Wills & Probate Solicitors

This work is dealt with on a fixed fee basis.

For applications for Grant of Representation where the Estate does not exceed £325,000 and we are able to submit form IHT205 (or under £1 million and exempt of inheritance tax as the Estate is passing to spouse or charity and we are able to submit form IHT205) the costs will be £800 plus VAT at 20% and disbursements being Land Registry fee of £3.00 plus VAT at 20% (£3.60) and and Probate Fee of £273 plus £1.50 for every sealed copy of the Grant required.

For applications for Grant of Representation where we are able to submit and IHT205, but we also need to complete form IHT217 to transfer a late spouse’s unused inheritance nil rate band allowance the costs will be £1,000 plus VAT at 20% and disbursements being Land Registry fee of £3.00 plus VAT at 20% (£3.60) and and Probate Fee of £273 plus £1.50 for every sealed copy of the Grant required.

For applications for Grant of Representation where it is necessary to complete and submit form IHT400 and the various schedules to the HMRC the costs will be £2500 plus VAT at 20% and disbursements being Land Registry fee of £3.00 plus VAT at 20% (£3.60) and Probate Fee of £273 plus £1.50 for every sealed copy of the Grant required.

The following is a summary of the work involved in applying for a Grant of Representation only:

1. Interview with you to discuss the terms of the deceased’s Will/intestacy and to through the assets and liabilities in the estate.  You will be required to provide us with details of all assets in the estate.  We will not be contacting any of the financial institutions directly ourselves.
2. Draft Legal Statement and Inheritance Tax forms.  Calculate if there is Inheritance Tax to pay.  Send to the client in draft form.
3. Submit application to the Probate Registry (and HMRC if applicable)  to obtain Grant of representation
4. Once Grant of representation is received, we will send the Grants to you for you to deal with the administration of the estate.

We calculate our costs an hourly spent basis by estimating how many hours it will take to administer the Estate, based on the assets in the Estate, the value of the Estate and the beneficiaries. The work will be dealt with by one of our solicitors Sharon Woodward or Catrin Lloyd at a rate of £250 per hour. They may be assisted by a trainee or a paralegal at an hourly rate of £120 or £150 per hour. Once we have established how many hours we believe it may take to administer the Estate we then provide clients with a quote based on time spent and the hourly rate or a fixed fee alternative so that clients can choose which option they prefer.

The following is a summary of all work when we deal with a full administration of an estate:

1. Interview with you to advise on the terms of the deceased’s Will/intestacy provisions and discuss the duties of the executors.
2. Register the death, arrange the funeral.  Check the property is secured, deal with personal belongings and clearance of the property if applicable.
3. Go through the assets and liabilities and write the initial letters to banks, building societies, utilities (including council tax) and insurance.
4. Submit statutory notices if applicable.
5. Draft Legal Statement and Inheritance Tax forms.  Calculate if there is Inheritance Tax to pay.  Send to the client in draft form.
6. Submit application to the Probate Registry (and HMRC if applicable) to obtain Grant of Representation.
7. Once Grant of Representation is received, collect in the assets and pay outstanding liabilities.
8. Pay any liabilities, any legacies or interim distributions to the residuary beneficiaries.
9. Submit bankruptcy checks.
10. Prepare Estate Accounts for approval by the executors.
11. Finalise the income tax position of the deceased.
12. Pay out balance to residuary beneficiaries.

VAT is charged at a rate of 20% on our costs.

Applying for the grant, collecting and distributing the assets

We anticipate this will take between 12 and 16 hours work at a rate of £250 per hour plus VAT. Total costs estimated at £3,000 (+VAT at 20%) and disbursements.

The exact cost will depend on the individual circumstances of the matter. For example, if there is one beneficiary and no property, costs will be at the lower end of the range. If there are multiple beneficiaries, a property and multiple bank accounts, costs will be at the higher end.

We will handle the full process for you. This quote is for estates where:

• There is a valid will
• There is no more than one property
• There are no more than 2 bank or building society accounts
• There are no other intangible assets
• There are 3 beneficiaries
• There are no disputes between beneficiaries on division of assets. If disputes arise this is likely to lead to an increase in costs
• There is no inheritance tax payable and the executors do not need to submit a full account to HMRC
• There is no capital gains tax or income tax
• There are no claims made against the estate

Disbursements included in this fee:

• Probate application fee of £273 plus £1.50 for every sealed copy
• Bankruptcy-only Land Charges Department searches (£2 per beneficiary plus VAT at 20%)
• £200 Post in The London Gazette – Protects against unexpected claims from unknown creditors
• £150 Post in a Local Newspaper – This also helps to protect against unexpected claims
• Land Registry search fee of £3.00 plus VAT at 20%

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.

Services not included in the cost

• 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
• If any additional copies of the grant are required, they will cost £1.50 (1 per asset usually)
• Estate Agents may need to be instructed to provide a valuation for the property
• Dealing with the sale or transfer of any property in the estate is not included

How long will this take?

