The exact cost for the Probate work we undertake will depend ultimately on the individual circumstances of the matter. For example, if the estate is not complicated with few beneficiaries, no property and limited assets to collect in, costs will be at the lower end of the scale. If there are multiple beneficiaries, properties and multiple bank accounts, investments and other assets the costs will be at the higher end.

Applying for the grant, collecting and distributing the assets:

This work will usually take between 8 and 12 hours based on our hourly charge out rate of £300.00 per hour, including VAT of £50. The fees could therefore be between £2,400.00 and £3,600.00 including VAT @ 20%.

So for example, if the work takes 10 hours to complete and the hourly rate of the person, handling the matter is £250.00 + VAT, the legal fee charged will be £3,000.00 including VAT of £500.

When you instruct us we will send a letter to you setting out the basis upon which we will charge our fees.

In addition the following disbursements may/will be charged:

Probate application fee of £155.00;

Bankruptcy searches - £2.00 per beneficiary;

£62.15 + £12.43 VAT (estimated) Post in The London Gazette – Protects against unexpected claims from unknown creditors.

Our fees assume:

• There is a valid will;
• There is no more than one property;
• There are no more than 2 or 3 bank or building society accounts;
• There are no other intangible assets;
• There are no more than 3 beneficiaries and no more than 2 executors;
• 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 and the estate does not include a business, farms, farmhouses or farmland, an interest in another estate, loans or mortgages payable to the deceased, foreign assets, assets held in trust, national Heritage assets or unlisted stocks and shares and control holdings.

When you instruct us we will send a letter to you setting out the basis upon which we will charge our fees.

The following steps are included in the above fees:

• Identifying the legally appointed executors or administrators and beneficiaries and establishing the extent of the estate by identifying the various assets and liabilities;
• Preparing the Legal Statement to procure the Grant of Probate and submitting to the appropriate Probate Registry together with the Will, if there is one;
• Once the Grant is received from the Probate Registry, submitting it to the various organisations with whom assets are held in order to start the process of transferring the assets into the beneficiaries’ names;
• Paying all estate liabilities before distributing the estate amongst the beneficiaries;
• Confirming that tax is paid up to date and there are no outstanding HMRC claims;
• Preparing Estate accounts and distribution of the estate in accordance with the terms of the Will.

Potential additional costs include:

• 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 £1.50p each (1 per asset usually).
• Our costs for dealing with the sale or assent of any property in the estate are not included.

The typical timescales and key stages of the purchase transaction.

On average, estates that fall within this range are dealt with within 6-9 months.

Typically, obtaining the grant of probate can take between 6-10 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 another 3-4 weeks.