Wills & Probate Fixed Fees | Dicksons Solicitors

FIXED FEES

Wills

Single Will:

£150 + VAT

Single Will which is more complex or for inclusion of any trust:

£250 – £600 + VAT

Mirror Wills:

£250 + VAT

Mirror Wills which are more complex or for inclusion of any trust:

£400 – £1000 + VAT

Family Trust

Registered property:

£500 + VAT

Unregistered property:

£600 + VAT

Disbursements

Land Registration Fee – this is dependent upon the value of the property. To see fees applicable to the value of your property click here

Grant of Probate/Letters of Administration only:

Assuming full details of all assets and liabilities are provided including values and it is not an estate liable for Inheritance Tax:

£800 + VAT

Assuming full details of all assets and liabilities are provided, including values and no Inheritance Tax is payable, but additional Inheritance Tax forms have to be produced for HMRC (e.g. when a property is in Trust; The estate is able to take advantage of additional or unused Nil Rate Bands – We will advise on this when you contact us):

£1,200 + VAT

Assuming full details of all assets and liabilities are provided, including values and Inheritance Tax is payable:

£1,500 – £2,000 + VAT

(Fee will be based upon how many organisations we are required to contact in order to meet the IHT liability)

If we are required to obtain a Grant and full details of assets and liabilities are not available then this would be charged at the hourly rate applicable

Probate Court Fee:

£300

Office Copy Grant of Probate:

£1.50 per copy

TRANSFERS

£250 + VAT registered property

£350 + VAT unregistered property

Disbursements

Land Registration Fee – this is dependent upon the value of the property. To see fees applicable to the value of your property click here

VAT

This is charged at the prevailing rate which is currently 20%

Applying for the grant, collecting and distributing the assets

Our charges are calculated by reference to an hourly rate for the work that we do. All our practitioners are experienced, and their hourly rate is £200 + VAT at 20%.

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. A simple estate might cost as little as £1,500 + VAT at 20%, but a high value or more complex estate might cost in excess of £10,000 + VAT at 20%. In addition there would be disbursements, which are likely to include:

Probate Registry fee £300
Additional official copies of the Grant £1.50 each
Bankruptcy Search per beneficiary £2 + VAT at 20%
Notice to potential creditors under s27 of the Trustee Act £250 estimated
Land registry fee if a property is transferred to a beneficiary £20 – £140
(dependent on the value of the property)

Before you are asked to confirm that you wish us to proceed, we will agree what work is to be done, which lawyer is going to handle the matter, and provide you with a more detailed estimate of our charges and disbursements, and how long it is likely to take.

We will handle the full process for you. 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 required to make the application
Complete the Probate Application and the relevant HMRC forms
Draft a legal statement for you to sign
Make the application to the Probate Court on your behalf
Collect and distribute all assets in the estate
At the conclusion provide you with full estate and distribution accounts

This example is for estates where:

There is a valid will
There is no more than one property
There are no more than 3 bank or building society accounts
There are no shares
There is no work required in relation to personal possessions or property contents
There is no work required in relation to utilities and services connected to the property
There is no work required finalising pension or income tax matters
There are no more than 3 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 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

Example fee based on 10 to 12 hours to complete £2,000 – £2,500 + VAT at 20%

In this example the disbursements, including VAT at 20% would be as follows:

Probate application fee £300
Official copies of the grant £4.50
Bankruptcy searches £2.40 per beneficiary
Notice to potential creditors under s27 of the Trustee Act £250

The total cost is likely to be between £2,727.40 to £3,561.70 including VAT and disbursements

Potential additional costs

If there is no will or the estate consists of any share holdings (stocks and bonds) there are 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.

Timescale

On average, estates that fall within this range are dealt with within 6 to 8 months which is based upon the following timescales:

Valuing the estate 4 – 6 weeks
Preparing the application 1 – 2 weeks
Awaiting the issue of the Grant of Probate 16 weeks
Collecting the Assets 2 – 3 weeks
Completing estate accounts and obtaining your approval 2 – 3 weeks
Distribution 1 week

Home Visits

This includes visits elsewhere such as to a hospital or a care home. If local this would be charged at £50 + VAT at 20% per visit. We would be happy to quote for visits outside the local area upon request.