On average, estates that fall within this range are dealt with within 8-12 months, depending on when the Property is sold. Typically, obtaining the grant of probate takes 12 weeks from the date on which we receive our Client Care Letter back duly signed and approved. Collecting cash assets then follows after the Grant is obtained, which can take between 3-6 weeks. Once this has been done, we can then, depending on circumstances, make an interim distribution, which normally takes 2 weeks.  

Once the Property is sold we will then be able to finalise the administration of the estate.

Applying for the grant, collecting and distributing the assets

We anticipate this will take between 22- 28 hours work at £250 per hour. Total costs estimated at £5,500 (+VAT and disbursements). 

The exact cost will depend on the individual circumstances of the matter. For example, if there is one beneficiary and no property, costs will be at the lower end of the range. If there are multiple beneficiaries, a property and multiple bank accounts, costs will be at the higher end.

We will handle the full process for you. This quote is for estates where:

• There is a valid will
• There is no more than one property
• There are no more than 5 bank or building society accounts
• There are no other intangible assets
• There are no more than 5 beneficiaries
• There are no disputes between beneficiaries on division of assets. If disputes arise this is likely to lead to an increase in costs
• There is no inheritance tax payable but a claim needs to be made to claim a deceased’s spouse’s unused Nil Rate Band and the executors need to submit a full account to HMRC in order to claim the Residence Nil Rate Band and unused Residence Nil Rate Band from deceased spouse’s estate
• There are no claims made against the estate

Disbursements included in this fee:

• Probate application fee of £273 plus £1.50 for every sealed copy
• Bankruptcy-only Land Charges Department searches (£2 per beneficiary plus VAT at 20%)
• £200 Post in The London Gazette – Protects against unexpected claims from unknown creditors
• £150 Post in a Local Newspaper – This also helps to protect against unexpected claims
• Land Registry search fee of £3.00 plus VAT at 20%

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.

Services not included in the costs:

• If there is no will or the estate consists of any share holdings (stocks and bonds) there is 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
• If any additional copies of the grant are required, they will cost £1.50 (1 per asset usually)
• Estate Agents may need to be instructed to provide a valuation for the property
• Dealing with the sale or transfer of any property in the estate is not included
• Dealing with a Tax Return on behalf of the estate.

How long will this take?

On average, estates that fall within this range are dealt with within 8-12 months, depending on when the Property is sold. Typically, obtaining the grant of probate takes 4-6 months from the date on which we receive our Client Care Letter back duly signed and approved. Collecting cash assets then follows after the Grant is obtained, which can take between 3-6 weeks. Once this has been done, we can then depending on circumstances make an interim distribution, which normally takes 2 weeks.

Once the Property is sold we will then be able to finalise the administration of the estate.

Applying for the grant, collecting and distributing the assets

We anticipate this will take between 48 hours work at £250 plus VAT per hour. Total costs estimated at £12,000 (+VAT) and disbursements. 

The exact cost will depend on the individual circumstances of the matter. For example, if there is one beneficiary and no property, costs will be at the lower end of the range. If there are multiple beneficiaries, a property and multiple bank accounts, costs will be at the higher end.

We will handle the full process for you. This quote is for estates where:

• There is a valid will
• There is no more than one property
• There are no more than 8 bank or building society accounts
• There are other intangible assets
• There are no more than 10 beneficiaries
• There are no disputes between beneficiaries on division of assets. If disputes arise this is likely to lead to an increase in costs
• There is inheritance tax payable and the executors need to submit a full account to HMRC and we are required to calculate the inheritance tax due
• There are no claims made against the estate

Disbursements included in this fee:

• Probate application fee of £273 plus £1.50 for every sealed copy
• £7 Swearing of the oath (per executor)
• Bankruptcy-only Land Charges Department searches (£2 per beneficiary plus VAT at 20%)
• £200 Post in The London Gazette – Protects against unexpected claims from unknown creditors
• £150 Post in a Local Newspaper – This also helps to protect against unexpected claims
• Land Registry search fee of £3.00 plus VAT at 20%

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.

Services not included in the costs

• If there is no will or the estate consists of any share holdings (stocks and bonds) there is 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.
• If any additional copies of the grant are required, they will cost £0.50 (1 per asset usually)
• Estate Agents may need to be instructed to provide a valuation for the property
• Dealing with the sale or transfer of any property in the estate is not included

How long will this take?

On average, estates that fall within this range are dealt with within 12-18 months, depending on when the Property is sold. Typically, obtaining the grant of probate takes 6-8 months from the date on which we receive our Client Care Letter back duly signed and approved. Collecting cash assets then follows once the Grant is obtained, which can take 6 weeks. Once this has been done, we can then depending on circumstances make an interim distribution, which normally takes 2 weeks.

Once the Property is sold we will then be able to finalise the administration of the estate.