Probate (uncontested) Pricing

Uncontested probate is when there is no dispute over the will and distribution of assets, and below we outline our legal fees and disbursements required to complete your matter.

We offer a fixed fee structure for our ‘Grant Only’ service and our full administration is on a time spent basis, reflecting the fact that every estate is different.  

All services provided by Napthens LLP are subject to VAT at the current rate of 20%.

Grant Only (excluding VAT and disbursements)

Our Grant Only service is a fixed fee service which covers us obtaining the Grant of Probate/Letters of Administration only, based on the information and valuations that you provide. We do not validate this information or contact any of the financial institutions. We complete the application and once the Grant is received, we return this to you for you to collect the assets. We would not receive any monies on behalf of the estate, other than payment of our fees and disbursements.

Estate administration (excluding VAT and disbursements)

Our charges for full estate administration are based on hourly rates, with each hour broken down into ten units of six minutes. Hourly rates vary according to the seniority of the person working for you. Our current charge out rates are as follows:

The time taken to administer an estate varies, depending on the assets comprised in the estate and whether there is Inheritance Tax payable. Once we know the assets to be dealt with, we will provide the Executors with an estimate of our fees up to the Grant of Probate. We then issue a further estimate to complete the matter. The reason we issue a further estimate at the Grant stage is by then, all the assets and liabilities, and any complicating factors, should be known.

To give an idea of our likely fees, here are some examples:

Example 1 – No Inheritance Tax to Pay, a property and less than five bank accounts or investments. This is likely to cost in the region of £ 4,500 – £7,500

Example 2 – Inheritance Tax is reportable on form IHT400, a property and less than 10 bank accounts or investments. This is likely to cost in the region of £10,000 – £15,000

Example 3 – Inheritance Tax is reportable on form IHT400, there is a business and or farm and reliefs to claim in respect of those. Multiple properties and investments. Multiple legacies and beneficiaries. This is likely to cost in the region of £22,000 – £27,000

Napthens Executor’s Service

Clients frequently request that a solicitor is the executor. Napthens Trust Corporation carries out Napthens executor’s service. This is an estate administration service with additional work to ensure full compliance and wider checks to ensure no assets, debts or beneficiaries are missed.

Disbursements

These are costs that will be incurred by the estate that have to be paid to a third party, such as the Land Registry or court fees.

We handle the payment of the disbursements on your behalf to ensure a smoother process.

You will be provided with a full list of disbursements in your personal fee estimate.

If you incur any further disbursements during your case, you will be notified in advance of the reason and the amount.

The likely disbursements in an estate administration matter are:

• Probate application £300 plus £16.00 per copy grant required
• UK Bankruptcy – only land charges department searches £6 per beneficiary
• Post in The London Gazette and a local newspaper £175-£350 plus VAT protects against unexpected claims from unknown creditors
• Land Registry search fee of £7 per title copy
• Financial asset search £195 plus VAT
• Certainty Will search £140 plus VAT
• Thirdfort identification verification, £20 plus VAT per Executor and Beneficiary
• Overseas bankruptcy search – quote to be obtained if required

The electronic same day transfer fee is £40 plus VAT

Timescales

The timescales for finalising an estate are difficult to predict accurately, particularly if there is a property that needs to be sold. But as a guide a simple case can sometimes be finalised within 9-12 months. Most more complex estates can be finalised between 12 months to 24 months, and many of the most complicated estates will take longer than that.

Stages of the Process

The precise stages involved in an uncontested probate vary according to the circumstances. We have set out the key stages of a standard transaction: – 

• Providing you with a dedicated and experienced probate solicitor to work on your matter
• Undertaking regulatory checks
• Identifying the legally appointed executors or administrators and beneficiaries
• Accurately identifying the type of probate application required
• Obtaining the relevant documents required to make the application
• Liaising with all asset holding institutions to obtain valuations required for HMRC
• Arranging professional valuations of properties, businesses and chattels
• Completing the Inheritance Tax Account, if required
• Drafting a legal statement for you to sign
• Making the application to Her Majesty’s Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) / the probate registry on your behalf
• Obtaining the grant of probate registering this with the asset holding institutions
• Collecting and distributing all assets in the estate
• Settling any income tax liability due during the administration period

Potential Additional Costs

If there is no will or the estate consists of any share holdings (stocks and bonds) there are likely to be additional costs that could range significantly, depending on the estate and how it is to be dealt with.

We can provide a more accurate quote once we have more information.

If any additional copies of the grant are required, they will cost £16 &VAT (this is usually just one per asset).

Dealing with the sale or transfer of any property in the estate is not included in our fees, but we will arrange for a colleague in our conveyancing team to provide a quote for that aspect.

Fee Earners 

Our private client team has many years of experience in dealing with all aspects of probate and estate administration.  

We have a range of experienced team members who may work on your matter. Regardless of who works on your matter, they will be supervised by Farida Isaji, solicitor and head of wills, trusts and probate. For more information on our probate team, please click here.