How much do we charge?

• You can instruct a Solicitor of your choice to assist you with the estate administration and the legal fees are settled by the deceased’s estate. 
• You will be in control of what we charge based on the level of support and guidance you tell us you would like. Probates vary in complexity and we’re happy to advise on as much or as little as you wish. 

• Our charges are based on competitive hourly rates which will be agreed with you at the outset.  We will be able to estimate the cost of assisting you once we have taken full details from you, providing you with regular cost updates so that there are no hidden fees.

Typical hourly rates (excluding VAT which is charged at 20%) are:

Your case will be looked after by one of the team named above and supervised by one of the Directors or Senior Associates named above - you'll be provided with the details and charging rates of your team at the beginning of our work for you.

We’re committed to ensuring that our fees are transparent.  Unlike many of our competitors we do not charge a “value element” so you only pay for the work that you ask us to do.  We are happy to agree a fixed fee, or to work to a fee budget: please call us for more information.

Probate Grant only service

This may suit simple estates where the personal representatives are willing to be responsible for dealing with all the assets and liabilities of the estate themselves, and where a detailed inheritance tax return is not needed.  Hugh Jones Solicitors will draft the necessary paperwork using information that the personal representatives supply for a fixed fee of £1,000 plus VAT at 20%, a total of £1,200. Our timescale for these is usually around 6-9 months depending upon how quickly we are provided with the information, and delays outside of our control with the Probate Service.

Please call us if you would like to discuss a fixed fee ‘Grant only’ option for a more complex estate.

Full administration

The fees for dealing with the full administration of the estate will vary depending on the terms of the Will (if any), the size and complexity of the estate and the type of assets involved.

• Straightforward estates consisting of assets such as bank accounts and investments, where there is no inheritance tax to pay and the executors do not need to submit a full account to HMRC and where there are no disputes or claims against the estate     - £3,500 to £6,500 plus VAT at 20%. 

• Where the circumstances in the above example apply save that there are additional assets, such as a property or a number of shareholdings that need to be sold and where there is inheritance tax to pay or a full account has to be submitted to HMRC - £4,500 to £15,000 plus VAT at 20%. 

• For more complex estates, such as where there are assets held abroad or business and/or agricultural assets - charges may exceed £12,000 plus VAT at 20%. 

• Disbursements (costs related to your matter that are payable to third parties) are payable in addition to our fees.  We handle the payment of disbursements on your behalf to ensure a smoother process.  The potential disbursements are (this is not an exhaustive list):

• Probate application fee of £273 plus £1.50 for each copy
• Bankruptcy searches of £2 per beneficiary
• Trustee Act notices to protect against unexpected claims from unknown creditors, approximate cost £200 inc VAT
• Certainty National Will Register search from £58.80 inc VAT

The timescale for full administration depends upon the complexity of the estate but an average timescale for the first example above is 9 to 12 months. If there are properties or investments to sell or a dispute arises then this can increase the timescale involved.

Contact us for a free initial discussion.