Probate Fees

Probate Fees (uncontested)

Legal Fee Information for Uncontested Probate

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 of 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.

  • Our average standard legal fee for an uncontested probate when we are instructed to just obtain the Grant of Probate  is between £1000- £5000 plus VAT (a total of £1200 – £6000 inc VAT). Below we detail what services are covered in our standard fee.
     
  • Should your instructions require us to take your matter out of the fixed fee rate (see below for what our fixed fee covers) we will charge an hourly rate of £150 – £450 plus VAT (£180 – £540 inc VAT) which will depend on the experience and qualification of the case handler as follows: –
    • Partner – £350 - £450 plus VAT (£360 - £540 inc VAT)
    • Solicitor/Executives - £250 -£300 plus VAT (£276 -£360 inc VAT)
    • Paralegal £150 – £190 plus VAT (£180 – £228 inc VAT)
    • Trainee Solicitor £150 plus VAT (£180 inc VAT)
  • We will charge the sum of £35 plus VAT (a total of £42.00 Inc. VAT) for Electronic money transfers.

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.

We will handle the full process for you.

Our Standard Fee estimate above is for estates where: –

  • There is a valid will.
  • There is no more than one property.
  • There are no share portfolios.
  • There are no other intangible assets.
  • There are 1 – 2 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.

If at any stage our fees change, we will notify you and discuss the reason for any changes. This would typically occur if you change your instructions or your case involves an unforeseen complexity.

Disbursements and Other Costs

Disbursements are costs related to your matter that are payable to third parties. We handle the payment of the disbursements on your behalf, to ensure a smoother process.

You will be provided with a full list of disbursements in our formal quotation. If you need to incur any further disbursements during your case, you will be notified in advance of the reason and the amount.

Typical disbursements will include: –

  • Probate application fee: £300 plus £1.50 for each extra copy of the Grant required
  • Bankruptcy and Anti-Money :Laundering  searches: £9.90 per person. International bankruptcy searches will vary depending on the location of the beneficiary.
  • Advertisement (Protects against unexpected claims from unknown creditors): £200 inc VAT

How long will this take?

On average, estates that fall within this range are dealt with within 6 – 12 months.

Typically, obtaining the grant of probate takes 12 weeks.

Collecting assets then follows, which can take between 16 – 32 weeks. Once this has been done, we can distribute the assets, which normally takes 32 – 48 weeks.

Stages of the Process

The precise stages involved in an uncontested probate vary according to the circumstances. We have set out the key stages of a standard transaction: –

  • Providing you with a dedicated and experienced probate solicitor to work on your matter.
  • Undertaking regulatory checks.
  • Identifying the legally appointed executors or administrators and beneficiaries.
  • Accurately identifying the type of Probate application you will require.
  • Obtaining the relevant documents required to make the application.
  • Completing the Probate Application and the relevant HMRC forms.
  • Making the application to the Probate Court on your behalf.
  • Obtaining the Probate and securely send two copies to you.
  • Collecting and distributing all assets in the estate.
  • Preparation of estate accounts.

Potential additional costs

Further potential costs may arise where: –

  • 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. 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.

Fee Earners

The following fee earners handle Uncontested Probate matters:

  1. Sally Ann Joseph is Partner and Head of Department.  She is  Fellow of the Institute of Legal Executives. Sally qualified as a FiLEX in 2011 and specialises in the preparation of wills, inheritance tax planning and the administration of estates. Sally-Ann is a member of The Association of Lifetime Lawyers and is an Affiliate  member of the Society of Trusts and Estate Practitioners. She participates in charitable will schemes.
  2. Romeo Fazal is a Wills and Probate Executive who joined in May 2023 and has experience in Wills, Probate, Estate Administration, Powers of Attorney and Estate Planning.
  3. Lucy Stanton is a Paralegal working in our Private Client department. She is supervised by and works very closely with Sally-Ann Joseph, the Head of Department.

