*Please note the fee quoted for lasting powers of attorney do not include the Office of the Public Guardian registration fee which is currently £82 per document

LASTING POWER OF ATTORNEY FOR FINANCIAL 
from £400
for a single person

LASTING POWER OF ATTORNEY FOR FINANCIAL
from £600
for a couple

LASTING POWER OF ATTORNEY FOR HEALTH AND WELFARE
from £400
for a single person

LASTING POWER OF ATTORNEY FOR HEALTH AND WELFARE
from £600
for a couple

LASTING POWER OF ATTORNEY BOTH TYPES
from £600
for a single person

LASTING POWER OF ATTORNEY BOTH TYPES
from £900
for a couple

Advance decisions are highly complex and technical in nature so the fees for these will be discussed on an individual basis following an initial free consultation.

ADVANCE DECISION from £350
Our fees for an advance decision are all individual dependant on what is required.

PROBATE

If you require us to apply for grant of representation, but prefer to deal with the administration of the estate yourself, you would need to provide us with all of the information we need in order to prepare the application. We would prepare the application and arrange for it to be signed by the relevant parties and then submit it to HMRC and the Probate Registry, as approprite. Once the grant of representation had been obtained then we would send it to you so that you can complete the administration.  This process typically takes between 6 and 12 weeks.

If you only require us to obtain a grant of representation then this can usually be done for a fixed fee.  If a simple inheritance tax account (IHT205) can be submitted as part of the application for the grant then our fee will be £950.00 plus VAT. 

If a full inheritance tax account (IHT400) needs to be submitted, but no inheritance tax is payable our fee will be £1,500.00 plus VAT. 

If a full inheritance tax account (IHT400) needs to be submitted, and inheritance tax is payable our fee will be in the region of £1,500.00 to £,2500.00 plus VAT dependant on the number od schedules required to the IHT400 and any other complicating factors. We would give you a personalised quote a the time of enquiry for this type of service which would include arranging payment of the Inheritance Tax,

Whether an abbreviated account or a full account is required depends on the value and complexity of the estate being administered.

Probate and Full Estate Administration Service

Everybody’s financial affairs are different and, therefore, the administration of each estate will be different.  The administration of most estates, however, involve the following steps and usually takes between 6 and 12 months to complete:

1. Notifying all of the relevant institutions about the death.
2. Valuing the assets of the estate and any other interests that are included in the inheritance tax calculation.
3. Preparing the application for a grant of representation (often referred to as Probate), arranging for it to be signed and submitting it to the Probate Registry and HM Revenue & Customs.
4. Arranging for inheritance tax to be paid, if any.
5. Dealing with any queries raised by the Probate Registry in relation to the application for a grant of representation.

1. Dealing with any queries raised by HMRC in relation to the Inheritance Tax position.

7. Registering the grant of representation with all of the relevant institutions.
8. Collecting in the assets of the estate.
9. Discharging any liabilities.
10. Finalising the tax affairs to the date of death and settling the tax position for the administration period.
11. Preparing estate accounts reflecting all financial transactions in the estate.
12. Distributing the estate to the beneficiaries in accordance with the Will and the law.

Our Fees for applying for probate and full administration of the Estate

We offer a choice of pricing options for you to choose from.

Since each option is specifically tailored to your particular requirements, it is difficult to give you a list of all the options that may be available.  However, some of the more popular choices are set out below:

1. To charge an hourly rate for the time spent dealing with the administration of the estate, in which case we would provide you an estimate at the outset of the matter and before work commences.
2. To charge a capped fee based on an hourly rate for the time spent, dealing with the application for probate and administering the estate. The amount of the capped fee will be discussed and quoted at the outset of the matter and before work commences.
3. To charge a fixed fee based on a percentage of the value of the estate.

