Applying for the Grant of Probate, Collecting and Distributing the Assets
| Probate | Costs | VAT @ 20% | Total |
| Full Administration of an Estate | £3,000 to £6,000 | £400 to £1,200 | £3,400 to £7,200 |
Our charges are based on the time we spend in dealing with a case. Time spent on your matter will include meetings with you and perhaps others; any time spent travelling within a radius of 5 miles of our Paignton office (we will discuss on an individual basis travel time outside of this radius); considering, preparing and working on papers; correspondence; and making and receiving telephone calls. Routine letters that we write and receive and routine telephone calls that we make and receive will be charged as units of 6 minutes. Other letters and calls will be charged on a time basis i.e. the time actually and necessarily spent dealing with them. The hourly rate of the person dealing with your case is shown below.
Disbursements
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.
| Disbursements | Cost |
| Identification Verification fee (including VAT (£2)) (per person) | £12.00 |
| Probate Application fee | £300.00 |
| Certified Copy Grant of Probate (per copy) | £1.50 |
| HM Land Registry Bankruptcy Search (1 per Beneficiary) | £2.00 |
Optional Disbursements
There are also disbursements that are optional. We advise you to place legal notices in the press to protect you against unexpected claims from unknown creditors. A Landmark Search would ensure that there are no unidentified assets to the estate.
| Optional Disbursement | Cost |
| Notice in London Gazette | £105.00 |
| Notice in Local Newspaper (estimated) | £95.00 |
| Landmark search | £135.00 |
We will handle the full process for you. This cost estimate is for estates where:
- There is a valid Will
- There is no more than one property
- There are no more than 5 bank or building society accounts
- There are no other intangible assets
- There are 2 to 4 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.
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.
Potential Additional Costs
If there is no Will or the estate consists of any shareholdings (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 additional copies of the Grant of Probate are required, they will cost £1.50 per asset (usually 1 per asset is required).
Dealing with the sale or transfer of any property in the estate is not included.
Should additional work be required this will be at the hourly rate of the person with conduct of the file plus VAT. We will discuss this with you should this become necessary and keep you informed at regular intervals.
Who will deal with my matter?
Your matter will be dealt with by our Private Client Department and in particular by our Associate Legal Executive, Samantha Porter who joined the Institute of Legal Executives in 2010 and has practiced in this particular area of law for over 6 years. Samantha’s hourly rate is £218 per hour plus VAT (currently 20%).
How Long will this Take and What Will We Do?
On average, estates that fall within this range are dealt with within 6-8 months. We will collect details of all assets and liabilities at the date of death. Once we have this information we can draft and submit the application for the Grant of Probate. Typically, obtaining the Grant of Probate takes 6-8 weeks. Once we have the Grant of Probate we will collect in the assets and settle any liabilities, this stage can take between 6-8 weeks. Once this has been done, and two months has elapsed from the Notice in the papers, we can distribute the assets to the beneficiaries.
There may be some occaisions when this time scale may be extended. This will be assessed on a case by case basis.
