Administration of Estate
Our fees set out below cover all of the work in relation to the following key stages of your case:
- Provide you with a dedicated and experienced probate lawyer to work on your matter
- Identify the legally appointed executors or administrators and beneficiaries
- Accurately identify the type of Probate application you will require
- Obtain the relevant documents required to make the application
- Complete the Probate Application and the relevant HMRC forms
- Draft an oath for you to swear
- Make the application to the Probate Court on your behalf
- Circulate the grant and collect in the assets in the estate
- Pay any outstanding bills and expenses
- Prepare estate accounts and distribute to the beneficiaries
Our fees in a straightforward administration
We anticipate that this will take between 8 and 25 hours work at £185 per hour. Total costs estimated at £1,500 to £4,500 plus VAT at 20%.
The exact cost 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 several bank accounts costs will be at the higher end.
We will handle the full process for you. This quote is for estates where:
- There is a valid Will
- There is no more than one property
- There are no more than 3 bank or building society accounts
- There are no more than 2 other intangible assets
- There are 1 – 4 beneficiaries
- There are no disputes between beneficiaries on 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 against the estate
Our fees in a complex administration
If one or more of the above factors apply, then we will charge a value element to reflect the complexity of the estate. The value element is charged over and above the cost of the straightforward administration and is calculated by reference to the value of the estate.
Estate value less than £500,000.00 1%
Estate value greater than £500,000.00 0.5%
These charges exclude VAT at 20%.
Disbursements
Disbursements are costs related to your matter that are payable to third parties, such as Court fees. You may need to pay these upfront if funds are not accessible in the estate
Disbursements not included in this fee:-
- Probate Court fee of £155 plus £1.50 for each court sealed copy required
- £7 swearing of the Oath (per executor) plus 32 for each codicil
- Bankruptcy only Land Charges searches (£2 per beneficiary)
- £95 (approx) Advertisement in The London Gazette – to protect against unexpected claims from unknown creditors
- £100-£150 (approx) Advertisement in local newspaper – in addition to the above when there is a property
Potential additional costs
The conveyancing fees on the sale or transfer of any property in the estate is not included
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