VAT where payable is currently charged at 20%

Single Will:
£275.00 (£330 inc. VAT)

Single Will with right to reside, more than 2 legacies, residuary estate into more shares:
£300.00 (£360 inc. VAT)

 

Mirror Wills:
£350.00 (£420 inc. VAT)

Mirror Wills with right to reside, more than 2 legacies, residuary estate into more shares:
£400.00 (£480 inc. VAT)

 

Discretionary Will Trust – single:
£375.00 (£450 inc. VAT)

Mirror Discretionary Will Trust:
£500.00 (£690 inc. VAT)

Court fee:
£82.00 (No VAT is payable on court fees).

Single LPA including registering:
£500.00 (£600 inc. VAT)
£300 preparation
£200 registration

Double LPA’s including registering:
£775.00 (£930 inc. VAT)
£475 Preparation
£300 registration

Court fee:
£82.00 each There is no VAT on court fees

Single LPA when making Will (Will price is additional) Including registering:
£480.00 (£576 inc. VAT)

Double LPA’s when making Will (Will price is additional) Including registering:
£750.00 (£900 inc. VAT)

LPA X 4 (H&W/P&F for couple):
£1,195.00 (£1,434 inc. VAT) £1,145 (£1,374 inc. VAT with Wills)
£775 Preparation
£370.00 Registration

Home Visits:
£50.00 plus VAT per visit
(mileage 40p per mile)

Notice of Severance:
£150.00 plus VAT

 

Single Codicil:
£200.00 plus VAT (START FROM)

Mirror Codicils:
£250.00 plus VAT (START FROM)

Introduction 

Probate is the court-supervised process of gathering a deceased person’s assets, paying debts and taxes and distributing what is left to those who are named as inheritors, in the Will.

Uncontested probate is where there is no dispute over the Will and distribution of assets.

Below we provide you with information on our Legal Fees, disbursements and the length of time it will take to complete your matter.

Legal Fees and Disbursements 

Legal Fees are the amount you will be required to pay for all the work performed by us in actioning your instructions from commencement of your case to conclusion.

VAT will be payable on our fees and some disbursements, currently 20%, and we will clearly confirm which disbursements carry VAT in our formal quotation or as we advise you to incur them.

If your matter becomes complex (see below) our fees may increase further and we will notify you in advance of any increased costs.

Grant and Administration of an Estate

At the beginning of each new matter we aim to provide you with a clear estimate of the Firm’s fees taking into account the different variables that arise in each estate.

Often clients will utilise the Firm’s services for the work required up to the point at which the Grant of Representation is obtained from the Court before assuming the administration themselves. Alternatively, we can be instructed to deal with the entire administration process from start to finish.

Legal Fees

• Obtaining a Grant of representation if no IHT payable:
  £800.00 plus VAT (£960.00 inc. VAT)
• Obtaining a Grant if IHT payable:
  £1,600.00 plus VAT (£1,920.00 inc. VAT)
• Full Administration of estate:
  Quotation available on request – see example of fees below

Full Administration Service

As a guide our fees for acting for an executor and dealing with an uncontested full administration will usually range between £1,500.00 and £5,000.00 plus VAT (£1,800.00 – £6,000.00) and disbursements. Our fees are calculated using a combination of an hourly rate of a maximum of £250.00 plus VAT (£300.00 inc. VAT) depending on the level of the Fee Earner.

Before undertaking any work, we offer a free initial appointment at which we will give you an initial estimate of our likely costs. Disbursements are costs related to your case that are payable to 3^rd parties and include items such as:

• Probate Court fee of £300.00 plus £1.50 per copy of the Grant
• Bankruptcy Search of £6.00 per beneficiary
• Statutory Creditors notices of approx. £200.00
• Secure postage of will approx £10.00
  No VAT is payable on these disbursements

The cost of dealing with the sale or transfer of any property in the estate is not included. What is included is :

• the advice and experience of a dedicated Probate Solicitor
• identifying the legally appointed executors/administrators and beneficiaries
• registering the death with the relevant financial authorities and gathering the necessary evidence to complete the application for the Grant.
• Dealing with HMRC and the Probate Registry to obtain the Grant, collect assets, settle liabilities and prepare full estate Accounts
• Liaising with HMRC and DWP
• Carrying out bankruptcy checks on beneficiaries
• Distributing the estate and obtaining the necessary receipts 

Grant Only Service

If you provide us with the necessary information, we can simply apply for the Grant on your behalf by completing and submitting the necessary forms to HMRC and the Probate Registry. If no Inheritance Tax is payable, our fees are £800.00 plus VAT (£960.00 inc. VAT) plus a Probate Court fee of £300.00 and £1.50 per additional copy.

If Inheritance Tax is payable or a full Inland Revenue accounts is necessary, our fees are £1600.00 plus VAT (£1,920.00 inc. VAT) and a Probate Court fee of £300.00 plus £1.50 per copy. No VAT is payable on disbursements. VAT where charged is currently 20%.

