We offer a range of fixed fees for work which is routine and if that is not possible we will provide you with a basis for calculating our fees, with estimates provided where possible, and we will always seek your agreement to our fee proposals before undertaking chargeable work.

Will writing fees

• Fees to the writing a single WILL, from £300.00

• Fees to the writing a joint WILL, from £450.00

Probate Fees 

Applying for a grant of probate in a non-taxable estate (which includes property and various other assets including bank accounts, some investments and other tangible assets), dealing with payment of any debts and estate administration expenses and then dealing with the distribution of the estate to less than 10 beneficiaries. We anticipate that a case like this will generally take between 10 and 20 hours of our time to complete spread over a period of months. The fees to deal with the administration of a non-taxable estate like this will generally be somewhere in the region of £2,000 – £4,500, the exact cost will depend on the individual circumstances of the case. In addition to our fees, a range of disbursements would also be payable.

In a case like the one described above, we can handle the full process for you. The general estimate provided above 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 up to ten beneficiaries all based in the UK and contactable

• There are no disputes between beneficiaries on the division of assets. If disputes arise this is likely to lead to an increase in costs, sometimes significantly

• 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 that are typically incurred are:

• Probate application fee of £155.00 plus £1.00 for each sealed copy of the Grant

• £10.00 Swearing of the oath (per executor)

• Bankruptcy-only Land Charges Department searches (£2.00 per UK based beneficiary)

• £250.00- £350.00 Advert in The London Gazette and local newspaper – Protects against unexpected claims from unknown creditors.

• Other disbursements can be incurred depending on the circumstances. Disbursements are costs related to your matter that are payable to third parties, such as court fees, land registry fees, and fees paid to trace agents and genealogists. We handle the payment of the disbursements on your behalf to ensure a smoother process and if there is sufficient money in the estate we will often fund these for you and then seek reimbursement from the estate. In some cases, we will insist on your making payment to us on account before we incur disbursements.

Potential additional costs

• If there is no will or the estate consists of any shareholdings (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.

• Dealing with the sale or transfer of any property in the estate is not included. Please refer to our pricing for property transactions for further details.

Taxable Estates

It is difficult to provide a one size fits all estimate of fees and timescales for a taxable estate. By their nature estates that will be subject to inheritance tax tend to have a diverse range of assets and are more complex to deal with. The fact tax is payable does not in itself lead to higher costs, though the requirement to file a detailed Inheritance Tax Return does create work over and above that required in a non-taxable estate. The main issue is that there is just more time spent dealing with the case because there are a greater number of assets and they are more complicated to deal with than that in lower value cases. In light of this, we provide a bespoke fee estimate for taxable estates before we commence work if at all possible. That said, in many taxable estates we administer our fees are in the region of £7,500 – £12,500. If, however, the estate is simple despite its high value, the costs will likely be similar to those for untaxable estates as outlined above. In particularly difficult or demanding cases the costs can be much more than £12,500.

How long will this take?

On average, estates, as described in the example, are dealt with within 6 – 12 months. Typically, obtaining the grant of probate takes 3 – 6 months, but much depends on how easy it is to collate details of the assets and liabilities in the estate as at the date of death. Collecting assets then follows, and the time this takes varies depending on how easy it is to liquidate the assets. For example, if the main asset is a property not much progress can often be made until it has been sold. Once all the estate assets have been collected and any debts and the estate expenses paid, steps can be taken to distribute and finalise the estate. In some cases, the estate will have received untaxed income during the administration period or the property will have been sold for more than the death value. In either case, it may be necessary for the estate to file income or capital gains tax returns before finalisation.

It is difficult to provide a one size fits all quote for estate administrations. If you would like to get a better idea of how much our services will cost you please contact us and let us know more about your case. We will then provide you with a personalised quote or free estimate. If we cannot provide that based on what you tell us we will let you know what further information we need to be able to do so. Ultimately we want to provide accurate information about our charges to ensure that we start relationships with new clients on a transparent and positive note.