Will And Probate Fees
Wills and Probate – Fees Guide
| Consultation fee | £150 |
| Single Will | £250.00 |
| Reciprocal Wills (e.g. a Will for husband and wife or civil partners) | £400.00 |
| Living Will (Advance Decision) | £50.00 |
| Single Codicil | £75.00 |
| Reciprocal Codicils (e.g. a Codicil for husband and wife or civil partners) | £100.00 |
| Our fee includes all reasonable attendances (to include an initial meeting) drafting and finalising the Will(s)/Codicil(s), registration of the Will(s)/Codicil(s) with Certainty, the National Will Register. There is no additional charge to store documents. | |
Lasting Power of Attorney – Fee Guide
| Consultation fee | £150 |
| Preparation of a single Lasting Power of Attorney | £150.00 |
| Registration of a single Lasting Power of Attorney | £150.00 |
| Preparation of both Lasting Power of Attorney (Health & Welfare and Property & Financial Affairs) | £250.00 |
| Registration of both Lasting Power of Attorney (Health & Welfare and Property & Financial Affairs) | £250.00 |
| Registration of Enduring Power of Attorney | £175.00 |
| Disbursements – current fee that must be paid to the Office of the Public Guardian upon registration of a single Lasting Power of Attorney or registration of an Enduring Power of Attorney | £82.00 |
| These fees include an initial meeting and all work required to complete the matter. There is no additional charge to store documents at this office. | |
Estate Administration – Fees Guide
Charges are calculated at the fee earner’s hourly rate and will be subject to the complexity of the matter. An estimate can be provided once we have confirmation asto the size of the estate. Usually, we are able to identify any issues that may arise at the outset of the instruction, once we have been supplied with full details of theestate and we will be able to identify what Grant is required, if at all.
| Consultation fee | £150 |
| Estate Administration estimated costs (uncontested cases with all assets in the UK) Estimate | Estimate |
|---|---|
| Professional charges where an estate does not attract inheritance tax | £1,000 -£5,000 |
| Professional charges where an estate attracts inheritance tax | £1,500 – £10,000 |
Disbursements (Guide)
| Fee to be paid to Her Majesty’s Court and Tribunals Service (where the application is submitted via a solicitor) | £155.00 plus £0.50 per official copy) |
| Land Registry – Request for Official Copy of Title | £3.00 |
| Certainty, the National Will Register (search for a Will) | £45.60 – £238.80 |
| Section 27 Notice fee (estimate) | £220.00 |
| Bankruptcy search fee (per search) | £2.00 |
| Professional Valuations (e.g. Estate Agent/RICS surveyor report fees, auctioneer valuation fee, jewelers’ valuation fee, stockbrokers’ valuation fee etc.) | Professionals own charge |
As part of our charges we will:
- Provide you with a dedicated and experienced probate solicitor 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
- Draft a legal oath for you to swear
- Make the application to the Probate Court on your behalf
- Obtain the Probate and securely send two copies to you
- Collect and distribute all assets in the estate
As an Example:
Applying for the grant, collecting and distributing the assets we anticipate this will take between 7 & 15 hours’ work at £250.00 per hour. Total costs estimated at £1,750 – £3,750 (+ 20% VAT).
The exact cost will depend on the individual circumstances 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.
This indicative cost is for estates where:
- There is a valid will
- There is no more than one property
- There are no more than five bank or building society accounts
- There are no other intangible assets
- There are under ten 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 in addition to this fee:
- Probate application fee of £155 (plus additional copies at £0.50p per copy)
- £5 Swearing of the oath (per executor)
- £2 Swearing of the Will (and £2 per Codicil)
- Bankruptcy-only Land Charges Department searches (£2 per beneficiary)
- £200 + VAT Post in The London Gazette and local newspaper – Protects against unexpected claims from unknown creditors and any other unexpected claims.
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 within 12 months. Typically, obtaining the grant of probate takes 4-8 weeks. Collecting assets then follows, which can take between 3-6 weeks. Once this has been done, we can distribute the assets, which normally takes 2-5 weeks.
Court of Protection (Estimated fees subject to VAT at 20%)
| Preparation and submission of application for Deputyship (per application) | £1,000.00 |
| Preparation and submission of application for Statutory Will | £1,500.00 |
| These estimated charges include advice, guidance and cover all work associated with preparation and submission of the required application. | |
Court of Protection – Disbursements
| Application fee | £385.00 |
| Appeal fee | £320.00 |
| Hearing fee | £500.00 |
| Copy of document fee | £5.00 |
| Medical report fee (subject to the practitioner required to prepare a medical report) | Price to be confirmed by the relevant medical professional |