Key Stages

When dealing with an estate the following steps would need to be undertaken:

• Identifying our client and complying with stringent guidelines as set out by the SRA and the Law Society in terms of identification procedures.
• Locating a valid Will with / without Codicils or identifying where an application on behalf of an estate has to be made under the intestacy rules.
• Considering the terms of a Will and the position in relation to potential beneficiaries
• Ascertaining details of the size of an estate and in terms of assets and liabilities.
• Submitting Statutory Notices.
• Preparing Inheritance Tax papers if the estate is subject to Inheritance Tax (IHT 400).
• Considering the tax position, arranging tax payment and submitting Tax Return to HMRC. This will also include considering the position re availability of tax allowances and lifetime gifting.
• Preparing the application for the Grant of Representation and thereafter submission of the same to the Probate Registry in order to obtain the Grant of Representation.
• Lodging the Grant of Representation with the financial institutions and third parties.
• Collecting in or transferring assets of the estate.
• Settling liabilities of the estate.
• Liaising with beneficiaries of the estate and paying any legacies made under the terms of the

Will.

• Liaising with HMRC to pay any ongoing Inheritance Tax instalments and to obtain Inheritance Tax clearance in the estate.
• Advising in relation to Income Tax returns to the date of death and during the administration period and paying any income tax due.
• The preparation of detailed estate accounts showing all funds coming in and out of the estate during the administration period.
• Making interim and final distributions to beneficiaries.
• Dealing with insurance and utility providers regarding any property that falls within the estate.

Our fees for dealing with the administration of an estate would take into account several factors including the complexity of the estate, the amount and type of assets, the impact of lifetime gifting, the number of beneficiaries, any disputes or claims against the estate, the extent and availability of Inheritance Tax exemptions and reliefs and if there are any trusts established under the Will.

Factors that are likely to increase the cost of your matter: 

• Not having all of the paperwork available or having incorrect information that needs investigation and correction.
• Third parties not responding to our communications promptly.
• Dealing with unusual or complex assets or items (for example: fine art; timeshares; shares in private companies etc).
• HMRC compliance investigations.
• Arranging and supervising house clearances.
• 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.
• Where there is Inheritance Tax (IHT) to pay*
• Whether the grant of probate is likely to be contested
• Number and value of properties and whether they are outside England and Wales
• Whether there are any trusts in the Will
• Whether there are any missing beneficiaries

Estates over £325,000 may be subject to Inheritance Tax at the prevailing rates. *To help you decide whether any Inheritance Tax is likely to be due or not, you can visit:

https://www.gov.uk/valuing-estate-of-someone-who-died/estimate-estate-value

As soon as any complications arise, we will discuss these with you and agree the fee for the additional work being carried out in advance of any additional work being undertaken.

Other Costs

• To comply with anti-money laundering legislation and satisfy our regulatory commitments, we may carry out online identity checks on all clients and, in probate matters, on each beneficiary. Our fee for this is £6.00 per check. This fee is payable on all cases and is in addition to the fees quoted above.

• Bank Transfer Administration Fee, per transfer – £40 + VAT at 20% (£48.00 inc. VAT) may apply

We will not 

Dealing with the sale or transfer of any property in the estate is not included and will be charged for separately.

How Long Will It Take

On average it takes 8 weeks to obtain the Grant, but can currently take up to 16 weeks, and the whole administration should be completed within 6 – 12  months (depending on the sale of any property)

If you would like to discuss further please do not hesitate to contact a member of the Private Client team. 

Our Private Client Team

Depending on the type of transaction, complexity and experience required we will allocate the most appropriate member of our private client team to your transaction once you instruct us.

Regardless of who works on your case, they will be supervised by the head of our private client in the Oldham and Manchester branch, Sadia Rahman, a Solicitor and Partner of the firm, or head of our private client team in the Todmorden branch, Emma Piszkalo, a Solicitor and Partner of the firm.

You can see details on all members of our private client team below:

Team – Oldham and Manchester:  Rachel Damianou, Jyoti Patel and Eleanor Heap 

Team – Todmorden: Emma Piszkalo and Rachel Damianou

Questions

Our well established team of solicitors have in-depth knowledge and experience in this area of law, so please call us for more information:

Manchester Office: 0161 914 9881
Oldham Office: 0161 624 6811

Todmorden Office: 01706 815712

Standard non-contentious Deputyship Applications – our fees are in accordance with the Court of Protection fixed costs currently £950.00 plus VAT and a Court fee of £408.00. No VAT is payable on the court fee.

All other Court of Protection applications will be based on our hourly rates of £240.

Trust £500.00 – £1,000.00 plus VAT dependant on the type of trust

£250.00 plus VAT (£300)

£250.00 plus VAT (£300)

For an individual quotation regarding Wills and Probate please call us for more information:

Manchester Office: 0161 914 9881
Oldham Office: 0161 624 6811
Todmorden Office: 01706 815712

Team Oldham and Manchester: Rachel Damianou and Jyoti Patel.

Team – Todmorden: Emma Piszkalo