Costs information – Wills and Probate

Our overall fees vary depending upon how complex your case is and what you would like us to do. For a free quote specifically tailored to your circumstances please email dknijran@dalsunsolicitors.co.uk or call 0121 702 0822. We would be more than happy to discuss your case.

To give you an idea of how we charge however, and to comply the SRA price transparency rules, we have set out below details of our fees. Our charges are made up of:

1. our fees for the legal work;
2. ‘disbursements’ – disbursements are costs related to your matter that are payable to other people, such as probate application fees. We handle the payment of the disbursements on your behalf to ensure a smoother process.

Where VAT is referred to below please note that this will be charged at the applicable rate, which is currently 20%.

How much do we charge?

A Standard Simple Will costs £400 (plus VAT at 20%)  and will normally be completed in 2-3 hours.

We would still be delighted to work with you in more complicated matters but would need to give you a quotation for the work tailored to your individual circumstances. Please contact us to learn more.

We cannot give advice on inheritance matters.

Standard probate work

Applying for a ‘Grant of Probate’ and collecting and distributing assets in a ‘simple’ matter is the most common type of probate work which we deal with. Namely, where someone has passed away leaving a valid will which is not disputed, the beneficiaries can be easily ascertained and there is not a very large or complex estate to divide up.

Our fees for this work will either be agreed with you as a fixed sum at the start of our work together or based on how much time it takes to deal with your case. Our standard hourly rates are £200 plus VAT at 20% for one of our solicitors and £300 plus VAT at 20% for a Director / Partner.  Normally this sort of matter takes between 8-10 hours work at between £200 per hour (plus VAT at 20%) and £300 (plus VAT at 20%) to complete. Total costs therefore tend to be in the region of £2,000 (plus VAT at 20%).  Fixed fees would typically fall within these estimates also. [We may also charge an additional fee to reflect the complexity and value of the matter.  This can increase our fees by 20% of the value of property held by the estate and 20% of the value of other assets in accordance with Law Society guidelines].

The total costs will depend upon how straight forward or complicated the case is. For example, if someone has died leaving only one beneficiary in an undisputed will and no property, then costs would be at the lower end of the range because it will be simple to administer. If there are multiple beneficiaries, a property and multiple bank accounts however, costs will be at the higher end even if the will is still not disputed.

We would still be delighted to work with you in more complicated matters but would need to give you a quotation for the work tailored to your individual circumstances. Please contact us to learn more.

Disbursements

Disbursements are payments that we make to third parties on your behalf. These are separate payments for which the estate is liable in addition to our costs as described above.

Typical disbursements in Probate matters are:

• Probate application fee, which is currently: £273 plus £2.50 for every extra office copy of the Grant of Probate which you require;
• Swearing of the oath fee, which is £25-75 plus (VAT at 20%) for each executor;
• Land registry search fees:  £14.95
• Legal notice which requires posting in The London Gazette (this can help protect against unexpected claims from unknown creditors): £216 to £240.70;

Other costs to consider

Please note that the costs estimates above do not include any additional costs incurred in disposing of estate assets such as the sale or any property or business.

How long will this take?

Generally speaking, ‘simple’ estate matters such as those described above can normally be dealt with within 8 to 12 weeks. This is broken down into the following stages, with rough time estimates for each stage as follows:

• applying for the grant of probate: 2 to 4 weeks;
• notifying asset holders and place legal notices: 2 to 4 weeks;
• distributing the assets: 4 to 8 weeks;
• Preparing the estate accounts.

Key stages of your case

The precise stages involved vary according to the circumstances. The guidance on our fees above covers the work in relation to the following key stages a ‘simple’ probate process:

• Identifying the executors and beneficiaries
• Checking 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
• Drafting a legal oath for swearing
• Making the application for probate
• Obtaining the Probate and distributing copies as necessary
• Collecting and distributing the assets of the estate

It would not normally be necessary to undertake other work or incur costs other than those described above. However, we would be very happy to provide you with a more tailored quote for all stages of your particular case once we know about your specific circumstances.

Who will be dealing with my matter?

 Your probate matter will be handled by a trusted member of our experienced probate team.  We have a number of qualified lawyers in the team as well as experienced paralegals specialised in this area of law. Once we know who will be handling your case for you we will introduce you to them and provide you with full details of their background and qualifications.  Full details of the experience and qualifications of our team are available on our website Staff Details including the types of work normally undertaken.  

Regardless of who is working on your case the matter will be supervised by one of our partners:

Daljeet Kaur Nijran

• SRA-approved manager – Director and Principal Solicitor
• Compliance Officer for Legal Practice
• Compliance Officer for Finance and Administration

 Experience

Dalsun Solicitors have a wealth of experience in wills and probate matter

Dalsun Solicitors currently accept instructions for only uncontested probate applications