Probate Pricing

Coping with the death of a loved one can be very stressful and emotional and the legal side of dealing with a death can often be confusing and overwhelming.  We offer compassionate advice from our experienced legal team to help make a difficult situation easier on you and your loved ones.

Where there is a Will in existence the Executors will need to apply for the Grant of Probate which will give them the right to administer the Estate.  If there is no Will or an invalid Will or where the Will does not specify an Executor, an Administrator will need to be appointed.

Our experienced team can assist you with every aspect of the probate process to reduce the burden and will advise on the key decisions which need to be made.  We will give you a clear time frame of how long probate should take and will keep you and any beneficiaries advised throughout. 

Timescales

An average probate matter will take between 3 and 12 months. The Grant of Probate can generally be obtained in 3 to 6 months followed by the collection of assets and the distribution of the Estate, which can take between 4 and 12 months.

With each transaction there are milestones that we need to reach.  These are generally, but may vary:

Application for the Grant of Probate;

Obtaining the Grant of Probate;

The settling of liabilities;

Collecting monies for distribution;

Distributing the funds;

Drafting Estate Accounts. 

Pricing

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. For example 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 between 1 and 4 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

Disbursements are costs related to your matter that are payable to third parties. Disbursements included in this fee:

• Probate application fee of £277.50 (with 4 copies), £288.00 (with 10 copies)
• £250-£350 advertisement in The London Gazette – this protects against unexpected claims from unknown creditors.

Potential additional 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 each
• Dealing with the sale or transfer of any property in the Estate is not included.
• Depending upon the value of the Estate there may be an inheritance tax liability which is additional to the price displayed.  For an accurate figure of the tax that could be payable, please refer to the HMRC online inheritance tax calculator at http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/tools/inheritancetax/interest-rate-calculator.htm

Probate – Fixed Fee Arrangement for Grant of Probate Only

We can help you through this difficult process by obtaining the Grant of Probate on your behalf. We will also undertake the collecting and distributing of assets.

As part of our fixed fee we will:

• Provide you with a dedicated and experienced probate solicitor to work on your matter
• Identify the legally appointed Executors or administrators and beneficiaries
• Accurately identify the type of Probate application you will require
• Obtain the relevant documents required to make the application
• Complete the Probate Application and the relevant HMRC forms
• Draft the legal statement for you to sign
• Make the application to the Probate Court on your behalf
• Obtain the Probate and securely send copies to you
• Collect and distribute all assets in the Estate

Breakdown of costs:

Legal fees:

• Non taxable Estate - £750 - £1,500 plus VAT
• Taxable Estate – £1,500-£3,500 plus VAT

Disbursements:

• Probate Court fee of £277.50 (with 4 copies); £288 (with 10 copies)
• £250-£350 advertisement in The London Gazette – this protects against unexpected claims from unknown creditors.
• Depending upon the value of the Estate there may be an inheritance tax liability which is additional to the price displayed.  For an accurate figure of the tax that could be payable, please refer to the HMRC online inheritance tax calculator at http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/tools/inheritancetax/interest-rate-calculator.htm

The cost of selling or transferring a property is not included in the prices quoted. If you require this service please let us know and we will let you have a relevant quotation.

Our Probate Team

Our team has many years of collective experience in all matters relating to Wills and Estate administration with expertise in high value Estates and Inheritance Tax matters

We have two members of the team who may work on your matter.  Regardless of who works on your matter, they will be supervised by Liz Dumbleton, Senior Partner and Head of Probate and Estate Administration.

Liz Dumbleton is the Head of Probate and Estate Administration. Liz qualified as a Solicitor in 1999 and has worked in many areas of law. Liz specialises in family matters as well as probate and Estate management and supervises all other members of the team.  Contact Liz on 01580 890600/01424 420261

Amanda Platten has worked in law since 2002.  She is a Senior Probate Executive, specialising in probate and Estate management with over six years of relevant experience and is particularly skilled at dealing with complex Estate matters.

All members of staff in the Probate department are supervised by Liz Dumbleton.  Liz is the firm's Senior Partner.

Additional Fees:

All clients will be required to pay an onboarding fee of £15.00 plus VAT where we are acting for a sole client and £25.00 plus VAT where acting for joint clients.

If your transaction requires us to send money to you by Telegraphic Transfer, you will be charged £36.00 plus VAT to do so.

It would not normally be necessary to undertake other work or incur other costs other than those described above.  However, we would be very happy to provide you with a more tailored quote for all stages of your particular case once we know about your specific circumstances.