Private Client Pricing

Estate Administration (Probate)

Costs of Services

Following the death of an individual, the Administration of an Estate can range from: closing a few bank accounts; to selling a house; to distributing farmland or dealing with shares in a business.  The individual may have written a Will setting out their requirements or they may have died Intestate (without a Will).  They may have chosen one beneficiary for their Estate or they may have listed 25 individuals to benefit along with 5 Charities.  This will always make estimating the costs of Estate Administration varied and sometimes difficult to establish.

At SME Solicitors we charge you for the time we spend working on your matter.  We therefore advise you of the person assigned to your matter and their hourly rate.  We will review the matter at the outset and estimate for you the costs involved but there is always the chance that these can vary as further information comes to light or external factors influence the matter. 

Hourly Rates

• Samantha Lloyd, Partner, Solicitor: £300.00 per hour + VAT at 20% (£60.00)
• Florence Goodwin, Solicitor: £285.00 per hour + VAT at 20% (£57.00)
• Amanda Piper, Chartered Legal Executive: £285.00 per hour + VAT at 20% (£57.00)

Third Party Costs (Disbursements)

• Probate Registry fees – These are currently £273 per application.
• Official Copies of the Grant – These are currently £1.50 each.
• Land Registry fee for official copy of title deeds - £3 per title and £3 per plan.

Fixed Costs

If you would like us to assist you with the Administration of the Estate by specifically dealing the application for a Grant of Probate only then we are able to offer a fixed fee for this work.  This work would include preparing Inheritance Tax Accounts whether that is an IHT205 or an IHT400.  We can assist with calculating any Inheritance Tax payable and would be able to advise you on the tax free allowances or any reliefs the estate can benefit from along with making the applications for any allowances or reliefs.  We would also advise you which type of Grant you need to apply for and complete the Oath required to obtain the Grant and make the application to the Probate Registry.

• Application for Grant Only with IHT205: £800 - £1,500 + VAT at 20%
• Application for Grant Only with IHT400: £1,250 - £2,500 + VAT at 20%

Third Party Costs will also be payable as set out above.

Once the Grant has been issued we would pass this to you to enable you to continue with the Administration of the Estate yourself.  We do not include any advice on income tax or other taxes that you may need to consider when administering an Estate.

Service Information

Our team has over 40 years combined experience delivering high quality work for our clients.  We will aim to assign one person to you who will work with you throughout the matter although all work is supervised by a senior member of staff at all times.  Should you require assistance from another department in the firm for example conveyancing or contested probate then we will introduce you to a colleague who will be able to work with you.  They will provide you with a separate estimate of the fees involved.