Our costs - Private Client
FEES, DISBURSEMENT & TIMESCALES
Fees
Full Estate Administration
Our Probate costs are charged on an hourly rate. All Probate matters are unique and an individual quote will be given to you based on the complexities and size of the estate and the administration thereof.
We will handle the full process for you. The following fee estimate is for estates where:
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There is a valid Will;
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There is no more than one property;
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There are no more than six bank or building society accounts;
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There are no other intangible assets;
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There are 2-4 beneficiaries;
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There are no disputes between beneficiaries on division of assets. If disputes arise this is likely to lead to an increase in costs;
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There is no inheritance tax payable and the executors do not need to submit a full account to HMRC;
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There are no claims made against the estate
Subject to further factors that may apply, we anticipate that our fees for administering the estate to include: obtaining the information required to apply for a Grant of Probate; applying for the Grant; and, collecting and distributing the assets would be £4,000 to £6,000 plus VAT based on an hourly rate of £260 per hour plus VAT.
The exact costs 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.
We can also provide a fixed fee quotation where we are instructed to act on a “Grant Only” basis.
Please contact us to discuss, so an individual quote can be prepared.
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. The usual disbursements being:
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Probate application fee £300.00
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Additional copies of the Grant of Probate £1.50 (per copy)
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Special Delivery Postage £8.22 (estimated)
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Bankruptcy-only Land Charges Department Searches (£2 per beneficiary)
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Notices in the London Gazette – Protects against unexpected claims from unknown creditors (cost varies)
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Notices in Local Newspaper – This also helps to protect against unexpected claims (cost varies)
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Certainty Will Search
Potential additional costs:
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If there is no Will or the Estate contains share holdings (stocks and bonds) there are likely to be additional costs. We can give you a more accurate quote once we have more information.
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Our fees, Land Registry and disbursements for dealing with the sale or transfer of any property in the Estate are not included in the above estimate.
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Where an Inheritance Tax Form IHT400 is required and/or IHT is payable our fees are likely to be higher and the timescales below are likely to be extended.
Timescale
On average Estates that fall within this range are dealt within 9 -12 months. Typically obtaining the Grant of Probate takes 8 – 16 weeks. Collecting assets then follows, which can take between 10 – 12 weeks.
Once this has been done, we can distribute the assets, which normally takes 6 – 8 weeks. Please note however, the estate cannot be finalised until any properties have been sold.
OUR PRIVATE CLIENT TEAM
(Over our six offices)
Name | Job Title | Qualifications | Years of Experience | Areas of Law Practiced |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Bart Obszynski | Partner, Solicitor & Head of Private Client | LLB; TEP; Solicitor | 20+ Years of Experience | Wills, Tax, Trusts, LPAs, Court of Protection, Probate & Estate and Succession Planning |
Edward Judge | Partner & Solicitor | Private Client | LLB; MA | 20+ Years of Experience | Wills, LPAs, Probate & Estate and Succession Planning |
Gunilla Horvath | Private Client Executive | Private Client | Private Client Executive | 20+ Years of Experience | Wills, Tax, Trusts, LPAs, Probate & Estate and Succession Planning |
Hugh Balchin | Solicitor | Private Client | LLB; Solicitor | 20+ Years of Experience | Wills, LPAs, Probate & Estate and Succession Planning (also Civil Litigation expert) |
Lindsay Challoner | Associate & Solicitor | Private Client | LLB; TEP; Solicitor | 18+ Years of Experience | Wills, LPAs, Court of Protection, Probate & Estate and Succession Planning |
Sarah Back | Probate Executive | Private Client | A.Inst.Pa | 5+ Years of Experience | Wills, LPAs, Court of Protection & Probate |
Shaun Newis | Chartered Legal Executive | Private Client | FCILEx | 10+ Years of Experience | Wills, Tax, Trusts, LPAs, Probate & Estate and Succession Planning |