Probate Costs Information
Fixed Fee – Grant Only
If you would like us to only obtain the Grant of Representation, we can work on your case on a fixed fee basis of £650.00 plus VAT and disbursements (such as the Probate Registry Fee.)
This may be a suitable option if the Estate is straightforward and you are comfortable with handling all of the administration of the Estate yourself (which can include dealing with any taxation issues, any queries which might be raised by the Department of Work and Pensions (if the deceased person was in receipt of any form of means tested benefit,) and the distribution of the estate.
If the Estate includes any business assets or rental property owned by the deceased person or involve the transfer of Inheritance Tax allowances from a predeceased spouse or require the filing of an IHT400, we can still work on your matter on a Grant only basis but we will provide you with a bespoke quote. Where we are applying for the Grant only, we will ask you to put us in funds to cover the Probate Court fees before they are incurred.
Costs for obtaining a Grant for a straightforward estate worth under £325,000
We anticipate this will take between 6 and 16 hours work at £220 per hour and our fees will be between £1,000.00 and £3,000.00 plus VAT and the necessary disbursements mentioned below.
The exact cost will depend on the estate circumstances, and we will provide you with a cost estimate at the beginning of the matter. For example, if there is one beneficiary and no property, the costs will be at the lower end of the range. If there are multiple beneficiaries, a property, and multiple bank accounts, the costs will be at the higher end.
We will handle the full process for you. The above estimate is for a straightforward Estate worth under £325,000 applies where there:
- is a valid Will
- is no more than one property
- are no more than 5 bank or building society accounts
- are no more than 5 beneficiaries
- are no disputes between beneficiaries on the division of assets. (If disputes arise this is likely to lead to an increase in costs.)
- no claims made against the estate
- there are no foreign assets
- no business or agricultural assets
- An IHT400 tax form (a more complex tax form which requires accompanying schedules to be completed) is not required
Disbursements are costs related to your matter that are payable to third parties, such as court fees and bankruptcy search fees. We handle the payment of the disbursements on your behalf to ensure a smoother process.
The likely required disbursements for such specified estates are:
- Probate Court fee currently £155.00 plus £0.50p per extra copy Grant
- Bankruptcy-only searches (£2.00 per beneficiary)
- Statutory Advertisement in The London Gazette to protect against unexpected claims from unknown creditors currently £77.00 plus VAT.
- Advertisement in a Local Newspaper for the same reason. The costs for this advert varies depending on which local newspaper the advertisement is placed.
Additional costs and disbursements for the above estates
- If there is no Will or the estate consists of any share holdings (stocks and bonds) there are likely to be additional costs which 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 the deceased person was a self-assessed income tax payer, Accountants’ fees may be incurred to finalise the income tax position to the date of death and we will have additional costs in dealing with this.
- If any property whose title is already registered at the Land Registry is to be transferred into the name(s) of a beneficiary, a Land Registry fee dependant on the value of the property will be payable; additional costs and a Land Registry fee will be incurred if the title to the property is unregistered so that a Land Registry first registration of title application is required.
- Dealing with any Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) enquiries beyond the provision of basic information as to the estate assets. (If the deceased person received any form of means tested benefits, the DWP will ask the personal representatives for details of the estate assets and compare them to those declared at the time of the benefit application and may raise further enquiries if there is any discrepancy between the two)
- Conveyancing fees for the sale of any property in the estate are not included. Our conveyancing team will provide a separate costs’ estimate for this work.
Our additional costs will be charged in accordance with our hourly rate quoted above plus VAT and we will advise you of the amount of any additional disbursements before they are incurred.