Our Fees

Our Fees for Probate, Will Writing, Lasting Powers of Attorney & Severing Joint Tenancies

Below is a complete list of all our Wills and Probate department’s charges. This includes fees for Probate, Will Writing, Lasting Powers of Attorney and Joint Tenancies.

We will always advise you on the costs involved in our work.

Applying for the grant, collecting and distributing the assets

How we charge

The hourly charging rate of Probate Department Personnel is as follows:

All of the above fees are exclusive of VAT which is chargeable at the rate prevailing from time to time (currently 20%). The hourly charging rates are subject to periodic reviews and the next review will be on the 1st January 2024.

Further, in accordance with the Solicitor’s Non-Contentious Costs Guidelines October 2007, where the Solicitors are being instructed by lay Executors, there will also be a value factor charge of only 0.5% of the value of any residence included in the Estate and 1% of the balance of the gross value of the Estate.

If the Solicitors are acting as professional Executors then the value factor charge will be 0.75% of the value of any residence and 1.5% of the balance of the gross value of the Estate.

We anticipate this will take between 10 and 15 hours work at a partner’s or Legal Executive’s rate of £225.00 plus VAT per hour as stated above plus the value factor as stated above. Total costs estimated at £3,500.00- £5,000.00 +VAT (at current rates of £700.00 – £1000.00 on this estimate).

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 multiple 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 original will which is not being contested
• There is no more than one property
• There are no more than 2 bank or building society accounts
• There are no other intangible assets
• There are 1-4 beneficiaries all of whom are traceable
• 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 made against the estate
• The Executors and Beneficiaries are prompt and well organised in responding to our request for papers and information

Disbursements not included in this fee

• Probate application fee of £273.00 and a further £1.50 per copy of the grant (you will need one copy per asset)
• Bankruptcy-only Land Charges Department searches (£2.00 plus VAT per beneficiary)
• Land Registry office copies £3.00 plus VAT per property
• £69.50 plus VAT Post in The London Gazette – Protects against unexpected claims from unknown creditors
• Approximately £90.00 plus VAT Post in a Local Newspaper (the exact cost will depend on the local paper) This also helps to protect against unexpected claims.

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.

There may be income tax, capital gain tax and inheritance tax to pay in addition to the above. How much tax will be payable depends on the specific circumstances of your case, we will be able to discuss this with you and advise you once we are in receipt of all of the estate information.

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.
• Dealing with the sale or transfer of any property in the estate is not included.
• If any of the Executors wish to renounce their position.
• If any of the Executors lack Mental Capacity.
• If any beneficiary wishes to redirect their entitlement by way of a Deed of Variation or a Deed of Disclaimer.
• If there are assets abroad.

How long will this take?

On average, estates that fall within this range are dealt with within 6-12 months. Typically, obtaining the grant of probate once the application has been sent to the Probate Registry takes 16 weeks. Once this has been done, we can distribute the assets, which normally takes 2-4 weeks.

When someone dies, the law says that a person who was not adequately provided for by the deceased has up to six months from the date of the Grant of Representation to make a claim. The type of people who can claim are:

• A person who lived with the deceased as husband or wife but they never actually married
• An ex-husband or ex-wife who is now divorced from the deceased but has not re-married
• A person who was treated by the deceased as a child of their family (e.g. step-son or step-daughter, a child of someone the deceased lived with and treated as their own even though they were not the child’ biological parent)
• Someone who relied on the deceased for some form of financial support (e.g. a person living in the house owned or rented by the deceased rent free or virtually rent free, etc.)

To comply with the law, we cannot pay your entitlement when there is a risk of someone making a claim, this may delay the distribution of the estate.

Fees will be collected from estate assets provided there are sufficient funds in the estate and pursuant to an account being rendered we will be able to exercise a lien over any papers or funds held, for unpaid costs and charge interest on all or part of any unpaid bill. If there are insufficient funds in the estate our fees and the disbursements will be payable by the person who has instructed us.

If the deceased was in receipt of income based benefits during their lifetime the Department for Work and Pensions may investigate their entitlement after probate or letters of administration has been granted. We will not be able to distribute the estate until the Department for Work and Pensions have concluded their investigation which may take several months, this is treated as a potential claim against the estate.