The first of these options means that our fee will be determined entirely by the amount of time that we spend dealing with the administration of the estate.  As such, the less work that is involved then the lower the fee will be and vice versa.  On the other hand, the third option provides you with the certainty of knowing in advance exactly how much our fee will be regardless of what happens during the administration process.  The second option is a hybrid of the other two and offers some of the advantages of both.

As stated above, the size and nature of each estate is different and, therefore, it is very difficult to give an indication of what our fee would be in each case without knowing all of the details first.  Nevertheless, we would expect that our fee for dealing with the administration of an estate worth £300,000 and comprising of a property, 2 or 3 bank accounts and a shareholding in a listed company would be between £3,500 and £4,500 plus VAT if the first of the pricing options set out above was chosen. If the second option was selected, then the fee would likely be charged at an hourly rate of £225 plus vat and be capped at £5,500.00 plus VAT and if the third one was picked then the fee would be £6,000.00 plus VAT.  These fee estimates do not include:

1. Any disbursements.
2. Any taxes.
3. Dealing with the sale or transfer of the property.
4. Completing the tax returns to the date of death or for the administration period.

What sort of factors might result in our fee being higher?

If you chose a pricing option which is based entirely or partially on an hourly rate then our fee would be higher if, for example:

1. If there is no Will.
2. There are more than four beneficiaries, or if any of the beneficiaries are children or the addresses of any of the beneficiaries is unknown.
3. There are any disputes in relation to the estate.
4. There is inheritance tax to pay.

These things could also mean that the administration of the estate may take longer to complete.

Who will carry out the work?

The work will be carried out by an appropriately qualified member of the wills and probate team.  You will be informed of the name and status of the person who will deal with your case when you instruct us to act.  The hourly rate charged by each member of the team varies depending on their level of experience, the complexity of the matter being handled by them and other relevant factors such as the timescale in which the work must be completed.  The hourly rates currently charged by the team range from £200.00 to £315.00 plus VAT and are reviewed on an annual basis.

Disbursements

We will often have to pay out expenses for goods or services provided by third parties to our clients.  These are called “disbursements”.

Probate Application fee        £155 or £0 where the net estate is below £5,000

Additional copies of the Grant         £1.50 each

‘Sealed and certified copy’ of the Grant – if assets are held abroad you may need one of these            £1.50 each

HM Land Registry – Office Copies, if required       £3.00 each

There may also be other expenses, such as those associated with valuing assets such as property and shares. Additional expenses will vary depending on the circumstances.

TRUST ADVICE FOR TRUSTEES from £250
Our initial consultation will usually last for at least one hour and following that you will receive a clear written report of your duties and any steps that need to be taken personalised to your particular situation.

TRUST ADVICE FOR BENEFICIARIES £250
Our initial consultation will usually last for at least one hour and following that you will receive a clear written report of the terms of the trust in simple English and addressing any areas of concern you have in relation to the trust.

FOLLOW UP TRUST ADVICE from £150
Depending of the complexity and nature of the advice required. We will provide a fee estimate on an individual basis, please contact us for more information.

We will work with you on an indivdual basis to understand your estate, your concerns and your needs and devise a plan to address the issues that matter to you.

ESTATE PLAN FOR A SINGLE PERSON from £650
Including an initial meeting, preparation of a report and estate plan, discussion of the report, preparation of the documents to implement the plan agreed upon and a meeting to finalise the signing and witnessing of documents as required.

ESTATE PLAN FOR A COUPLE from £1100
Including an initial meeting, preparation of a report and estate plan, discussion of the report, preparation of the documents to implement the plan agreed upon and a meeting to finalise the signing and witnessing of documents as required.

Our services in this area are wide ranging, we always offer a free no obligation telephone call in order to establish if we can be of assistance to you in this complex area of the law before you commit to a full consultation.

ESTATE PLAN FOR A COUPLE from £1100
Including an initial meeting, preparation of a report and estate plan, discussion of the report, preparation of the documents to implement the plan agreed upon and a meeting to finalise the signing and witnessing of documents as required.