Applications for grant of representation only (where we do not administer the full estate)

This work is fixed fee.

Applications for a grant of representation where the estate doesn’t exceed £325,000 or is an excepted estate (meaning we do not need to complete any inheritance tax forms for the HMRC):

£1,000 plus VAT
Disbursements – a Land Registry fee of £3.00 plus VAT
Probate fee - £300 (including VAT) plus £1.50 for every sealed copy of the grant required
This applies to cases where there is a valid UK will, the named executors are acting and that the deceased was living in the UK when they passed away.
It also applies to cases where it is an intestacy where all beneficiaries are known and over the age of 18.
If a Deed of Renunciation, Notice of Power Reserved, Power of Attorney, or Statements of Due Execution or regarding Missing Will additional charges will apply, typically at £200 plus VAT (in addition to the fixed fee).
On average applying for and obtaining a Grant of Representation (when we don't need to submit and complete inheritance tax forms and submit to the HMRC) can take between 16-20 weeks from when we have received all the necessary financial information from you. The Probate registry can take up to 16 weeks to deal with and approve an application.

For applications for a grant of representation where we need to complete and submit form IHT400 and the various schedules to the HMRC the costs are:

£2500 plus VAT
Disbursements - a Land Registry fee of £3.00 plus VAT
Probate fee - £300 plus £1.50 for every sealed copy of the grant required

If any additional supplementary forms are needed, for example a deed of renunciation, notice of power reserved or a Power of Attorney to obtain the Grant additional charges may apply.

On average applying for and obtaining a Grant of Representation (when we don't need to submit and complete inheritance tax forms and submit to the HMRC) can take between 16-20 weeks from when we have received all the necessary financial information from you. The Probate registry can take up to 16 weeks to deal with and approve an application. If we need to complete and submit inheritance tax forms to the HMRC it may take around 24 weeks to obtain the Grant of Representation as the forms must first be submitted to the HMRC and they will issue us with a code within 20 working days to allow us to then prepare the application to the Probate Registry.

Below is a summary of the work involved in applying for a grant of representation only:

An interview with you to discuss the terms of the deceased’s will/intestacy and go through the assets and liabilities in the estate. You’ll need to give us details of all assets in the estate. We won’t contact any of the financial institutions ourselves
Draft a legal statement and in some cases the inheritance tax forms. Calculate any inheritance tax payable. Send the grant to you in draft form
Submit the application to the probate registry (and HMRC if applicable) to obtain the grant of representation
Once the grant of representation is received, we send the grants to you for you to deal with the administration of the estate

Administration of estates - general fees and summary of work

Our costs are calculated by the hour, by estimating how many hours it will take to administer the estate. This is based on the assets in the estate, the value of the estate and the beneficiaries. The work will be handled by one of our solicitors

Steph Potter at £200 plus VAT an hour
Sharon Woodward at £300 plus VAT an hour
Catrin Lloyd at £325 plus VAT per hour
They may be assisted by a trainee at £150 plus VAT an hour or a paralegal at £120 plus VAT an hour.

Once we’ve established how many hours we think it may take to administer the estate we will then quote you. This is either based on time spent and the hourly rate or a fixed fee alternative so you can choose which option you prefer.

Below is a summary of the work we do when handling a full administration of an estate:

The below only applies to wills made in the UK where the deceased was living in the UK at the time of death
An interview with you to discuss the terms of the deceased’s will/intestacy provisions and discuss the duties of the executors
If the Directors of Switalskis are appointed as sole Executors we may need to, register the death, arrange the funeral, check the property is secured, deal with personal belongings and clearance of the property if applicable. If this is the case then a tailored quote will be needed, please call us so we can discuss this
Go through the assets and liabilities and write the initial letters to banks, building societies, utilities (including council tax) and insurance
Draft a legal statement and inheritance tax forms. Calculate if there is inheritance tax to pay. Send to you in draft form
Submit application to the probate registry (and HMRC if applicable) to obtain a grant of representation
Submit statutory notices if applicable
Once the grant of representation is received, collect in the assets, and pay outstanding liabilities
Pay any liabilities, any legacies, or interim distributions to the residuary beneficiaries
Submit bankruptcy checks
Prepare estate accounts for approval by the executors.
Finalise the income tax position of the deceased
Pay out balance to residuary beneficiaries
VAT is charged at a rate of 20% on our costs

Administration of Estates under £325,000

Applying for the grant, collecting and distributing the assets

We expect this will take between 16 and 24 hours work at an estimated average rate of £250 per hour plus VAT. Total costs are estimated at £6,000 plus VAT at 20% and disbursements.

