Applying for the grant, collecting and distributing the assets
We anticipate this will take between 15-20 hours work depending on size of the estate and complexity at £305 per hour plus VAT. Therefore the range of fees will be between £4,575 to £6100 plus VAT. VAT is charged at 20%.
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.
Our probate work is carried out by Satwinder Sidhu, a Private Client and Estate Planning Consultant and Faizal Essat, a Legal Executive Advocate. Satwinder has experience from the Financial and the Legal Sector and is a full member and qualified by Institute of Professional Will Writers. Faizal is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Legal Executives and is also admitted as a Legal Executive Advocate. Faizal is an experienced Litigation Lawyer. Our solicitor, Gina Samuel-Richards, supervises all probate work.
We will handle the full process for you. This quote is for estates where:
- There is a valid will
- There is no more than two properties
- There are no more than 2 bank or building society accounts
- There are no other intangible assets
- There are 2-3 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 are no claims made against the estate
Disbursements included in this fee:
- Probate application fee of £273
- Bankruptcy-only Land Charges Department searches (£2.40 for each beneficiary)
- £100 +VAT for a notice in The London Gazette – Protects against unexpected claims from unknown creditors.
- Prices vary for notices in a Local Newspaper – This also helps to protect against unexpected claims.
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.
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 £1.50 per copy (1 per asset usually).
- Dealing with the sale or transfer of any property in the estate is not included.
The services included in our prices include the following key stages:
- 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 a legal oath for you to swear
- Make the application to the Probate Court on your behalf
- Obtain the Probate and securely send two copies to you
- Collect and distribute all assets in the estate
How long will this take?
On average, estates that fall within this range are dealt with within 6-9 months. Typically, obtaining the grant of probate takes 12 weeks. Collecting assets then follows, which can take between 6-8 weeks. Once this has been done, we can distribute the assets, which normally takes 4-6 weeks.