When we act for you, we charge on the basis of the time spent multiplied by the hourly rate of the person dealing with the matter.  Our hourly rates range from £290 plus VAT at 20% to £300 plus VAT at 20%  (£348 inclusive of VAT to £360 inclusive of VAT).

We handle the full process for you and any costs payable are not usually met by the executors personally, instead the costs are deducted from the funds in the estate.

Example 1 – valid will and no inheritance tax

What you ask us to do:

Ascertain the assets and obtain valuations, apply for the grant, collect & distribute the assets where there is a valid will and no inheritance tax to pay.

Our cost estimate:

We anticipate that, depending on the size and complexity of the estate, this type of matter will take between 14 and 37 hours of work.  Therefore our costs estimate would be:

from £4,060 plus VAT at 20% of £812 (= £4,872 in total)

to £11,100 plus VAT at 20% of £2,220 (= £13,320 in total)

plus disbursements (see disbursements section below)

Our cost estimates are for estates where:

• There is a valid Will

• There are no more than two properties

• There are no more than 10 bank or building society accounts

• There are no other intangible assets

• There are no more than 5 beneficiaries

• There are no missing 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 are no disputes between the executors. If disputes arise this is likely to lead to an increase in costs

• There are no claims made against the estate or challenges to the validity of the Will

• The estate is solvent

Example 2 – valid will and inheritance tax

What you ask us to do:

Ascertain the assets and obtain valuations, apply for the grant, collect & distribute the assets where there is a valid will and inheritance tax to pay.

Our cost estimate:

Where inheritance tax is likely to be payable in an estate, we anticipate that this will take between 42 and 84 hours of work, depending on the complexity of the estate.   Therefore our costs estimate would be:

from £12,180 plus VAT at 20% of £4,436 (= £14,616 in total)

to £25,200 plus VAT at 20% of £5,040 (= £230,240 in total)

plus disbursements (see disbursements section below). 

Our cost estimates are for estates where:

• There is a valid Will

• There are no disputes between beneficiaries on division of assets. If disputes arise this is likely to lead to an increase in costs

• There are no claims made against the estate or challenges to the validity of the Will

• There are no disputes between the executors. If disputes arise this is likely to lead to an increase in costs.

The exact cost depends on the individual circumstances of the matter as every estate is different.

For example, if there is one beneficiary and no property, our 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 will discuss the likely fee with you when we have more information on the value of the estate, the beneficiaries and the number of assets.

Disbursements are charges related to your matter that are payable to third parties, such as court fees and inheritance tax.

We handle the payment of disbursements on your behalf to ensure a smoother process. The disbursements that are likely to be payable are: –

• If the estate consists of any shareholdings (stocks and bonds) there are likely to be additional costs that could vary 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 £2.00 per copy (1 per asset usually).

• Dealing with the sale or transfer of any property in the estate is not included neither are any estate agents’ fees.

• We do not prepare tax returns to the date of death or during the administration period and we may need to instruct an accountant to deal with these on your behalf.

• If there have been gifts made during the lifetime of the person who has died, and investigations need to be made in ascertaining such gifts, this is likely to increase costs.

• If there are any foreign assets, this may increase costs and may result in having to instruct a lawyer in the law of the country in which the asset is situated.

• If there are any beneficiaries in the Will that cannot be found, this is likely to increase costs.

• If there are charities named as residuary beneficiaries.

• If we are required to negotiate on your behalf with the District Valuer in relation to inheritance tax.

All of the cost information provided above is general and we will be very happy to give you more precise and personalised information once we understand the specific circumstances so please do get in touch with us.

Where there is no inheritance tax to pay:  On average, estates that fall within this range are dealt with within 6 to 12 months. Typically obtaining a grant of probate takes 2 to 5 months. Collecting assets and paying liabilities then follows, which can take between 2 and 4 months. Once this has been done, we can prepare the estate accounts for the executors’ approval and distribute the assets, which normally takes 2 to 3 months.

Where there is inheritance tax to pay:  On average, estates that fall within this range are dealt with within 12 to 18 months. Typically obtaining a grant of probate takes 5 to 6 months. Collecting assets and paying liabilities then follows, which can take between 2 and 4 months. Once this has been done and HMRC have confirmed there is no further inheritance tax to pay (or any income or capital gains tax for the pre-death and administration period) we can prepare the estate accounts for the executors’ approval and distribute the assets, which normally takes 5 to 8 months.

When we act for you, we charge on the basis of the time spent multiplied by the hourly rate of the person dealing with the matter.  Our hourly rates range from £290 plus VAT at 20% to £300 plus VAT at 20% (£348 inclusive of VAT to £360 inclusive of VAT) .  

We handle the full process for you and any costs payable are not usually met by the administrators personally, instead the costs are deducted from the funds in the estate.

Example 1 – no valid will and no inheritance tax

What you ask us to do:

Ascertain the assets and obtain valuations, apply for the grant, collect & distribute the assets where there is no valid will and no inheritance tax to pay.

Our cost estimate:

We anticipate that, depending on the size and complexity of the estate, this type of matter will take between 23 and 42 hours of work.  Therefore our costs estimate would be:

from £6,670 plus VAT at 20% of £1,334 (= £8,004 in total)

to £12,600 plus VAT at 20% of £2,520 (= £15,120 in total)

plus disbursements (see disbursements section below).

