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Our fixed fees for Wills and Probate Services.

Wills & Probate

Probate & Estate Administration

Grant of Probate

We charge from £750 + 20% vat (£900 inclusive of VAT) to obtain a grant of probate or letters of administration in order for executors or administrators to be able to deal with the administration of the estate.

Estate Administration

If the estate is valued under £325,000 and there’s no inheritance tax to pay, our fee is from £995 + vat (£1,194 inclusive of VAT) for dealing with up to four accounts (for example, bank, savings, ISA or NSI accounts). For estates involving four to 10 accounts, the fee is from £1,995 + vat (£2,394 inclusive of VAT) .

If the estate is valued over £325,000 and inheritance tax may be payable, we’ll provide a fee quote for you once we’ve gathered all the relevant information about the estate and we understand its complexity.


Key stages of what is included in our Grant of Probate pricing:

  • Preparing the relevant HMRC forms and Statement of Truth from the probate valuations obtained by you
  • Placing statutory advertisements (if required)
  • Carrying out a Certainty Search if required
  • Helping you to ensure that the relevant HMRC forms and Statement of Truth are correct and suitable to be signed
  • Lodging your application for the Grant of Representation at the Probate Registry
  • Providing you with the Grant of Representation and sealed copies


Key stages of what is included in our Grant of Probate & Estate Administration pricing:

  • Valuing the estate assets
  • Obtaining details of outstanding debts
  • Arranging payment of the funeral from estate funds (if required)
  • Placing statutory advertisements (if required)
  • Carrying out a Certainty Search if required
  • Preparing the relevant HMRC forms and Statement of Truth
  • Arranging payment of Inheritance Tax where necessary
  • Helping you to ensure that the relevant HMRC forms and Statement of Truth are correct and suitable to be signed
  • Lodging your application for the Grant of Representation at the Probate Registry
  • Collecting in the assets
  • Paying the debts from estate funds
  • Liaising with HMRC in respect of income tax for the current tax year up to date of death
  • Instructing an accountant to complete additional tax returns (if required)
  • Preparing estate and distribution accounts
  • Distributing the estate to the beneficiaries

*Not included in the price are the sales fees on properties, estate agency, taxes and  HMLR fees.


Timescale

  • Varies considerably depending on the courts. 
  • For estates that don't incur IHT, grants of probate are taking on average 2-3 months 
  • Your legal adviser will be able to advise during the course of the matter if these timescales have changed


If there’s no will, we may need to trace beneficiaries - the people who are to inherit the estate. We may need to identify if the person who passed away owned any stocks or shares and we may even have to investigate the possibility that there is a will, but no one actually knows where it’s being held. These costs are outlined below:

For share/stock holdings
One to three share holdings: £100 + 20% vat (£120 inclusive of VAT)
Three to five share holdings: £250 + 20% vat (£300 inclusive of VAT)
Six plus share holdings: £300 + 20% vat (£360 inclusive of VAT)

For beneficiaries
Three to five beneficiaries: £100 + 20% vat (£120 inclusive of VAT)
Six plus beneficiaries: £250 + 20% vat (£300 inclusive of VAT) 

Other charges to consider are called disbursements. These are compulsory charges related to administering the estate that the government levies.

  • Probate court fee: £273
  • £1.50 for each copy of a grant of representation (grant of probate or letters of administration) required

You may have to pay other disbursements, such as:

  • online bankruptcy, AML and ID checks
  • accountant’s fee for any income tax return
  • asset tracing
  • a certainty will search (a will that needs to be located)
  • a statutory advertisement fee to advertise for unknown creditors
  • any loss of shares certificates or share registrar
  • the stockbroker fee for sale of the share(s)

Any or all of these costs will be individual to your circumstances. We’ll advise you if you’re liable for any them once we know the extent of the estate.

Court of Protection

The solicitor’s fee, which is fixed by the court, is £950 + 20% vat (£1,140 inclusive of vat). There is also a £400 court fee although, depending on your income, you may qualify for exemption / remission and a doctor’s medical report costs in the region of £150 - £250 + 20% vat (£180 - £300 inclusive of VAT) . There are other ongoing court administration fees that are payable on an annual basis which we can also advise you on.

Lasting Power of Attorney

We charge from £395 + 20% vat (£474 inclusive of VAT)  to set up a single Lasting Power of Attorney. There’s also an additional charge of £82 which is payable to the Office of Public Guardian, the regulatory body, as a registration fee. 

For couples who set up their LPAs, it’s £550 + 20% vat (£660 inclusive of VAT)  . As it’s for two people, two Office of Public Guardian registration fees will be payable.

Timescale - typically 2 to 3 weeks but registration by The Office of Public Guardian (OPG) will take longer. We will agree timing at the outset for more urgent situations.

Wills

If you don’t already have a Will, you should consider getting one. By drafting your Will, you’ll ensure your assets go to your loved ones and not the state.

The team at Russell & Russell are qualified Will writers, so you can rest assured you’re in safe hands. We can draft your Will from just £175 + 20% vat (£210 inclusive of VAT) for a single Will and £300 + 20% vat for a double, or mirror, Will (£360 inclusive of VAT). And, should your circumstances change, we can also help you make alterations to your Will.

Timescale - typically 2 to 3 weeks, we will agree timing at the outset for more urgent situations.