When you are grieving, the last thing you need is uncertainty about what professional help will cost, and probate solicitor fees can feel difficult to weigh up when you cannot see what sits behind them. The fairest way to judge any fee is to understand exactly what is done in return for it, and at Johnson Astills we believe that if you can see the work, the cost makes sense. This article explains how we charge for probate work, what our solicitors do for that fee at each stage, and the small number of additional expenses that fall outside it.
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“I cannot fault my experience with Johnson Astills Solicitors. Throughout this difficult time I was made to feel secure, supported and validated – money can’t actually buy these things.”
How Much Does A Probate Solicitor Cost?
At Johnson Astills, probate work is charged on the basis of the time actually spent on your matter, at hourly rates which are published in the probate pricing guide on our website.
We will provide you with an indication of our cots at the outset, we tell you promptly if anything emerges that changes it, and VAT is always stated so that there are no surprises. Because we charge for time rather than taking a percentage of the estate’s value, a simple estate is never charged more merely because it happens to be a valuable one.
Our probate solicitor fees depend on how much of the probate process we carry out on your behalf. For example, some executors are happy to deal with the banks and beneficiaries themselves and simply want the legal formalities handled correctly. For those clients, we prepare the application for the grant of probate, or letters of administration where there is no will, from the estate information you provide. That includes checking the will and confirming who is entitled to apply, preparing the inheritance tax forms or confirming that none are needed, completing and submitting the application to the probate registry, dealing with any requisitions the registry raises, and sending you the grant with the official copies you will need.
Where we handle the administration from start to finish, the fee reflects a much wider role. We write to every bank, insurer, pension provider, and other institution to notify them of the death and obtain formal date of death valuations. We establish the inheritance tax position, prepare and submit any account required by HM Revenue and Customs, arrange for tax to be funded and paid, and deal with any enquiries the Revenue raises. We prepare and submit the probate application and obtain the grant.
Once the grant is issued, we collect in every asset, closing accounts, selling or transferring shareholdings, and deal with the legal work on any property sale or transfer. We settle the debts, funeral account, and administration expenses, finalise the deceased’s income tax position to the date of death, and deal with any tax arising during the administration itself. We place statutory notices and carry out bankruptcy and identity checks so that the executors are protected before money is paid out. Finally, we prepare full estate accounts showing everything received and spent, obtain the executors’ approval, and distribute the legacies and the residue to the beneficiaries.
Throughout, we deal with the correspondence, keep the executors informed, and answer beneficiaries’ questions, which in practice removes what can be one of the most demanding parts of the role, namely being the person in the family everyone chases for updates.
What Expenses Fall Outside Our Probate Solicitor Fees?
A small number of payments go to third parties rather than to us, and we identify them in every estimate. The main one is the court fee for the probate application, but statutory notices, Will and financial asset and liability searches typically cost a few hundred pounds, and professional valuations of property or valuables are occasionally needed. This is not an exhaustive list and other expenses may be incurred depending upon the circumstances of the estate. We will seek the approval of any estate expenses before incurring any fees.
Who Pays Probate Solicitor Fees?
Reasonable probate costs, including our fees and the expenses detailed above, are paid from the estate itself, not by the executor personally, and they are usually settled from estate funds once assets have been collected rather than being asked for up front. Where an estate is short of ready cash at the beginning, we can usually arrange for banks to release funds directly for the funeral costs and any inheritance tax.
Why Does Paying For Professional Administration Often Save Money?
The value of professional support with probate matters is partly the time it saves you and partly the mistakes it prevents. Executors can be personally liable for errors in an administration, including unpaid tax, missed debts, and incorrect distributions. Our role includes claiming every relevant inheritance tax allowance and exemption, investigating lifetime gifts before they become a problem, taking the statutory steps that protect executors from later claims, and making sure the right people receive the right amounts. On many estates, allowances properly claimed and problems properly avoided are worth far more than the probate solicitor fees, quite apart from the months of work lifted from your shoulders.
Getting A Clear Figure For Your Estate
Full details of our charges are set out in the probate pricing guide. If you would like to discuss your probate matter with a Probate Solicitor please contact us on our new enquiries line on 0800 059 0600 or contact us at our office in Leicester or our office in Loughborough and ask for our Wills and Probate Team.
‘Having had experience of your organisation, my confidence in you grew. I would have no hesitation in asking you for any necessary representation in the future. Relatives and friends have already been told of my satisfaction. Thank you and well done’