Questions

If you have any questions relating to our services and our fees, please contact us on 0208 974 7490 or email us at info@roselegal.co.uk

Probate Fees (uncontested)
Legal Fee Information for Uncontested Probate
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 of 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.
•    Our average standard legal fee for an uncontested probate when we are instructed to just obtain the Grant of Probate  is between £1000- £5000 plus VAT (a total of £1200 – £6000 inc VAT). Below we detail what services are covered in our standard fee.
•    Should your instructions require us to take your matter out of the fixed fee rate (see below for what our fixed fee covers) we will charge an hourly rate of £150 – £450 plus VAT (£180 – £540 inc VAT) which will depend on the experience and qualification of the case handler as follows: –
•    Partner – £350 - £450 plus VAT (£360 - £540 inc VAT)
•    Solicitor/Executives - £250 -£300 plus VAT (£276 -£360 inc VAT)
•    Paralegal £150 – £190 plus VAT (£180 – £228 inc VAT)
•    Trainee Solicitor £150 plus VAT (£180 inc VAT)
•    We will charge the sum of £35 plus VAT (a total of £42.00 Inc. VAT) for Electronic money transfers.

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.
We will handle the full process for you.
Our Standard Fee estimate above is for estates where: –
•    There is a valid will.
•    There is no more than one property.
•    There are no share portfolios.
•    There are no other intangible assets.
•    There are 1 – 2 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.

If at any stage our fees change, we will notify you and discuss the reason for any changes. This would typically occur if you change your instructions or your case involves an unforeseen complexity.

Disbursements and Other Costs

Disbursements are costs related to your matter that are payable to third parties. We handle the payment of the disbursements on your behalf, to ensure a smoother process.
You will be provided with a full list of disbursements in our formal quotation. If you need to incur any further disbursements during your case, you will be notified in advance of the reason and the amount.
Typical disbursements will include: –
•    Probate application fee: £300 plus £1.50 for each extra copy of the Grant required
•    Bankruptcy and Anti-Money :Laundering  searches: £9.90 per person. International bankruptcy searches will vary depending on the location of the beneficiary.
•    Advertisement (Protects against unexpected claims from unknown creditors): £200 inc VAT

How long will this take?

On average, estates that fall within this range are dealt with within 6 – 12 months.
Typically, obtaining the grant of probate takes 12 weeks.
Collecting assets then follows, which can take between 16 – 32 weeks. Once this has been done, we can distribute the assets, which normally takes 32 – 48 weeks.

Stages of the Process
The precise stages involved in an uncontested probate vary according to the circumstances. We have set out the key stages of a standard transaction: –
•    Providing you with a dedicated and experienced probate solicitor to work on your matter.
•    Undertaking regulatory checks.
•    Identifying the legally appointed executors or administrators and beneficiaries.
•    Accurately identifying the type of Probate application you will require.
•    Obtaining the relevant documents required to make the application.
•    Completing the Probate Application and the relevant HMRC forms.
•    Making the application to the Probate Court on your behalf.
•    Obtaining the Probate and securely send two copies to you.
•    Collecting and distributing all assets in the estate.
•    Preparation of estate accounts.

Potential additional costs

Further potential costs may arise where: –
•    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. 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.

Fee Earners

The following fee earners handle Uncontested Probate matters:
1.    Sally Ann Joseph is Partner and Head of Department.  She is  Fellow of the Institute of Legal Executives. Sally qualified as a FiLEX in 2011 and specialises in the preparation of wills, inheritance tax planning and the administration of estates. Sally-Ann is a member of The Association of Lifetime Lawyers and is an Affiliate  member of the Society of Trusts and Estate Practitioners. She participates in charitable will schemes.
2.    Romeo Fazal is a Wills and Probate Executive who joined in May 2023 and has experience in Wills, Probate, Estate Administration, Powers of Attorney and Estate Planning.
3.    Lucy Stanton is a Paralegal working in our Private Client department. She is supervised by and works very closely with Sally-Ann Joseph, the Head of Department.
Questions
If you have any questions relating to our services and our fees, please contact us on 0208 974 7490 us at info@roselegal.co.uk