If the Will is complex.
- If any of the beneficiaries are unknown or need to be traced.
- If there is a Trust contained in the Will.
- If the Residence Nil Rate Band is being claimed.
- If there is a dispute between beneficiaries on the division of the assets.
- If there is inheritance tax payable and the Executors need to submit a full account to the HMRC.
- If there is a claim made against the estate.
- If there is more than one property.
- If there are foreign assets.
- If there are business assets.
- If the estate consists of any shareholdings.
- If corrective accounts need to be submitted to HMRC.
- If there needs to be the application of ‘downsizing’ when applying for Residence Nil Rate Band.
- If there needs to be a claim made for either Agricultural Property relief or Business Property relief.
Please note that additional costs will be incurred for the sale or transfer of any property in the estate and please see our sales page for pricing details.
We can provide you with a more accurate estimate once we have more information about the estate.
Intestate Estates
A person may pass away without leaving a Will, or a valid Will. This means that they have died intestate.
Although the processes referred to above will still apply, additional costs will be incurred. We will incur extra time in identifying and tracing the correct person to administer the estate and the beneficiaries of the estate. The additional costs are usually in the region of £2000 to £4000 plus VAT at 20% (Total including VAT £2400 -£4800) but we can give you a more accurate quote once we know more about the deceased circumstances.
We may instruct an Enquiry Agent or Tracing Agent to provide confirmation of the people entitles to benefit. They would charge for their services as a disbursement. The costs depend on the particular situation, for example, the number of beneficiaries that need to be traced, or the complexity of the family structure. A estimate would be provided before the work was undertaken.
How long will it take to administer the estate?
The time it takes to administer an estate will largely depend on the complexity of the estate. Whether there is a Will, how many assets there are, how many beneficiaries there are and if they can be traced, the efficiencies of any third party companies or organisations involved, whether a property needs to be sold and whether any Inheritance Tax is payable, will all affect how long the process takes. A simple estate, where there is no need to apply for Probate, may only take a few weeks to administer. An estate which is subject to Inheritance Tax could take over 12 months.
You can see a flow chart outlining the key stages of the process of administrating an estate here.