Probate Costs - Salusbury Harding & Barlow - Solicitors and Notaries

Costs for Making a Will and/or a Lasting Power of Attorney

Note: In our below figures “VAT” refers to Value Added Tax, a government tax which we are required to charge on our fees, currently at the rate of 20%

A. WILLS & CODICILS

SINGLE WILL - £195 - £275 +VAT of £39 - £55, depending on complexity
MIRROR WILLS - £345 - £395 +VAT of £69 - £79, depending on complexity
SINGLE CODICIL - £100 + VAT of £20
MIRROR CODICILS - £165 + VAT of £33
TRAVELLING EXPENSES @45p PER MILE FOR HOME VISITS

B. LPAs & EPAS

SINGLE LPA - £400 + VAT of £80 + OPG registration fee (£82)
TWO LPAs - £675 + VAT of £135 + OPG registration fee (£164)
FOUR LPAs - £1,000 + VAT of £200 + OPG registration fee (£328)
EPA REGISTRATION - £350 +VAT of £70 + OPG registration fee (£82)
OPG REGISTRATION FEES - £82 PER DOCUMENT (unless an exemption applies)

C. WILLS & LPAS

SINGLE WILL & 1 LPA - £550 + VAT of £110 + OPG registration fee (£82)
SINGLE WILL & 2LPA’s - £775 + VAT of £155 + OPG registration fee (£164)
MIRROR WILLS & 2 LPAS - £850 + VAT of £170 + OPG registration fee (164)
MIRROR WILLS & 4 LPAS - £1,200 + VAT of £240 + OPG registration fee (£328)
MIRROR CODICILS & 2 LPA’s £725 + VAT of £145 and OPG registration fees (£164)

D. DEPUTYSHIP ORDER

£950 plus VAT of £190 (set by the Court) and court registration fee of £365 (there will also be a charge from the doctor for completing the Medical Assessment form)

E. PROBATE

ADMINISTRATION - £275 PER HOUR + VAT at 20% & DISBURSEMENTS. NO CHARGE FOR VALUE ELEMENT.
EXTRACTING GRANT ONLY – minimum £750 + VAT of £150 & DISBURSEMENTS
PREPARING A DEED OF RENUNCIATION (if we are appointed as Executors and the estate is small and so we renounce) £80 plus VAT of £16
PREPARING A DEED OF VARIATION – Minimum of £250 plus VAT of £50

F. CERTIFYING DOCUMENTS

Certifying Copy Will - £15 plus VAT of £3 plus an extra £10 if posting
Certifying LPA - £25 plus VAT of £5
Certifying Identification - £10 plus VAT of £2 per copy required

If you require a more complicated Will to be prepared we will provide you with an estimate of our likely fees.

Probate (uncontested)

1. Applying for the grant only

We offer a fixed quote for obtaining the grant of probate.

Our fees will be £750 + VAT of £150 + the probate application fee*.

*we can advise how much this government fee will be on a case specific basis

This only applies if:

There is a valid will
There are no disputes between beneficiaries on the division of assets. If disputes arise this is likely to lead to an increase in costs
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
All assets are in the UK
You provide us with the date of death value of each asset in the estate

As part of our fixed fee service we will:

Advice on the type of probate application you will require
Prepare and complete the relevant documents for the application for the grant
Submit all the relevant documents to the probate court together with the probate court fee
Obtain the grant and provide you with copies so that you can administer the estate

2. Applying for the grant, collecting and distributing the assets

Our charges are calculated at £275 per hour + VAT at 20%.
Our charges do not depend on the value of the estate.
Total costs will depend on the individual circumstances of the estate. For example, if there is one beneficiary and no property, costs will be lower. If there are multiple beneficiaries, a property and multiple bank accounts, costs will be higher. We will handle the full process for you.

We shall be pleased to provide you with an estimate of our fees once we have details of the estate and the number of beneficiaries. As a guide only, our fees are likely to be in approximately £1,200 - £2,700 plus VAT (so, approximately £1,440 - £3,240 including VAT) if:

There is a valid will
There are no disputes between beneficiaries in relation to the division of assets. If disputes arise this is likely to lead to an increase in costs
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
All assets are in the UK
There is no more than one property
There are bank or building society accounts with no more than 5 institutions
There are no other intangible assets
There are no more than 5 beneficiaries

As part of our service, we will provide you with a dedicated and experienced probate solicitor or legal executive to work on your matter, identify the legally appointed executors or administrators and beneficiaries and accurately identify the type of Probate application you will require. We will then obtain the relevant documents required to make the application, complete the Probate application and the relevant HMRC forms for you to sign, submit the application to the Probate Court on your behalf, obtain the Probate and report this to you. We will then collect and distribute all assets in the estate.

In addition to our costs, disbursements will be incurred:

Government Probate application fee
Bankruptcy searches (£2 + VAT at 20% per beneficiary)
If you require a public notice to be placed in the London Gazette which helps to protect against unexpected claims from unknown creditors we will advise of the cost involved.
If you require a public notice to be placed in a Local Newspaper which also helps to protect against unexpected claims from unknown creditors we will advise of the cost involved.
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.

Potential additional costs:

If there is no will or the estate consists of any share holdings (stocks and bonds) there is likely to be additional costs that could range significantly depending on the estate and how it is to be dealt with. We can give you a more accurate quote once we have more information.
If any additional copies of the grant are required, they will cost £1.50 each (1 per asset usually).
If there are assets outside the UK this will involve additional work and costs.
If someone makes a claim against the estate or the executors.
Dealing with the sale or transfer of any property in the estate is not included.

How long will this take?

The length of time that it takes to obtain the grant and administer the estate depends on the complexity of the estate, the number and type of assets in the estate, the number of beneficiaries, whether there are any creditors etc. Once we have all the relevant details from you we will provide you with an estimate of how long it is likely to take to obtain the grant and to administer the estate.

Please contact Rachel Mildred, Lisa Bacon or Shona Davidson by telephone or email (see Our People) to discuss any queries that you may have.