Probate services

If you’re a family member or friend who has been named executor, you already have a lot to deal with. Even if you’re used to completing official forms, liaising with HMRC and going through the legal process of obtaining probate can be overwhelming. And it’s more complicated if someone has died without a will, as there are rules about who can apply for the grant and who will inherit (and how much). It’s not always what people expect.

Often, you don’t know what you don’t know. Our friendly team is here to help. Please get in touch for an initial chat.

Generally, timescales are determined by the estate’s complexity. A simple estate with minimal assets can take around six months. A moderately complex estate can take at least 18 months. A more complex estate can take up to two to three years. This can occur if there’s a foreign element, with assets in another country, or if there is a dispute over the estate. The estate administration services can involve:

• Registering the death and obtaining the will
• Acting as executors, where appointed
• Identifying and protecting all assets and liabilities during the administration process
• Advertising the death to notify creditors and carry out bankruptcy searches
• Establishing lifetime gifts made by the deceased
• Completing inheritance tax returns and arranging payment
• Obtaining a grant of probate or letters of administration
• Collecting assets and preparing estate accounts
• Preparing estate tax returns and repayment claims for beneficiaries
• Advising on the most tax-efficient distributions and making payments to beneficiaries in line with the will, including income certificates where required.

Sometimes the process can face delays due to collating information and HMRC’s application processing.

Your initial consultation is free. We then complete a review of the estate to understand the different assets and requirements and provide a fixed fee. Depending on the complexity, this ranges from £5,000 to £10,000 plus VAT. If you’re the executor and only require us to apply for the grant of probate, this costs from £2,500 plus VAT.

We’ll advise you of disbursements or payments to other parties, such as valuers, which are not included in the fee quoted.

Additional expenses

The majority of estates would incur additional third-party fees. The following are general but not exhaustive*:

• Probate fees – £526.00
• Copy of the Grant – £2.00 (if requested with probate application)
• Statutory notice advertisement fees – From £96.55
• Bankruptcy-only Land Charges searches – £7.00 (per beneficiary)
• Search of Wills registers – £140.00 (incl. VAT)
• Land Registry search fees (per property) – £7.00 (per property)

*These fees are correct as of 25/06/2026

Our hourly rates

We prefer to charge a fixed fee for the administration of a deceased’s estate but there are times when we would charge our hourly rates if we are instructed to attend to additional probate work.

Hourly Rates(exclusive of VAT):

• Trainees – from £85
• Managers and Assistant Directors – from £275
• Directors and Partners – from £400

We would regard the following as a simple estate:

• All assets are situated in the UK
• The deceased and beneficiaries are all UK residents and UK domiciled
• There’s a valid will
• The estate has a single property and no more than two bank accounts
• There is no requirement to sell the property
• There are no other assets, such as fine art or trust interests
• There are no legal claims made against the estate
• There are no disputes between the executors or beneficiaries.

A complex estate often has:

• Foreign interests and assets
• Protracted correspondence with HMRC and other institutions
• Claims to be made for tax relief
• Sale and transfer of property
• Interests held under trusts
• Share and investment portfolios
• Business interests
• Post-death planning and restructuring advice
• Untraced beneficiaries.

Here is a handy checklist:

• Register the death
• Notify insurers
• Arrange the funeral
• Tell the Government about the death (Tell Us Once service)
• Return any lasting or enduring power of attorney documents to the Office of the Public Guardian
• Check if a surviving spouse/civil partner can get bereavement benefits (via the DWP)
• Value the estate and check if you need to pay inheritance tax
• Advertise the death to notify creditors (in The Gazette and in local newspapers)
• Complete final lifetime tax return
• Apply for/obtain probate
• Administer the estate, including dealing with any income tax and capital gain tax matters.

If you require support with probate and estate administration and need a reliable, expert team to support you through this difficult time, please get in touch.