Fee Basis – Probate

Fee Basis: Probate

We provide probate services on a chargeable time basis. This means we will record the amount of time spent in administering the estate and provide you with a full breakdown of the same when delivering our bill of costs. The hourly rate charged will vary depending on the individual with conduct of your matter. Their particular rate will be confirmed to you prior to receiving your instructions to proceed.

It is not generally possible to “fix” likely costs due to the complex and varying nature of different estates. However, we are able to confirm the three usual elements of work undertaken on your behalf in connection with the administration of an estate, together with the minimum likely costs.

Gathering Information on the Estate Assets

This typically involves investigating the assets held by the deceased by contacting known asset holders, family members and government departments. We will collate the information obtained and place it into an easily digestible format for you to confirm the full extent of the estate assets to the best of your knowledge. 

The extent and nature of assets involved varies greatly with each estate and it is not, therefore, possible to confirm an overall cost for this element. You should, however, budget approximately £500 + VAT per asset owned by the deceased.

HMRC & Probate Registry Submission

This element is often known as “extracting the grant of probate”. In order to extract the grant of probate, a submission will need to be made to HMRC confirming whether tax is payable on the estate and, if so, how much. We will prepare the HMRC form for submission, which is complemented by the carefully drafted statement of truth you will need to sign for the Probate Registry. This element uses information we have collected in stage one and, assuming an estate is relatively straightforward, the cost of this submission generally ranges between £750 and £2,500 plus VAT.

 This stage also involves payment of a number of disbursements on your behalf:

Distribution of Assets

Once a grant of probate is available we will arrange to retrieve the various assets from their holders and distribute them between the beneficiaries. Before making a final distribution we will supply a comprehensive estate account for approval. The amount of work required to produce this account and distribute the assets is, again, subject to the complexity and extent of the estate but you should budget approximately £500 + VAT per asset owned by the deceased.