Probate Charging Information

Our charges:

Our overall fees vary depending upon how complex your case is and what you would like us to do. For a free quote specifically tailored to your circumstances please email christina.spencer@juryoshea.com.

We would be more than happy to discuss your case.

To give you an idea of how we charge however, and to comply the SRA price transparency rules, we have set out below details of our fees.

Our charges are made up of:

a)            our fees for the legal work;

b)            ‘disbursements’ – disbursements are costs related to your matter that are payable to other people, such as probate application fees. We handle the payment of the disbursements on your behalf to ensure a smoother process.

Where VAT is referred to below, please note that this will be charged at the applicable rate, which is currently 20%.

How much do we charge?

Estate Administration  

Applying for a ‘Grant of Probate’ and collecting and distributing assets in a ‘simple’ matter is the most common type of probate work which we deal with. Namely, where someone has passed away leaving a valid will which is not disputed, the beneficiaries can be easily ascertained and there is not a very large or complex estate to divide up.

Our fees for this work will be charged on an hourly basis and therefore the fee is dependent on the complexity of the matter. Our standard hourly rates are £275 + VAT plus VAT for one of our solicitors and £350 + VAT plus VAT for a Director / Partner. This wok varies dramatically, from between 2 hours work (applying for probate only on your behalf), to 100 hours work (administering a highly complex estate where we deal with everything for you from beginning to end). Total costs therefore tend to be in the region of £1,000 to £30,000 (plus VAT at 20%).  All fees typically fall within an estimate of 1% to 4% + VAT of the gross value of the estate when administering an estate.  Or between, £1,000 + VAT to £3,000 + VAT if applying for probate only.  

The total costs will depend upon how straight forward or complicated the case is. For example, if someone has died leaving only one beneficiary in an undisputed will and no property, then costs would be at the lower end of the range because it will be simple to administer. If there are multiple beneficiaries, a property and multiple bank accounts however, costs will be at the higher end even if the will is still not disputed.

Disbursements

Disbursements are payments that we make to third parties on your behalf. These are separate payments for which the estate is liable in addition to our costs as described above.

Typical disbursements in Probate matters are:

• Probate application fee, which is currently: £283 plus £1.50 for every extra office copy of the Grant of Probate which you require
• Bankruptcy fees: £2 per beneficiary
• Land registry search fees:  £4.20 per property
• Legal notice which requires posting in The London Gazette (this can help protect against unexpected claims from unknown creditors): £300

Other costs to consider

Please note that the costs estimates above do not include any additional costs incurred in disposing of estate assets such as the sale or any property or business.

How long will this take?

Generally speaking, ‘simple’ estate matters such as those described above can normally be dealt with within 6 to 9 months. This is broken down into the following stages, with rough time estimates for each stage as follows:

• notifying asset holders, placing legal notices and applying for the grant of probate: 1 to 3 months;
• Waiting for probate: 4 months
• Preparing the estate accounts, calling in and distributing the assets: 1 to 2 months;

Key stages of your case

The precise stages involved vary according to the circumstances. The guidance on our fees above covers the work in relation to the following key stages a ‘simple’ probate process:

• Identifying the executors and beneficiaries
• Checking the type of Probate application you will require
• Obtaining the relevant documents required to make the application
• Completing the Probate Application and the relevant HMRC forms
• Making the application for probate
• Obtaining the Probate and distributing copies as necessary
• Collecting and distributing the assets of the estate
• Liaising with the HMRC on behalf of the executors in respect of inheritance tax, income tax and capital gains tax

It would not normally be necessary to undertake other work or incur costs other than those described above. However, we would be very happy to provide you with a more tailored quote for all stages of your particular case once we know about your specific circumstances.

Who will be dealing with my matter?

Your probate matter will be handled by a trusted member of our experienced probate team. Regardless of who is working on your case the matter will be supervised by our partner:

Christina Spencer, TEP

• Qualified as a Solicitor Specialising in Private Client in 2014
• STEP Qualified