Costs of administering an estate

We offer a very personal service from a senior solicitor with over 25 years’ experience of dealing with all aspects of administering an estate. Our experience tells us that no estate is the same as another, so we aim to work with you to help you through the process.

Please note that the information provided below is meant as a guide only and we will give you more precise information when we have considered the particular estate you want us to assist you with. The details provided below assume there is a valid will and an executor willing to act without any disputes or claims affecting the estate.

1. Free half hour meeting – Firstly, we offer a free half hour meeting on a no obligation basis to discuss the estate and we aim to give an estimate of our charges at that meeting for you to consider, or, to agree a fixed fee, if a fixed fee is appropriate.
2. Obtaining a grant only – We can work on a fixed fee if this is appropriate. This may suit an executor who has already obtained the financial information that is needed to apply for a grant of probate, but who does not want to make the application for probate themselves and then wants to administer the estate themselves, without our assistance.
   • A fixed fee can typically be between £585 to £975 plus VAT and disbursements for obtaining a grant of probate only, depending on the estate’s value and if any further information is needed.
   • Timescale – the time taken to obtain a grant of probate only varies depending whether any further information is needed and, also, the availability of the executor to deal with the application paperwork, but if the executor has all the information we need and is readily available to deal with it then it typically takes 2 months to obtain the grant of probate from when we are instructed to act.
3. Estate administration – Unless we are working on a fixed fee then we usually charge on a time basis at the hourly charging rate of £195 plus VAT plus disbursements.
   • Time basis costs vary depending on what is involved and what level of assistance you require. For administering an estate with up to 5 bank accounts and no house and no inheritance tax to pay then we estimate our charges will be £2,500 to £5,000 plus VAT. This covers obtaining the financial information needed to apply for a grant of probate; preparing the application for probate and then submitting it and obtaining the grant of probate from the Probate Registry; collecting in the estate assets; paying legacies; paying residuary beneficiaries; and preparing estate accounts showing what has been received and paid out during the estate administration for the approval of the executor and the residuary beneficiaries.
   • Additional work – we can also assist with other estate related matters, such as deeds of variation; specific tax advice (we may obtain specialist tax advice for you if appropriate); missing executor; no valid will; and some foreign assets (we may obtain specialist advice for you if appropriate). Details of our charges for this additional work will be provided.
   • Timescale – as a rule of thumb an executor has a year to administer an estate, but this is only a guide, as estates vary. A straightforward estate may be administered in less than a year and a more complicated one take longer.
4. Disbursements (disbursements are payable to a third party, such as the Probate Registry) are likely to be Probate Court fees of £155 plus 50p per sealed court copy; and bankruptcy searches (if required) of £2 per name searched.