Our fees

(i) For obtaining grant of probate/letters of administration only

To obtaining grant of probate/letters of administration, we would charge on a time spent basis at the current hourly rate of £350 plus VAT (at 20%) per hour plus disbursements subject to a minimum of £1,575 plus VAT (at 20%) and disbursements.

We also charge for remitting funds by telegraphic transfer at £50.00 plus VAT (at 20%) for each transfer and £35.00 plus VAT (at 20%) per person checked for ID and/or source of funds.

(ii) Full Estate Administration

Full estate administration – we will charge on a time spent basis at the current hourly rate of £350 plus VAT (at 20%) per hour plus disbursements. In addition we charge 1% of the gross value of the estate plus VAT (at 20%) (excluding the value of any properties) and 0.5% of the gross value of any properties in the estate plus VAT (at 20%).

We also charge for remitting funds by telegraphic transfer at £50.00 plus VAT (at 20%) for each transfer and £35.00 plus VAT (at 20%) per person checked for ID and/or source of funds.

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 lower. If there are multiple beneficiaries, a property and multiple bank accounts, costs will be higher as the time spent will be higher.

By way of example, for a small estate worth, say, £380,000 where

  • There is a valid will

    There is one executor

    There is no more than one property which is worth £300,000.

    There are no more than 2 bank or building society accounts containing a total of £80,000.

    There are no other assets

    There are 1-2 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 are no claims made against the estate

We anticipate that obtaining probate and dealing with the full estate administration on a small estate will take between 8 - 10 hours work. So, taking a small estate worth £380,000 as the example: applying the hourly rate and percentage of the gross value of the estate, total legal costs estimated at £5,100.00 to £5,800.00 plus, as indicated above, telegraphic transfer and ID and/or source of funds check fees plus VAT (at 20%) and disbursements.

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.

  • Probate court fee - £300 (no VAT chargeable) if the value of the estate is over £5,000.00.

  • Additional copies of the grant (1 per asset usually required) £1.50 each (no VAT chargeable).

  • Office copy entries and title documents from the Land Registry from £3.90 inc VAT (at 20%) per document inc VAT.

  • Bankruptcy-only Land Charges Department searches (£2.90 inc VAT at 20% per beneficiary name).

  • Advertisement in The London Gazette – Protects against unexpected claims from unknown creditors £87.30 plus VAT (at 20%).

  • Advertisement in a Local Newspaper (this will vary depending on the rates of the local paper) – £80 to £150 plus VAT (at 20%). This also helps to protect against unexpected claims.

  • Financial asset search - £165 to £195 plus VAT (at 20%), if required.

  • Will search - £49 - £221 plus VAT (at 20%), if required.

Potential additional costs, including

  • If one or more of our directors have been appointed executor of the estate, we will charge 3% of the gross value of the estate plus VAT (at 20%) and disbursements, subject to a minimum of £1,575.00 plus VAT (at 20%) and disbursements. This will be instead of charging an hourly rate plus VAT (at 20%) and disbursements and 1% of the gross value of the estate plus VAT (at 20%) (excluding the value of any properties) and 0.5% of the gross value of any properties in the estate plus VAT (at 20%).

  • If there is no Will or the estate consists of any shareholdings (stocks and bonds) there are likely to be additional costs that could vary 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.

  • Dealing with the sale or transfer of any property in the estate is not included and an additional charge will apply. You will be advised of this nearer the time.

How long will this take?

On average, simple estates are usually dealt with within 2-6 months. Typically, obtaining the grant of probate takes 2 – 4 months. Collecting assets then follows, which will typically take 2 – 3 months. Once this has been done, we can distribute the assets, which normally takes 4 to 6 weeks.

Whilst every effort has been made to ensure the above fees are accurate we reserve the right to raise further charges if the complexity or amount of work involved exceeds levels anticipated at the outset. Please note that the cost of disbursements are subject to any increases (which are out of our control) which may be imposed by third party suppliers, or if some of the information on which our quotation is based proves later to be incorrect. Our fees are applicable only for probates matters in England and Wales.

Your matter would be run by Sarena Spicer, a Private Client Solicitor, or Shanti Palmer, a Trust and Estate Practitioner. Sarena qualified in 2019 and Shanti qualified in 2004.

In relation to matters being run by Shanti, it may become necessary to prepare probate papers on which to found or oppose a grant of probate or a grant of letters of administration. In those instances, Sarena would prepare the same.