Please note that the costs information given here is generic and more precise and personalised information will be provided in your Client Care Letter and as your matter progresses. Should you wish to discuss this in more detail then please contact Laura Bolam laura@martingaffneysolicitors.co.uk or Adele Croxall-Ellis adele@martingaffneysolicitors.co.uk for more information.
Obtaining Grant of Probate, Letters of Administration Only (Fixed Fee)
We can help you through this difficult process by obtaining the Grant of Probate or Letters of Administration on your behalf. This includes obtaining the Grant and ascertaining the value of assets for Inheritance Tax purposes. This costs £900.00 plus VAT of 20%.
Disbursements which may be required to be paid:
• Probate application fee which is £526.00 plus £2.00 for each sealed 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.
As part of our fixed fee service we will:
• Provide you with a dedicated and experienced probate lawyer 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
• Make the application to the Probate Court on your behalf
• Obtain the Probate and send copies to you
• Collect and distribute all assets in the estate
Applying for the Grant of Probate and Full Administration of the Estate
Obtaining the Grant of Probate or Letters of Administration will be charged at a fixed fee of £900.00 plus VAT of 20% plus disbursements. If the gross Estate is valued under £325,000 then our costs for dealing with the administration will be a fixed fee of £3,000.00 plus VAT of 20%. If the gross Estate exceeeds a value of £325,000 then our costs for the administration will be £3,000.00 plus VAT of 20% plus the time spent working on the file which is charged out at a rate of £225.00 plus VAT of 20% per hour.
When carrying our Probate work we reserve the right to charge an uplift o the value of the EState to reflect the complexity and indemnity levels with regard to our professional duties to the Estate. We will limit any uplift to 2.5%.
The exact cost will depend on the amount of time taken to deal with the matter, which will depend upon the individual circumstances. Once we have more information we can give you a more accurate quotation based on the estimated time that will need to be spent on the matter.
We can handle the full process for you. This quote is for estates where:
• There is a valid will
• There is no more than one property
• There are no more than 3 bank or building society accounts
• There are no other intangible assets
• There are only immediate family as 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 which may be required to be paid:
• Probate application fee which is £526.00 plus £2.00 per each sealed copy of the same
• Bankruptcy-only Land Charges Department searches (£6.00 per beneficiary)
• Post in The London Gazette – Protects against unexpected claims from unknown creditors, to be advised.
• Post in a Local Newspaper – This also helps to protect against unexpected claims, to be advised.
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.
• Dealing with the sale or transfer of any property in the estate is not included.
How long will this take?
On average, estates that fall within this range are dealt with in approximately 9 months. Typically, obtaining the grant of probate takes 4 to 8 weeks. Collecting assets then follows, which can take between 8-12 weeks. Once this has been done, we can distribute the assets, which normally takes 6-9 months.
Stages of Process
• Provide you with a dedicated and experienced probate lawyer 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
• Make the application to the Probate Court on your behalf
• Obtain the Probate and send copies to you
• Collect and distribute all assets in the estate and provide Estate Accounts