Our cost estimates are for estates where:

• There are no more than two properties

• There are no more than 10 bank or building society accounts

• There are no other intangible assets

• There are no more than 5 beneficiaries

• There are no missing 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 are no disputes between the administrators. If disputes arise this is likely to lead to an increase in costs.

• The estate is solvent

• There are no claims against the estate

Example 2 – inheritance tax and no valid will

What you ask us to do:

Ascertain the assets and obtain valuations, apply for the grant, collect & distribute the assets where there is inheritance tax to pay and no valid will.

Our cost estimate:

Where inheritance tax is likely to be payable in an estate, we anticipate that this will take between 50 and 92 hours of work, depending on the complexity of the estate.   Therefore our costs estimate would be:

from £14,500 plus VAT at 20% of £2,900 (= £17,400 in total)

to £27,600 plus VAT at 20% of £5,520 (= £33,120 in total)

plus disbursements (see disbursements section below). 

Our cost estimates are for estates where:

• There are no disputes between beneficiaries on division of assets. If disputes arise this is likely to lead to an increase in costs

• There are no disputes between the administrators. If disputes arise this is likely to lead to an increase in costs.

• There are no claims against the estate

The exact cost depends on the individual circumstances of the matter as every estate is different.

For example, if there is one beneficiary and no property, our 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 will discuss the likely fee with you when we have more information on the value of the estate, the beneficiaries and the number of assets.

Disbursements are charges related to your matter that are payable to third parties, such as court fees and inheritance tax.

We handle the payment of disbursements on your behalf to ensure a smoother process. The disbursements that are likely to be payable are: –

• If the estate consists of any shareholdings (stocks and bonds) there are likely to be additional costs that could vary 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 £2.00 per copy (1 per asset usually)

• Dealing with the sale or transfer of any property in the estate is not included

• We do not prepare tax returns to the date of death or during the administration period and we may need to instruct an accountant to deal with these on your behalf

• If there have been gifts made and substantial investigations need to be made in ascertaining gifts, this is likely to increase costs

• If there are any foreign assets, this may increase costs and may result in having to instruct solicitors expert in other legal jurisdictions

• If we are required to negotiate on your behalf with the District Valuer in relation to Inheritance Tax

• If there are any beneficiaries that cannot be found, this is likely to increase costs

All of the cost information provided above is general and we will be very happy to give you more precise and personalised information once we understand the specific circumstances so please do get in touch with us.

Where there is no inheritance tax to pay:  On average, estates that fall within this range are dealt with within 7 to 12 months. Typically obtaining a grant of letters of administration takes 3 to 5 months. Collecting assets and paying liabilities then follows, which can take between 2 and 4 months. Once this has been done, we can prepare the estate accounts for the administrators’ approval and distribute the assets, which normally takes 2 and 4 months.

Where there is inheritance tax to pay:  On average, estates that fall within this range are dealt with within 12 to 18 months. Typically obtaining a grant of letters of administration takes 5 to 6 months. Collecting assets and paying liabilities then follows, which can take between 2 and 4 months. Once this has been done and HMRC have confirmed there is no further inheritance tax to pay (or any income or capital gains tax for the pre-death and administration period) we can prepare estate accounts for approval by the administrators and then distribute the assets, which normally takes 5 to 8 months.

If the estate is an excepted estate (broadly speaking an excepted estate is a small estate or an estate where there is no tax payable because of spouse or charitable exemptions and is £1,000,0000 to £3,000,000) and requires a Legal Statement, the fixed fee is:

£1500 plus VAT at 20% (£1800 inclusive of VAT) plus disbursements (see disbursements section below).

In certain circumstances an IHT 400 form is required, even if there is no inheritance tax payable.  In these circumstances we will prepare the IHT 400 form (together with all supplementary pages) and a Legal Statement for you for a fixed fee of:

£3,000 plus VAT at 20% (£3,600 inclusive of VAT) plus disbursements (see disbursements section below)

If there is inheritance tax payable, we will prepare the IHT 400 form (together with all supplementary pages), the forms to send to the financial institutions to pay the inheritance tax and a Legal Statement for you.  We will charge for this on a time basis multiplied by the hourly rate of the person dealing with the matter. 

Our hourly rates range from £290 plus VAT at 20% to £300 plus VAT at 20% (£348 inclusive of VAT to £360 inclusive of VAT).  We anticipate that depending on the size and complexity of the estate our costs estimate would be from £3,000 plus VAT at 20% (£3,600 inclusive of VAT) to £4,500 plus VAT at 20% (£5,400 inclusive of VAT) plus disbursements (see disbursements section below)

Once we have completed the paperwork and you have signed it, we will then submit the paperwork to the court and HMRC (if appropriate) to apply for the grant.

This service and fee do not include: –

• Ascertaining the value of the estate

• Dealing with subsequent queries from HMRC

• Collecting in the assets, paying the liabilities, preparing estate accounts and distributing the assets

• Dealing with the sale or transfer of any property

• Preparing income/capital gains tax returns to the date of death and the administration of the estate

• Paying any liabilities of the estate

• Liaising with any beneficiaries

• Liaising with any asset providers or creditors

This quote is for estates where there is a Will.

Disbursements are charges related to your matter that are payable to third parties, such as court fees.  We handle the payment of disbursements on your behalf to ensure a smoother process.  The disbursements that are likely to be payable are: –

• £526 Probate Application fee plus an additional £2.00 per copy grant required (usually one per asset)

Timescales vary and we will be able to advise once we understand the details of the situation.  Typically it will be between 3 to 4 months to obtain the grant.