Probate

Probate is essentially the legal and formal process of the collection and distribution of a person’s assets, property and belongings after they pass away.

Our fees for Probate matters which are non-contentious i.e. that are not being disputed will vary and depend upon each individuals’ circumstances as some may be more straightforward situations than others.

Here are two examples which indicate how the price can differ.

1. In scenario A the Deceased was domiciled in the UK, left a will leaving assets consisting of two bank accounts, a UK property and personal items such as clothes, jewellery and a car to one or two beneficiaries.
2. In scenario B the Deceased died intestate (did not leave a will) and left multiple properties in the UK, had many bank accounts one of which was overseas, life insurance and/or pension policies, stocks and shares, business interests and they had intended to leave their assets to multiple beneficiaries including children under the age of 18, a God child, an animal charity and to their local Church.

We can see that in scenario B that there are additional issues which will require more work, time and attention. There are many more factors involved with collecting and distributing the assets including international assets and business interests and the lack of a will. This scenario is vastly different and more complex than scenario A.

Our fixed fee prices start at £8,000 plus VAT for a more straightforward probate matter such as displayed in scenario A.  Our hourly rate charged is usually £310 plus VAT for a Solicitor.

For the fixed fee we will provide the following services:

• Consultation with the executor or administrator (if there is no will) to discuss the probate process and assess the circumstances including listing and collating the potential assets that may be included in the estate and any other issues or liabilities.
• Making enquiries into the assets and calculating the values of the assets in the estate.
• Assisting with obtaining valuation of the assets.
• Prepare the necessary inheritance tax forms and arrange any potential payment if necessary (as some probate matters may not require payment of inheritance tax)
• Prepare and submit probate forms to obtain the grant of probate or letters of administration.
• Once the grant of probate or letters of administration has been obtained, we will gather the assets in the estate and settle or arrange payments of the potential liabilities.

There will also be further costs associated with dealing with probate which are not included in the above-mentioned fee, these include:

• Dealing with the statutory advertisements in The Gazette and local newspaper – £310 plus vat
• Checking and making distribution to beneficiaries – £450 plus vat per beneficiary
• External disbursements such as: the probate application fee payable to the Court (Currently – £300), additional copies of the grant (£1.50 per copy), costs for property searches (£6 each) and statutory advertisements in The Gazette (currently – £87.30 plus VAT and the local newspaper (£240 plus VAT). Prices for these disbursements are subject to change as they are provided by external suppliers.

Our aim is always to keep to any fee agreed, however should any unforeseen issues arise we reserve the right to charge additional fees which we will discuss with you in advance.

Providing a time frame for dealing with probate will vary depending on the complexity of the matter, the amount and type of assets, the time it takes to search for and collect the assets, the time it takes for correspondence with the clients, HMRC, the Probate Registry and other organisations. Due to this time consuming factors the probate process can take anywhere from 6 -18 months in some instances however we will always keep you up to date and informed on the progress and advise the most sensible path to proceed on with in order to save costs and so that we may resolve the probate matter as quickly and effectively as possible.