Legal fees are the amounts you will be required to pay for all the work done by us from initial instructions to conclusion of the matter. Our fees attract VAT. The present rate of VAT is 20%.
Our standard legal fees for an uncontested probate matter are between £5,000 – £10,000 plus VAT.
Our hourly rate for managing an average uncontested probate matter ranges from £220 – £330 plus VAT.
| Grade A | Partners/ Directors and Solicitors and Legal Executives with 8 + years experience | £330 plus VAT per hour |
| Grade B | Solicitors and Legal Executives with 4 + years experience | £280 plus VAT per hour |
| Grade C | Other Solicitors or Legal Executives and fee earners of equivalent experience | £220 plus VAT per hour |
| Grade D | Trainee Solicitors, Paralegals and bilingual Paralegals and other fee earners | £140-180 plus VAT per hour |
VAT will be payable on all our fees and most disbursements (see Disbursements, below), and we will clearly confirm which disbursements carry VAT in our client care letter.
Electronic Money Transfer £37 plus VAT
Fees
These will depend upon the individual case and the circumstances.
Our fees estimate above are for the estates with: –
- A valid Will
- Only one property involved
- The value of the funds held in bank or building society not exceeding £325,000.00
- No other intangible assets
- 1-2 beneficiaries
- No dispute between beneficiaries or a division of assets. Where there is a dispute, our fees are likely to increase
- No inheritance Tax payable and the executors do not need to submit full accounts to HMRC
- No claim made against the estate
Disbursements
These are costs arising out of probate that we pay to third parties on your behalf. Please note, the cost of disbursements may be subject to change.
You will be provided with a list of disbursements in our client care letter, such as:
- Probate application fee – https://www.gov.uk/applying-for-probate/fees
- Swearing of the Oath (per executor) £7
- Bankruptcy search £3
- Advertising in the London Gazette- protects against unsuspected claim for unknown claims (£75 – £150 plus VAT)
- Advertising in a local newspaper – helps to protect against an unsuspected claim (£100 – £250 plus VAT)
Timescales
Uncontested estate probate matters can take between 12-15 months to conclude.
Initially, we will apply for a grant of probate. Typically, this takes 20-25 weeks but it may increase due to the courts and probate registry officers working from home. Once obtained, we can distribute the assets after 4-6 weeks.
Stages of the Process
- Providing you with a dedicated and experienced probate Solicitor to work on your matter
- Undertaking regulatory checks
- Identifying executors, administrators, and beneficiaries
- Accurately identifying the type of probate application required
- Obtaining the relevant documents required to make the application
- Preparing statement of truth for you to sign
- Completing a probate application
- Obtaining the probate and securely sending you a copy
- Collecting and distributing assets
Additional Costs
There will be additional costs for:
- Dealing with sale or transfer of any property
- Independent advice from financial advisors in respect to Inheritance Tax and/or submissions of IHT returns
The above fees are for uncontested probate work.
