Probate Admin Fees

We are happy to set out our Firm prices relating to fees following the death of friends or family members.

We aim to be as clear as possible with our charges, however, are only able to set our costs for standard and generalised matters. Should you require a more bespoke fee advice please complete the enquiry form and we will be happy to discuss your matter with you.

Below are fees which are split into legal fees and disbursements. Legal fees are the fees charged by Clay Lane Legal Ltd and the disbursements are fees that are charged by third parties. Both elements are included in the charges for administration of estates.

Extraction of the Grant only

If you need help in extracting the Grant of Probate only and you feel confident enough to collect in and distribute the assets of the estate yourself our charges are below:

Our charges:

  • Obtaining a Grant where the estate does not require any inheritance tax declarations to be made to HMRC

£850 plus VAT at 20% (£170) =£1020

  • Obtaining a Grant where the estate does require inheritance tax declarations to be made to HMRC

£1500 plus VAT at 20% (300) = £1800

  • Electronic onboarding

£40 plus VAT at 20% (£8) = £48 per client

Disbursements:

  • Court Fee – £300
  • Copy Grant – £16 per copy

Any property transactions such as a property transfer, assent or sale are charged separately, and we refer you to our conveyancing quote calculator.

Administration of the Estate

The full administration of the estate is when we can deal with the valuation of the assets and liabilities, obtain the Grant, collect in the assets, deal with any tax liabilities and clearance and distribute the assets.

Our charges for this are below:

Our charges:

We do set a minimum fee for estates valued at gross £200,000 or below of:

£3,500 plus VAT (£700) = £4200.

The general fee of 1.5% of the gross estate value plus VAT (currently 20%) for estates with a gross value of £200,001 and above. For example, the charge for an estate valued at £300,000 gross is:

£4500, plus VAT (£900) = £5400.

Disbursements:

  • Court Fee – £300

  • Copy Grant – £16 per copy

  • Bankruptcy Searches – £7 per beneficiary

  • Trustee Notice – £250 -300 approximately

  • Property Office Copies –  £7 per property

  • Various valuation charges possibly relating to property, belongings, shares etc

  • Property clearance fess – Dependent on level of clean & clearance required

Any property transactions such as a property transfer, assent or sale are charged separately, and we refer you to our conveyancing quote calculator.

Certain assumptions are made to charge these fees. The assumptions are:

  • There is a valid Will
  • There are up to 4 appointed and fully willing and capable executors.
  • There are no disputes between the executors
  • The assets are within England or Wales
  • The estate consists of the deceased principal place of residence and no more than 6 institutions are involved i.e bank or building society accounts.
  • There are no trust aspects.
  • The deceased did not have any non-priority debts.
  • There are up to 4 beneficiaries.
  • Each beneficiary lives within the UK.
  • Each beneficiary can collect their inheritance.
  • There are no claims being made against the estate.

Should there be complications within the administration or complexities evidence at the outset of the matter this will result in a higher fee and likely to be more time consuming to the estate. Examples of this may be:

  • There is no valid Will
  • The type of Grant that you require is not a Grant of Probate or Grant of Letters of Administration.
  • Clay Lane Legal are required to deal with the registering of the death and funeral arrangements
  • Clay Lane Legal are required to visit the deceased’s property, secure the property and remove items.
  • Clay Lane Legal are required to carry out property checks in accordance with an insurance policy.
  • There are personal representatives that do not wish to act.
  • There is a dispute between the representatives.
  • The deceased has an estate which included debts.
  • The estate is insolvent.
  • There are foreign assets, business assets or farming assets involved.
  • There has been substantial gifting made by the deceased during their lifetime.
  • There is a need for specialist tax advice.
  • There is a trust element.

Once Clay Lane Legal act on your behalf we will offer you dedicated legal advice from a Solicitor. The solicitor assisting you may refer to other types of lawyers such as licensed conveyancer for further advice where relevant.

We will work closely with the personal representatives to value the assets and liabilities of the estate and if necessary, obtain legal documents in support of this. We will prepare the legal statement which will be confirmed and signed by the personal representatives before making the probate application to the Courts. Once the Grant is received, we will begin to collect in the assets, paying any liabilities and dealing with any tax issues. Before the point of distribution, the beneficiaries will be identified, and bankruptcy checks will be carried out. The personal representatives will be provided with estate accounts and once approved the estate will be distributed.

We can provide the average period for the general example provided above from start to finish.

    1. Clay Lane Legal will issue the formal contract between you and us within 2 weeks of you confirming your instructions.
    2. Once the contract has been signed by all personal representatives and all have been identified electronically, we will begin to collect the estate values which should take an average of 6-8 weeks.
    3. Once all the assets are received the legal statement will be drawn up within 2-4 weeks.
    4. Any Trustee adverts will be placed.
    5. Each personal representative must sign the statement before it is forwarded to the probate courts.
    6. The probate courts currently issue a Grant within 12 weeks of receiving the legal statement.
    7. Once the grant is received the collection of the assets can begin the liabilities will be paid. This will take approximately 6-8 weeks.
    8. Beneficiaries will be identified and check for bankruptcy. This will take on average 2-4 weeks.
    9. Estate accounts will be drafted and approved by the personal representatives. This will take 2-4 weeks.
    10. Once the estate accounts are signed by all personal representatives’ distribution will take place and this will take a period of 2-4 weeks.

NB: Please be aware that this timescale relates to the general example above. Many aspects of the probate transaction are beyond our control and may affect the timescales provided. For example, a bank does not provide the assets immediately or changes their encashment procedures. This would lengthen the time taken.

If our charges need to be increased to reflect an unseen complication you will be advised before Clay Lane Legal proceed.