Planning ahead protects the people you care about. When someone dies, we take the weight off the family by dealing with the legal and financial work sympathetically and efficiently.
Wills and lasting powers of attorney
| Service | Our fee |
|---|---|
| Simple single will | £350 to £500 + VAT |
| Mirror wills (couple) | £500 to £1,000 + VAT |
| Will with trust provisions | £2,000 to £4,500 + VAT |
| Lasting power of attorney (each) | £500 to £750 + VAT, plus the Office of the Public Guardian registration fee of £92 |
Probate and estate administration: our fees
These prices apply to uncontested estates where all assets are in the UK, there is a valid will (or the intestacy rules apply), and there are no disputes between beneficiaries.
Simple estates: fixed fee
For a simple estate we charge a fixed fee of £2,500 to £4,000 + VAT, depending on the size of the estate and the work involved. This covers identifying the executors or administrators and beneficiaries, obtaining the documents, applying for the grant of probate, collecting and distributing the assets and preparing the estate accounts. We treat an estate as simple 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 3 or fewer beneficiaries
- There are no disputes between beneficiaries (disputes are likely to increase costs)
- No inheritance tax is payable and a full account to HMRC is not needed
- There are no claims against the estate
Complex and larger estates
Where an estate does not fit the description above, for example because inheritance tax is payable, there are several properties, shareholdings or assets abroad, or there is no will, our fee is 1% of the value of the estate + VAT. We anticipate that administering a complex or larger estate will take between 20 and 150 hours of work, so total costs are estimated at £6,000 to £30,000 + VAT, depending on the estate. We will confirm the fee in writing before we start.
Disbursements
| Disbursement | Cost |
|---|---|
| Probate application fee (estates over £5,000) | £526 |
| Additional official copies of the grant | £2 each if ordered with the application (£16 each later) |
| Bankruptcy-only Land Charges search | £7.90 per beneficiary |
| Notices in The Gazette and a local newspaper (protects against unexpected claims) | £95 to £395 |
| Property valuation or asset searches | Quoted separately |
Potential additional costs
- If there is no will, or the estate includes shareholdings, there are likely to be additional costs. We can give a more accurate quote once we have more information.
- If more beneficiaries are found, or there are assets abroad, additional costs may apply.
- Selling or transferring a property in the estate is not included (see conveyancing fees).
- If inheritance tax is payable, completing the full IHT400 account takes additional time.
How long will it take?
Estates within this range typically take 6 to 12 months. Obtaining the grant usually takes about 12 weeks after the application is submitted; collecting the assets then takes 4 to 8 weeks; and distributing the assets normally takes 2 to 4 weeks.
Who will do the work
Probate work is carried out by Priscila Pischke Dittrich, Associate Solicitor, and supervised by Sherali Lakhani, Director.