Uncontested Probate

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 contact us. 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 comprised of:

a) our fees for the legal work;
b) ‘Disbursements’ – 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%.

Applying for a ‘Grant of Probate’ 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 either be agreed with you as a fixed sum at the start of our work together or based on how much time it takes to deal with your case. Our standard hourly rates are £350 for one of our solicitors. Normally this sort of matter takes between 5 and 25 hours work to complete. Total costs therefore tend to be in the region of £1750 – 8750.

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.

We would still be delighted to work with you in more complicated matters but would need to give you a quotation for the work tailored to your individual circumstances. Please get in touch and we can provide more information.

Please note the above fee do not include VAT. We are not currently registered for VAT, so VAT is not charged at this time. However, if our VAT status changes in the future, and we become required to charge VAT, we will notify you in advance and update our invoices accordingly. In this case the standard VAT would apply.

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: £300 plus £1.50 for every extra office copy of the Grant of Probate which you require –
• Bankruptcy Search – £7.00 per search
• Legal notice which requires posting in The London Gazette and local newspaper (this can help protect against unexpected claims from unknown creditors): £150-£250 (plus VAT at 20%)

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.

Further, 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 give you a more accurate fee estimate once we have more information.

Dealing with the sale or transfer of any property in the estate is not included and will be charged separately. Similarly, dealing with any claims made against the estate is not included and will be charged separately.

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 or administrators 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

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

Uncontested probate can normally be dealt with within 3-12 months.

Your probate matter will be handled by a trusted member of our experienced probate team. Once we know who will be handling your case for you we will introduce you to them and provide you with full details of their background and qualifications. Full details of the experience and qualifications of our team are available on our website including the types of work normally undertaken.