Probate work may be conducted by Simon Fisher or David Mouland. Both are solicitors and partners of the firm. Simon qualified as a solicitor in 1984 and David in 1996.

Both have an hourly charge rate of £250.

It is always best to draw up a will in advance. Not only is this a good way to avoid disputes and to ensure that your wishes are met, you can also protect the inheritance you leave behind in a number of different ways.

We provide advice on the following issues:

• Preparing a will
• Probate and administration
• Powers of attorney
• Intestacy
• Trusts and insurance

Probate pricing

We do not charge a percentage fee related to the value of the estate.

Our view is that we should charge only for time spent in administering the estate, at the published charge rate of the fee earner instructed. The current charge rate is £250 per hour. This is exclusive of VAT, which will be added at the prevailing rate (currently 20%). 

The cost of administering an estate depends on a number of factors, including:

1. The number and type of assets involved
2. The amount of documentation
3. Whether the estate includes real property (a house, flat or land)
4. Whether Inheritance Tax (IHT) is payable
5. Whether a simple or complex IHT return is required
6. Whether the deceased was in business
7. Whether the deceased was involved in an unresolved dispute
8. The number and types of legacies
9. Whether assets or beneficiaries have to be traced

In addition to our costs the court fee to obtain probate is £273 plus £1-50 for each copy

We usually advise on the publication of Trustee Act notices at a cost of about £300.

As a general guide our average bill for administering an estate in the last complete tax year was £3,500 + VAT. However, estates vary widely in value, complexity and issues, and many of our bills are considerably less than this, while a few will be significantly more. We are able to give an accurate estimate as soon as we know what the estate entails. 

The time taken to administer an estate will vary, but a general guide to the process and likely duration is as follows:

(a) Taking instructions and valuing the estate assets and liabilities - as soon as we have the information from you, this will be done

(b) Prepare the probate application and Inheritance tax forms - within a week

(c) Awaiting probate - as at September 2023 the Probate Court was taking 16 weeks to process applications. We hope this might improve

(d) Collect in assets and pay liabilities - this will usually take 2-3 months

(e) Sell a house, flat or land (if needed) - this will depend upon when you have a buyer 

(f) Sell or close a business (if needed) - this will vary from case to case

(g) Finalise tax issues - this will depend on HMRC but there is likely to be tax to check at the end of the tax year in which the deceased died, and a period following this for HMRC to confirm the position

(h) Distribute estate - we aim to distribute the bulk of the estate within 6-12 months of being instructed, with the balance to follow when the tax position is finalised. We will make interim distributions whenever possible, in particular on the sale of a property.

The above information does not cover disputed estates or estate litigation.

Will

The cost of taking your instructions, preparing and executing your Will will depend upon the complexity of the matter. The starting price for a single Will is £175 + VAT and for two "mirror" Wills £250 + VAT.

If you have any questions or would like to make an appointment to discuss this area, please call us on 01452 529751 or use our contact form.