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The Cost of a Grant

The prices quoted on this website, for each of the stages detailed below, are for standard, straightforward, non-contested Estate Administrations.

Our quote for the legal work on your Estate Administration will be calculated based on the estimated amount of time members of the firm will spend on your matter. All legal fees and additional costs quoted on this page include VAT (at the current rate of 20%) where applicable.

Your application will be progressed by Lawyers in our Wills and Estates team whose details can be found below. Team Leader, Robert Ashworth, assisted by Fiona Ashworth, supervises the work of all of the lawyers in the Wills and Estates team. Please read each profile for information on their qualifications and experience.

 

Georgia Bolton
Emma Cherry
Fiona Ashworth
Robert Ashworth
Helen Geldart
Ann Coutts
Carlie Brown
View our people

Our quote will be based on the specific circumstances of the Estate in question and will be detailed in two stages as follows:

Stage 1:  Application for the Grant of Representation – detailed on this page. The size and nature of the estate will determine whether it is necessary for the Executor(s) (where there is a Will) or the Administrator(s) (where there is no Will) to apply to the Probate Court for legal authority to deal with the estate, e.g. to release money held in bank accounts, sell shares, transfer or sell a house.  This legal authority is called the Grant of Representation, specifically a Grant of Probate if there is a Will and a Grant of Letters of Administration if there is not.

Stage 2: Gathering and distributing the assets of the Estate according to the Will or the Rules of Intestacy.

The TSP Wills and Estates team can help with both stages of the estate administration or just the first or second stage. We are happy to be flexible, giving as much support to the Executors / Administrators as needed to ensure the process is completed in an efficient and timely manner.

A standard, straightforward Estate Administration would typically be where

  • All assets are UK based
  • There is no more than one property in the estate
  • There are no more than 7 other assets such as bank accounts or share holdings
  • There are no business or farming interests
  • There are no more than 5 beneficiaries
  • See FAQ section below for more detail

TSP Legal Fees for Stage 1: Application for Grant: The range of VAT inclusive fixed fees for the Legal Work involved in an Application for the Grant of Representation are shown in the table below. The table also describes the key stages in the application process. As shown in the table, in addition to our standard service, which differs depending on the type of Inheritance Tax (IHT) form that is required, the team are also able to offer a simple service where the executors obtain the asset valuations themselves and there is no requirement for an IHT 400 form to be completed.

Stage 1: Application for Grant of Representation Simple (incl VAT) Standard A. (incl VAT) Standard B. (incl VAT)
TSP Legal Fee £1,250 – £1,500 £2,500 – £5,500 £6,000 – £20,000
Advise on type of application required N Y Y
Obtain valuations of the estate assets and liabilities: Who? YOU TSP TSP
Prepare and submit Statutory Notices if required Y Y Y
Prepare Inheritance Tax declaration and forms as follows:
IHT 205 Y Y N
IHT 217 N Y N
IHT 400 N N Y
Complete the Statement of Truth Y Y Y
Submit application to the Probate Court Y Y Y
Receive the Grant Y Y Y

The hourly rates of members of the Wills and Estates team are fixed according to their respective levels of experience. Currently, they range from £160.80 (inc VAT) for a Trainee Solicitor / Paralegal to £444 (inc VAT) for a Director / Solicitor. Details of the rates of the relevant individual members of the team will be provided to you at the outset and the work will be undertaken by the individual team member(s) with the appropriate level(s) of experience.

We are required by law to verify our client’s identity and also a number of other types of individual with whom we work, such as executors and trustees, for example. We will charge £10 plus VAT (£12 in total) per individual that we check.  More information on the types of individuals we are required to check can be found in our Terms of Business.

In addition to TSP Legal Fees the table below details some of the other costs that might be required depending on the specifics of the estate.

Additional costs involved in the Grant Application Includes VAT? From To
Certainty Search (if there is no Will) Yes £45.60 £238.80
Financial Asset Search (if deceased is not well known to executors) Yes £120 £300
Land Registry Fee (if there is a property) Office Copy Entry Yes £3.60 £3.60
Publication of Statutory Notices (if required) Yes £180 £360
Application to the Probate Court (no fee if estate is less than £5000) N/A £273 £273
Additional copies of the Grant (per copy) at time of issue N/A £1.50 £1.50

In addition to the above costs the estate may also be liable for IHT. There is a useful IHT calculator on gov.uk website here

Depending on the type and value of assets in the estate you may also need to pay for professional valuations.
A comprehensive explanation of the key stages of the Estate Administration process can be found here. In our FAQ section, you will find important information on

  • Key stages in your application for grant
  • Key assumptions about the cost of your application for grant
  • Key exclusions from the cost of your application for grant
  • How long will your application for grant take?

 

Frequently Asked Questions

The fees that are given above assume the following:

  • That there are no technical or other impediments to a Grant of Representation being issued by the probate Court
  • If the Executors / Administrators are obtaining estate valuations themselves, that the information supplied to us is correct, identifies and values all of the estate assets and liabilities at date of death, and that there will not be any changes at a later date
  • If we are obtaining valuations that we are, with family assistance, able to speedily identify all assets and liabilities
  • There are no claims against the estate by relatives, creditors or others
  • If IHT is payable that there are sufficient assets in the estate directly accessible to fund any inheritance tax payable (or a portion of it) prior to obtaining the grant and a loan in not being applied for

Complex estates are excluded from the prices shown above. We classify an estate as complex if

  • It contains multiple properties
  • There are more than 10 other assets
  • There are farming or business interests that require complex analysis and valuation
  • There are more than 8 beneficiaries

The time it will take for the first part of the process will depend on the nature and size of the deceased’s estate.  In some very simple cases it may be possible to receive the Grant within 12 weeks of the date of death. However, regardless of the size of the estate, any IHT, or at least the first instalment, must be paid within 6 months of date of death. We would therefore expect the application for the Grant to be lodged with the Court no longer than 6 months after the date of death.

It should be noted that HMRC will always acknowledge receipt of the IHT forms so as not to hold up the application with the Probate Court. This ackowledgement does not mean that they are not able to challenge the return and considerable time may be added to the second stage of the process if there is a challenge or whilst awaiting responses from HMRC.

Contact our Solicitors in Colchester or Clacton

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