Probate Pricing
We’re here when you need us
Here at Dutton Gregory, we understand that coping with the death of a person can bring a mixture of emotions, and the legal side of dealing with a person’s death can often be overwhelming and confusing.
What Sets Us Apart
Our aim is to offer compassionate, experienced legal advice, to support you and your loved ones through this difficult time.
We have an experienced team who can assist you with every aspect of the probate process, reducing the administrative burden and advising sensitively on key decisions which need to be made when managing an estate.
We are aware that administering an estate comes at a time of grief and high emotion, and that most people do not know the processes and legal requirements involved.
Our firm is proud to hold the Lexcel Accreditation, issued by the Law Society. This involves the firm undergoing a rigorous audit process which ensures we maintain high levels of client care.
We are here to help you through the process, by obtaining the Grant of Probate on your behalf. We also undertake the collecting and distributing of assets, giving you further peace of mind.
How much does our service cost?
We can help you through this difficult process by obtaining the Grant of Probate on your behalf.
For obtaining the Grant of Probate only:
We offer a fixed fee for obtaining the Grant of Probate, using the information the Personal Representatives have provided.
This ranges between £2,000 + VAT – £5,000 + VAT (£2,400 – £6,000 including VAT) depending on whether an Inheritance Tax return is required and the complexities of the estate, plus disbursements. If an Inheritance Tax return is required please contact us for further information.
This fee does not include checking the information provided.
Disbursements
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.
Not all of these will be relevant to your matter, but here is a breakdown of disbursements:
| Probate court fee | £526.00 | No VAT applicable |
| Office copy Grant (per copy) | £2.00 | No VAT applicable |
| Estate search | £195.00 | + VAT |
| Office Copy Entry from the Land Registry (per copy) | £7.00 | + VAT |
| Statutory Notices – dependent on region | £150.00 | + VAT |
| Asset Search | £195.00 | + VAT |
| Will Search - depending on the search requested | £49.00 - £221.00 | + VAT |
| Bankruptcy searches (UK only) | £7.00 | + VAT |
| Mileage rate for meetings outside of Dutton Gregory offices | 55p per mile | + VAT |
| Identity check (Smart Search) per check | £30.00 | + VAT |
| * VAT will be charged at the prevailing rate at the time of invoicing |
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Fixed Fees
As part of our fixed fee we will:
- Provide you with a dedicated and experienced probate practitioner 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 forms (only in relation to the probate application).
- Make the application to the Probate Court on your behalf.
- Obtain the Probate and securely send copies that were requested, subject to the disbursement cost.
On average, estates that fall within this range are dealt with within 4 – 12 months. Typically, obtaining the Grant of Probate takes 16 weeks from submission of application. Letters of Administration or Intestacy do typically take longer.
Full administration costs
Collating the initial information, applying for the Grant, collecting and distributing the assets
It is difficult to estimate the amount of time required as this depends on the complexity of, and the assets within the estate. On average our costs are for the full administration of the estate are typically between £6,000 + VAT – £15,000 + VAT (£7,200 – £18,000 including VAT).
As every client’s needs are different, the final cost will depend on the amount of work required and the level of ongoing support and communication requested during the course of the matter. By way of example, a straightforward estate with a single beneficiary and limited assets, requiring only a modest level of communication and support, is likely to incur costs towards the lower end of the range. In contrast, a more complex estate involving multiple beneficiaries, property, numerous assets or accounts, and a higher level of communication, advice and ongoing assistance is likely to incur costs towards the higher end of the range.
Please note that all cases are different, and we will give you further information about what is and is not included in a client care letter when you instruct us.
We will handle the full process for you. Dealing with the sale or transfer of any property in the estate is not included. This can be dealt with separately by our property department.
The basis for our charges is our hourly charging rates, which are usually reviewed annually. These depend on the level of seniority and experience of the individual carrying out the work for you. The standard range of our hourly rates is:
| Partners, Consultants and solicitors with 8 or more years’ post qualification experience: | £300 to £425 an hour | + VAT |
| Solicitors and senior legal executives with 4 or more years’ post qualification experience: | £250 to £300 an hour | + VAT |
| Other solicitors, legal executives and paralegals of equivalent experience: | £195 to £250 an hour | + VAT |
| Trainee solicitors, paralegals and experienced but unqualified assistants: | £120 to £195 an hour | + VAT |
| * VAT will be charged at the prevailing rate at the time of invoicing | ||
| * Prices included are based on an uncontested estate. Should an estate be contested at any stage, we will discuss the next steps with you. |
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Potential additional costs
There are additional factors that can affect the costs on the administration of an estate. These can be, but not limited to:
- Whether there is a valid Will
- The number of assets, such as the number of properties, bank & building society accounts, shareholdings, etc
- If there are foreign assets
- If there are a large number of beneficiaries, where beneficiaries live abroad or their whereabouts is unknown
- Any disputes and / or potential claims against the estate
- Dealing with outstanding Tax matters
- The level of support and communication required by those involved
Our costs do not include any Inheritance Tax, Income Tax, Capital Gains Tax due on the estate. Our probate practitioners will help you calculate the amount of taxes due however to give an indicator, please see HMRC’s calculator for Inheritance Tax.
Where the Partners of Dutton Gregory are named as Executors, we charge a value element uplift based on the size of the estate to account for the additional risk on the Partners. This is currently 0.5% plus VAT the probate value of any property and 1% plus VAT the probate value of all other assets.
How long will this take?
On average, estates that fall within this range are dealt with within 12 – 24 months.
Typically, obtaining the Grant of Probate takes 16 weeks from submission of application. Letters of Administration or Intestacy do typically take longer.
If there are professional executors appointed as the executors, there is property to sell, or international assets to deal with, these can result in an increase in the length of time.
Get in touch today
To find out how we can support you, contact our friendly team today