Crystal clear pricing – probate
How much could probate or estate administration cost?
We recognise estates come in all shapes and sizes. That is why we base our estate administration or probate fees, not on the value of the estate, but on the work that is necessary to deal with the estate appropriately.
Before starting any work, we will spend an hour with you to discuss the estate and your needs. This will allow us to give you an estimate of our fees, clearly setting out what is and what is not included.
Our pricing offers good value for the extensive service and experience provided by our highly qualified team. You will have a single point of contact throughout and this will be the person carrying out the work. Your contact will be based in our nearest office.
To give you an idea of the legal costs involved, we have provided two case studies based on real clients. One was a straightforward situation that was dealt with within a few months. The other was much more complex and took considerably longer to resolve.
Case studies
| A simple administration of a modest estate | A more involved estate administration |
Mr A, married with one son and two grandchildren, died leaving an estate consisting of:
He had made lifetime gifts but in the seven years before his death all gifts were covered by his annual exemptions. His Will appointed his wife and son as executors, left legacies to his son and grandchildren and the residue of his estate to his surviving wife. Our fees at present rates were £8,285 including VAT and disbursements*. The value of the estate was £464,000 and the estate administration took 11 months. |
Mrs D, a widow, died in a nursing home. Her assets consisted of:
Mrs D was the beneficiary of a trust which was dealt with separately but impacted on the taxation of the estate. Mrs D had made 12 reportable lifetime gifts in the seven years prior to her death most of which were identified on a comprehensive review of her bank statements by us as her executors had limited knowledge of her financial arrangements. Her Will left 21 cash legacies to individuals and charities. The residue of her estate after tax and expenses was split equally between 13 beneficiaries a number of which were living overseas. The retirement apartment was already on the market at the date of death and took a further 18 months to sell which delayed the completion of the estate considerably. Our fees at present rates were £49,429 including VAT and disbursements*. The value of the estate was approximately £1.55 million. The estate administration took 30 months to complete. |
Fees charged on a time spent basis in accordance with hourly charge out rates (subject to VAT at 20%) reviewed annually. Current rates from 1 April 2024 as follows:
| Status | Hourly rate |
| Partners/Consultants | £278 – £420 per hour |
| Senior Associates | £300 – £375 per hour |
| Associates | £220 – £300 per hour |
| Solicitors/Legal Executives | £220 per hour |
| Trainees | £160 – £175 per hour |
| Paralegals | £130 – £220 per hour |
Hourly rates are reviewed annually. Current rates from 1 April 2024. Other teams may charge different hourly rates, but we would advise you in advance of any changes to rates set out above.
Legal costs for those who want to be more hands on
If you would prefer to carry out some of the work yourself but want the certainty that the important application for the Grant of Probate (or Grant of Letters of Administration) has been professionally dealt with, then we offer a ‘Grant Only Service’. You gather the information and evidence of values as at the date of death and, once the Grant is issued by the Court, you carry on with the estate administration. If you need any more help from us with the estate we can help as additional work/fees. We only offer our Grant Only Service where there is no inheritance tax due (IHT400 is needed), our fees including VAT and court fees are from £4500.
Our Grant only fees are:
- For simplified estates where an IHT400 is not needed our fees including VAT and court fees are from £3300.
- For other estates where an IHT400 is needed our fees including VAT and court fees are from £4500.
- Please contact us to discuss what is included in this service. Court fees are accurate as at January 2023.
VAT & disbursements
Our fees and some disbursements are subject to VAT at 20%. Disbursements are charges payable in addition to our fees, normally to a third party. They can include fees payable to the Land Registry, barristers or search providers. The amount charged for the disbursements depends upon a number of variables so we will be able to advise you of the correct charges when we have further information from you.
*Disbursement costs
A number of additional costs may be incurred as part of the estate administration. These are not paid to Clarke Willmott but are due to third parties for their services and are known as ‘disbursements’.
These include:
- probate court fees – £300 plus £1.50 per copy;
- bankruptcy searches – £2 per search (plus VAT at 20%);
- asset searches – £165 (plus VAT at 20%); and
- statutory advertisements – £250 – £300 (plus VAT at 20%).
We will discuss these with you in our initial meeting. Disbursement costs accurate as at May 2024.
