14/01/2022
Probate is the legal process of administering someone's estate who has passed away. This involves dealing with any money, property and possessions they had at the time of their death. It also involves settling any outstanding debts, collecting money that's owed to the deceased person and dividing the estate amongst the respective beneficiaries (the people who are to inherit the estate).
As of recent, The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) has confirmed that probate fees are increasing to a higher single flat rate fee of £273 on the 26th January 2022. The fee will apply irrespective of the size of the estate. The current fees for a Grant or Letters of Administration are £155 for professional users and £215 for non-professional users.
This proposal for the increase of probate fees are nothing new; this concept was put forward previously in 2016 and again in 2019. These proposals were more extreme and included sliding scales of fees up to £20,000, but these were never implemented.
In the weeks preceding this upcoming change, probate practitioners were being encouraged to complete the Law Society of England and Wales survey to give their views on this proposal for probate applications. The survey also called on probate solicitors to suggest other improvements they wanted to see regarding probate services in England, helping them to inform the response to its consultation.
Russell & Russell are accredited by the Law Society's Wills and Inheritance Quality Scheme, which sets the benchmark for best practice and transparency in the provision of wills and estate planning services. Specific experience of individual team members can be seen in the Wills & Probate team profiles.
Our meticulous and dedicated solicitors can help you with your Probate and Wills enquiries at our drop-in centre in Newport Street. These centres are open every Saturday throughout the year. We understand that it is not always possible to see a solicitor during normal working hours, so we are open from 8:30 am to 6:00 pm Monday to Friday, and 10 am – 1 pm on a Saturday. Judith Bromley, a partner at Russell and Russell, has highlighted the benefits and ease of this service, explaining that "The advice centre is in the heart of the retail district giving people instant access to legal advice."
If you require further information, you can benefit from our free initial consultation, which will guide you through the probate process to help you understand what's involved.
If you would like to get in contact with our probate team, please call 07919591416 or request a callback. To find out more about our probate services, click here.
Read more about the probate fee increase here.
Please note that this article is meant as general guidance and not intended as legal or professional advice. Updates to the law may have changed since this article was published.