The exact cost to obtain a Grant of Probate or Letters of Administration 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.
To offer you the best possible indication of cost, we distinguish between estates by classifying them in the following categories:-
Band 1 – A simple estate (£750 – £1,500 plus VAT)
A simple estate is one in which:
- There is a valid will
- You are able to provide all relevant details of the estate including property valuations, investment details, and bank and building society statements as at the date of death
- There is no more than one property
- There are a small number of bank or building society accounts
- There are no other intangible assets
- 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
How long will the process take?
Whilst there is no fixed time scale, we would, ordinarily, expect to obtain a Grant of Probate or Letters of Administration within 1-3 months.
Band 2 – A complex estate (£1,500 – £2,500 plus VAT)
We treat a more complex estate as one where:
- There is no valid will
- You are not able to provide all relevant details of the estate including property valuations, investment details, and bank and building society statements as at the date of death
- There are a large number of bank or building society accounts
- There are a large number of beneficiaries
- There is more than one property
- Valuations of property or other assets need to be obtained
- The estate involves foreign property or assets
- There are share holdings
How long will the process take?
Whilst there is no fixed time scale, we would, ordinarily, expect to obtain a Grant of Probate or Letters of Administration within 2-4 months.
Band 3 – An estate where Inheritance Tax needs to be paid or where there are exemptions or more time consuming and involved legal matters arise (From £2,500 plus VAT)
How long will the process take?
Whilst there is no fixed time scale, we would, ordinarily, expect to obtain a Grant of Probate or Letters of Administration within 4-12 months.
Additional expenses
In addition to our above-mentioned costs, there may be additional expenses (Disbursements) required to be paid to third parties. We handle the payment of the disbursements on your behalf to ensure a smoother process. Examples of the usual form of additional expenses are:-
- Probate application fee of £273 if the value of the estate is above £5,000. There is no fee if the estate is valued at £5,000 or less
- Additional copies of the Grant of Probate or Letters of Administration – £1.50 per copy
- Bankruptcy Search fee -only Land Charges Department searches – £2 per beneficiary
- £75.90 plus VAT Post in The London Gazette – this is required to protect against unexpected claims from unknown creditors
- £72.52 to post notice in a local newspaper (Please note that this cost is for a notice to be placed in the Wirral Globe and the cost may vary) – this also helps to protect against unexpected claims
- Land Registry Search fee on a registered property – £3
What is included?
Within our cost estimate, we will carry out the following where necessary:-
Band 1
- An appointment with your appointed Partner of Solicitor during which we will take your instructions and deal with any preliminary questions you may have. You would be required to provide details of the estate including date of death balances in respect of bank and building society accounts, and any investments
- Obtain details of the appointed Personal Representatives (Executors)
- An initial letter of advice recording the details of our meeting and an overview of how we will progress your case
- Preparation of the required legal statement
- Submitting your application for the Grant of Probate or Letters of Administration and dealing with any queries raised by the Probate Registry
- Receiving and approving the Grant of Probate or Letters of Administration and send the documents to you
Band 2
All steps referred to in Band 1 above and:-
- Liaising with any bank, building society or asset holder to establish all required financial information to enable us to obtain the Grant
- Advice on intestacy if there is no valid will
- Obtaining share and property valuations
- Putting in place building insurance policies
- Advising utility companies etc of the death
- Advice on dealing with the transfer of sale of any assets and the payment of any debts or liabilities
Band 3
All steps in Band 1 and Band 2 and:-
- Preparation, completion and submission of HM Revenue & Customs Inheritance Tax Form IHT 400 and any required supplementary forms
- Advising on and dealing with any IHT (Inheritance Tax) allowances or exemptions
- Payment of IHT