The exact cost depends 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’ll handle the full process for you. This is for estates where:

There is a valid will
There is only one property
There are no more than two bank or building society accounts
There are no other intangible assets
There are no more than three 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 is no capital gains tax or income tax
There are no claims made against the estate

Possible disbursements:

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

A probate application fee of £300 (including VAT) plus £1.50 for every sealed copy
Bankruptcy-only land charges department searches (£2 per beneficiary plus VAT)
£200 post in the London Gazette – this protects against unexpected claims from unknown creditors
£150 post in a local newspaper – this also helps protect against unexpected claims
Land Registry search fee of £3.00 plus VAT
Asset search fee £198 inc VAT - this identifies all assets in the estate
Missing will search £99 plus VAT - this checks for a more up to date will or confirms there is no will if intestate
If any beneficiaries live abroad- bankruptcy fees will be higher than £2 plus VAT, that fee is just for UK based bankruptcy fees

Services not included in the cost:

If there is no will or the estate consists of any share holdings (stocks and bonds) there are likely to be additional costs. These costs 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
If any additional copies of the grant are required, they will cost £1.50 (one per asset usually)
Estate agents may need to be instructed to give a valuation for the property
Dealing with the sale or transfer of any property in the estate is not included
House Clearance specialists may need to be instructed
If any beneficiaries cannot be located, tracing agents may need to be instructed

How long will this take?

On average, estates that fall within this range are dealt with within 8-12 months, depending on when the property is sold. Typically, obtaining the grant of probate takes 12 weeks from the date when we receive our signed and approved client care letter back. Collecting cash assets then follows after the grant is obtained, which can take between 3-6 weeks. Once this has been done, we can then, depending on circumstances, make an interim distribution, which normally takes 2 to 3 weeks.

Once the property is sold we can then finalise the administration of the estate.

Administration of estates above £325,000 with no inheritance tax to pay

Applying for the grant, collecting, and distributing the assets

We estimate this will take between 24 – 36 hours work at £250 per hour. Total costs estimated at £9,000 (+VAT and disbursements).

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. This quote is for estates where:

There is a valid will
There is no more than one property
There are no more than five bank or building society accounts
There are no other intangible assets
There are no more than five 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, but a claim needs to be made to request a deceased’s spouse’s unused nil rate band. The executors will need to submit a full account to HMRC to claim the residence nil rate band and unused residence nil rate band from the deceased spouse’s estate
There are no claims made against the estate

Disbursements included in this fee:

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

Probate application fee of £300 (including VAT) plus £1.50 for every sealed copy
Bankruptcy-only land charges department searches (£2 per beneficiary plus VAT)
£200 post in the London Gazette – protects against unexpected claims from unknown creditors
£150 post in a local newspaper – this also helps to protect against unexpected claims
Land registry search fee of £3.00 plus VAT
Asset search fee £198 inc VAT - this identifies all assets in the estate
Missing will search £99 plus VAT - this checks for a more up to date will or confirms there is no will if intestate
If any beneficiaries live abroad- bankruptcy fees will be higher than £2 plus VAT, that fee is just for UK based bankruptcy fees

Services not included in the costs:

If there is no will or the estate consists of any share holdings (stocks and bonds) there are likely to be additional costs. These costs 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
If any additional copies of the grant are required, they will cost £1.50 (one per asset usually)
Estate agents may need to be instructed to give a valuation for the property
Dealing with the sale or transfer of any property in the estate is not included
Dealing with a tax return on behalf of the estate
House Clearance specialists may need to be instructed
If any beneficiaries cannot be located, tracing agents may need to be instructed

How long will this take?

On average, estates that fall within this range are dealt with within eight to twelve months, depending on when the property is sold. Typically, obtaining the grant of probate takes four to six months from the date on which we receive a signed and approved client care letter back. Collecting cash assets then follows after the grant is obtained, which can take between three to six weeks. Once this has been done, we can then depending on circumstances, make an interim distribution, which normally takes two weeks.

Once the property is sold we can then finalise the administration of the estate.

Administration of estates over £1,000,000 and where there is inheritance tax to pay

Applying for the grant, collecting, and distributing the assets

We anticipate this will take between 50 and 68 hours work at £250 plus VAT per hour. Total costs estimated at £17,000 (+VAT) and disbursements.

We will handle the full process for you. This quote is for estates where:

There is a valid will
There is no more than one property
There are no more than eight bank or building society accounts
There are other intangible assets
There are no more than 10 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 inheritance tax payable, and the executors need to submit a full account to HMRC and we are required to calculate the inheritance tax due
There are no claims made against the estate

Disbursements included in this fee:

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

Probate application fee of £300 plus £1.50 for every sealed copy
Bankruptcy-only land charges department searches (£2 per beneficiary plus VAT)
£200 post in the London Gazette – this protects against unexpected claims from unknown creditors
£150 post in a local newspaper – this also helps to protect against unexpected claims
Land registry search fee of £3.00 plus VAT
Asset search fee £198 inc VAT - this identifies all assets in the estate
Missing will search £99 plus VAT - this checks for a more up to date will or confirms there is no will if intestate
If any beneficiaries live abroad- bankruptcy fees will be higher than £2 plus VAT, that fee is just for UK based bankruptcy fees

Services not included in the costs:

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.
If any additional copies of the grant are required, they will cost £1.50 (one per asset usually)
Estate agents may need to be instructed to give a valuation for the property
Dealing with the sale or transfer of any property in the estate is not included
House Clearance specialists may need to be instructed
If any beneficiaries cannot be located, tracing agents may need to be instructed

How long will this take?

On average, estates that fall within this range are dealt with within 12 -18 months, depending on when the property is sold. Typically, obtaining the grant of probate takes six to eight months from the date we receive a signed and approved client care letter. Collecting cash assets then follows once the grant is obtained, which can take six weeks. Once this has been done, we can then, depending on circumstances make an interim distribution, which normally takes two weeks.