As part of our fee we will:

• Provide you with a dedicated and experienced probate solicitor 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 and asset values required to make the application
• Complete the Probate Application and the relevant HMRC forms
• Draft a legal statement for you to swear
• Make the application to the Probate Court on your behalf
• Obtain the Probate or letters of administration
• Collect all assets in the estate
• Settle liabilities
• Draft the estate accounts
• Distribute the estate

Probate or Letters of Administration – extraction only

We can help you through this difficult process by obtaining the Grant of Probate or Letters of Administration on your behalf. We will then hand the Grant to you for you to undertake finalising all tax matters and the collecting and distributing of assets. We will not deal with/advise on tax matters save for completion of the inheritance tax account.

How much does this service cost?

TOTAL: fixed fee of £1140.00 (incl. VAT) for an exempt/excepted estate.

This includes: obtaining the grant only for a non taxable, straight forward estate. You will need to collect in the assets and distribute them.

Breakdown of costs:

Legal fees £950.00

VAT on legal fees £190.00

Disbursements:

• Probate court fee of £273.00 and £1.50 for each copy of the Grant (you will need one copy per asset)

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.

As part of our fixed fee you must provide us with the date of death values of all assets held by the deceased at their date of death and all liabilities owed by them, we will:

• Provide you with a dedicated and experienced probate solicitor to work on your matter
• Identify the legally appointed executors or administrators and beneficiaries
• Accurately identify the type of Probate application you will require
• Complete the Probate Application and the relevant HMRC inheritance tax forms
• Draft a legal statement for you to swear
• Make the application to the Probate Court on your behalf
• Obtain the Probate or Letters of Administration and send two copies to you

Typically, obtaining the grant of probate takes 3 -10 weeks however it will depend on the circumstances of your matter.

Wills

We offer a fixed fee service for all basic Wills:

Single basic Will: £250.00 plus VAT

Mirror basic Wills (two Wills on similar terms): £400.00 plus VAT

Our fee for a life interest trust Will is £300.00 plus VAT per Will.

If you matters are more complicated we will discuss your individual circumstances and provide you with a tailored quote.

Severance of joint tenancy

We charge £100.00 plus VAT to sever a joint tenancy.

We will also need to obtain Office Copies from the Land Registry the charge for which is £3.00 plus VAT.

Lasting Powers of Attorney

We offer a fixed fee for all non contested Lasting Powers of Attorney:

Property and Financial Affairs Lasting Power of Attorney

Without Registration £200.00 plus VAT

With Registration £300.00 plus VAT plus Office of the Public Guardian Registration fee of £82

Health and Welfare Lasting Power of Attorney

Without Registration: £200.00 plus VAT

With Registration: £300.00 plus VAT plus Office of the Public Guardian Registration fee of £82.00

Both Property and Financial Affairs Lasting Power of Attorney and Health and Welfare Lasting Power of Attorney

With Registration: £400.00 plus VAT plus two Office of the Public Guardian Registration fee of £82.00 each

If your annual income is under £12,000 you may be entitled to a 50% remission of the registration fee. If you are in receipt of one or more of the following benefits you may be exempt from the registration fee: Income Support, Income-based Job-Seekers Allowance, Income-based Employment and Support Allowance, State Pension Guarantee Credit element of pension credit, a combination of Working Tax Credit and Child Tax Credit, Disability Element or Severe Disability Element, Housing benefit, Council Tax benefit, Local housing allowance.

We have two members of the team who may work on your matter:

Bryony Wilmshurst – partner

Bryony is head of our team and has over ten years experience in private client work, specialising in wills and probate. Bryony has been working in this area since she qualified and has helped thousands of families and individuals.

Bryony qualified as a solicitor in 2008 having completed a law Degree and a Masters in Health Law at Nottingham Trent and the Legal Practice course at the College of Law in York. Bryony joined our firm in 2005 and became a partner in 2012.

Bryony is a fully accredited member of Association of Lifetime Lawyers and a member of the Society of Trusts and Estate Practitioners (STEP) and the Law Society’s Private Client Section.

Bryony is also a Dementia Friend.

Bryony is supervised by Katrina Sharman, solicitor and partner.

Jensen Bourke – chartered legal executive

Jensen specialises in Wills, Probate, Tax, Trusts, Court of Protection and Powers of Attorney and aims to deliver legal advice in plain English and in a helpful, approachable and timely manner.

Jensen has been practising in Sussex since 2014 and is a chartered Legal Executive who has a degree in Law. He has also been practising private client law since 1st February 2007.

He is a Dementia Friend, and is supervised by Bryony Wilmshurst, solicitor and partner.

Branches offering Wills and Probate services

Visit our branches for more information: Braintree, Brighton, Chelmsford, Croydon, Hornchurch, Solihull and Wickford.

FURTHER INFORMATION