Enquiries: 01287 636401

Wills & Probate:
Cost Information

Professional Charges

Service

Cost (VAT at 20%)

Single Will	£150.00+VAT
Joint Will	£225.00+VAT
Severance Wills	£350.00+VAT

On average we send out a draft Will upon receiving instructions within 7 days.

Fixed Fee for extracting the grant of probate

Following the death of a loved one should the family be happy to deal with most aspects of the estate and simply require assistance in extracting the Grant of Probate or the Grant of Letters of Administration we can offer you a service at a set fee of around £450.00+VAT at 20% and disbursements. The exact cost will depend upon the circumstances as you will appreciate that each matter is difference. We will be upfront with you and once we have all the relevant details we will provide you with a final quote which is then confirmed to you in our initial client care letter. Typical disbursements will be the Probate Court fee of £155.00, additional copies of the Grant £0.50 per copy. The Probate Registry Office are presenting taking between 6-10 weeks to issue the grant. Should further disbursements be needed you will be notified prior to the disbursements being incurred. For more information please call on 01287 636401.

Estate Administration

Should the executors under a Will or beneficiaries under an intestate estate wish to instruct a Solicitor to deal with the entire estate then we would anticipate this will take anywhere between 4 to 20 hours. We would expect the fees to be between £1,250.00 to £3,600.00+VAT at 20%. The hourly rate charged is £180.00+VAT at 20%. The exact cost will depend on the individual circumstances of the matter. A final quote will be given once we are aware of all the facts 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 a quote would be given of around £1,500 to £3,000+VAT at 20% 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 2-4 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 included in this fee:

• Probate application fee of £155
• Extra copies of the grant £0.50 per copy

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 £0.50 (1 per asset usually).
• Inheritance tax is due from the estate.
• Dealing with the sale or transfer of any property in the estate is not included.

Court of Protection

To act in lodging the initial application our fee is set at £800.00+VAT at 20%. These applications usually take between 9 to 12 months.

Financial Assessment Review

When discussing Wills or Estate planning whilst we are not regulated to provide financial advice we can touch upon inheritance tax allowances for individuals, for couples together with additional allowances such as the property relief allowance

Care For The Elderly

We can touch upon this subject when discussing the making of a Will, a Lasting Power of Attorney or even when administrating an estate, looking at ways to mitigate care home fees if appropriate and the issues surrounding care.

Selling a Deceased Property

Our fee is subject to the value of the property along similar rates to dealing with a usual conveyance.

How long will this take?

On average, estates that fall within this range are dealt with within 3-6 months. Typically, obtaining the grant of probate takes 6-10 weeks. Collecting assets then follows, which can take between 4-6 weeks.

When dealing with the full administration of an estate there are various key stages: initially we have to ensure that the property (if there is one) is secured and correctly insured. We then need to establish to size of the estate for inheritance tax purposes. There will be a number of weeks whilst we are liaising with financial institutions. Once we have details of the assets and liabilities we can then look to complete the inheritance tax forms and thereafter apply for the grant of probate/letters of administration. No two estates are the same. Once we have extracted the grant the final stages involve gatherings in the assets, selling the property, settling any liabilities and then distributing the estate in accordance with either the terms of the Will or under the rules of intestacy.

Please contact the office on 01287 636401 and Nick will usually come back to you within the day to discuss matters further. Our initial client care letter will set out the fees and estimated costs.