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Probate Fees

Why choose Freeman Harris for your probate?

At our firm, we pride ourselves on being different from traditional law firms. We provide a highly personalized service where our dedicated solicitors handle your probate or estate administration with both care and cost-efficiency. Contact us today, and experience the difference in our approach firsthand.

Probate Fees

Legal Team

Francesca Nelson – Solicitors – 5 years’ experience – Wills & Probate supervised by Ian Freeman Managing partner with over 20 years’ experience.

Disbursements

Disbursements – £300 (Fee changed May 2024 previously £276)

Each additional copy of the Grant of Probate – £1.50

You can apply for help with fees online or fill in form EX160 before applying for probate.

Wills 
  • Single Will from:   £325 plus VAT 
  • Letter of wishes from:   £90   plus VAT 
  • Mirror Will from:   £600 plus VAT 
  • Codicil (amendment/ addition to the Will) from:   £65   plus VAT 
  • Will storage £50   plus VAT 
  • Will registration National Will register £80   plus VAT  

Executor/Probate Fees: 

  • If you choose to name Freeman Harris as executors, we will charge a percentage of your estate for this service which includes settling any outstanding liabilities, arranging and paying for funeral expenses, obtaining the grant and distribution.  

Residuary Estate Value 

Fees* 

£700,000 and above 

0.8% 

Between £500,000 – £700,000 

1% 

£250,000 – £500,000 

1.3% 

£100,000 – 250,000 

1.6 % 

Below £100,000 

2.5% (with a minimum cap of £1000) 

*These fees are also subject to an hourly rate of £250 + VAT. 

Power of Attorney
  • Lasting Powers of Attorney (single) £400 plus VAT  

(+£82 court fee) 

  • Lasting Powers of Attorney (both) £700 plus VAT 

(+£164 court fee) 

In addition to our fees, as outlined above there is a fee of £82 per each LPA for the Court registration fee. 

GENERAL POWER OF ATTORNEY £250 plus VAT 

Deputyship 
  • Application to Court of Protection from: £1500 plus VAT 
Probate 

Grant of Probate/Letters of Administration only (without distribution):  

  • Paper application     £2750 plus VAT and hourly rate 
  • Online application      Percentage of estate and hourly rate as above 
Process Outlined

Key stages for Probate

  1. Finding Assets & Liabilities & Valuing the Estate

First of all, we need to determine whether probate is required. Before this we need to obtain a copy of the death certificate and Will if applicable. If the person who died held assets jointly with another person or the value of their estate is quite small this will not usually be the case; however, if they had assets in their sole name and their estate is of high value, probate will be required. You will need to contact their banks, building society’s mortgage providers to see whether a Grant of Probate is required to gain access to their assets. This process can take a long time. You will also need to determine whether the person who died had a any liabilities for examples loans debts and if they act as a guarantee for a loan of another person. We will then determine whether inheritance tax is payable, this is usually only if the estate is over £325,000 if so full details of the estate need to be sent to HMRC and inheritance tax will need to be paid before the Grant of Probate can be applied for.

Estimated time frame 6-9 months

  1. Applying for the Grant of Probate

We will need to apply for the Grant of Probate to gain access to the asset and administer the estate. Once the estate has been valued an application for the Grant of Probate can be made. If the person who died did not have a Will you need to apply for the Letters of Administration, The person applying must be the closest living person to the deceased/ next of kin. If there is inheritance tax to pay the estate account will need to be sent to HMRC and approved prior to applying for the Grant of Probate. Inheritance tax will need to be paid before the Grant of Probate can be approved. You can apply online or complete a paper application by filling out form PA1P or PA1A. Once the application has been sent to the Probate Registry it will usually take between 16 – 22 weeks once they have confirmed receipt of the application for the Grant/Letter of Administration to be approved.

Estimated time frame 5-7 months

Adminstraton of the Estate

  1. Once the Grant of Probate has been approved by the probate registry the person dealing with the administration of the estate will have the authority to distribute the assets in accordance with the Will or under the rules of intestacy (for a person who died without a Will). The person dealing with the estate will have to gather/transfer all assets to them, pay all loan and ensure there are no outstanding creditors. Once this is complete the person dealing with estate can distribute to the intended beneficiaries at which point the beneficiaries will be informed of their entitlement either by way of the Will or under the rules of intestacy. The person dealing with the estate must keep a record of all the assets, liabilities and estate expenses in what we call estate accounts. They have an legal obligation to keep a records of the estate as the Court can request a copy at any time.

Estimated time frame 6-8 weeks

This is an estimated timescale each estate is different and the length of time it take depends on the complexity of the estate.

Probate inclusive of distribution 

Services we offer: 

We will obtain the Grant of Probate on your behalf and undertake the collecting and distribution of assets. 

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. 

Disbursements are as follows charged in addition to fixed fees:  

  • Probate court fee – £300 and £1.50 for each additional copy of the Grant. 
  • Applicants on a low income or claiming certain benefits may be able to apply for a reduction or exemption of the application fee. 

Additional services: 

  • Bankruptcy-only Land Charges Department searches – £2 (per beneficiary). 
  • Post in The London Gazette – Protects against unexpected claims from unknown creditors – £75.90. 
  • Post in a Local Newspaper – This also helps to protect against unexpected claims – from £215.00 + VAT dependent upon location of deceased’s residence. 

As part of our fixed fee, we will: 

  • Provide you with a dedicated and experienced Probate solicitor to work on your matter. 
  • Identify the legally appointed executors or administrators and beneficiaries. 
  • Accurately identify the type of Probate application you will require. 
  • Obtain the relevant documents required to make the application. 
  • Complete the Probate application and the relevant HMRC forms. 
  • Make the application to the Probate Court on your behalf. 
  • Obtain the Probate and securely send two copies to you. 
  • Collect and distribute all assets in the estate. 

On average, estates are dealt with within 12 months. Typically, obtaining the Grant of Probate alone takes 16 weeks or more. Collecting assets then follows, which can take between 4-6 weeks. Once this has been done, we can distribute the assets, which normally takes 6-8 weeks. 

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. 

Please Note: dealing with the sale or transfer of any property in the estate is not included.