Executing a Will / Probate

Dealing with a loved one´s death is hard enough without having to cope with the practical and legal requirements that go with it. Ross Coates Solicitors offers a sympathetic and personal, yet professional service, from registration of the death to full estate administration. Dealing with the financial affairs and legal aspects after your death cannot be put off, so being able to pass on this burden allows your family more time to grieve and support one another. We offer full executorship and trustee services to clients who wish to relieve their loved ones of the duty. We also include advice on taxes such as inheritance tax, capital gains tax and income tax.

Cost and timescale estimates

We anticipate that a probate case will take between 5 and 7 hours work at £250 per hour plus VAT at 20%. Total costs estimated at £2500 - £5000 (+VAT at 20%) but are subject to the hourly rate.

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.

We will handle the full process for you. This quote is for estates where:

• There is a valid will
• There is no more than one property
• There are no more than three bank or building society accounts
• There are no other intangible assets
• There are 1-5 beneficiaries
• There are no disputes between beneficiaries on division of assets. If disputes arise this is likely to lead to an increase in costs
• There is no inheritance tax payable and the executors do not need to submit a full account to HMRC
• There are no claims made against the estate
• Disbursements included in this fee (where applicable VAT is included at 20%):

Probate application fee of £300, assuming that the value of the state is over £5000. (There’s no application fee if the estate is £5,000 or less)

• £10 Swearing of the oath (per executor)
• Bankruptcy-only Land Charges Department searches (£6 per beneficiary)
• £92.20 Post in The London Gazette – Protects against unexpected claims from unknown creditors.
• £X Post in a Local Newspaper – This also helps to protect against unexpected claims.
• 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.

Potential additional costs

• If there is no will or the estate consists of any share holdings (stocks and bonds) there is likely to be additional costs that could range significantly depending on the estate and how it is to be dealt with. We can give you a more accurate quote once we have more information.

• If any additional copies of the grant are required, they will cost £1.50 (1 per asset usually).
• Dealing with the sale or transfer of any property in the estate is not included.

How long will this take?

On average, estates that fall within this range are dealt with within six to twelve months. Typically, obtaining the grant of probate takes four to twelve weeks. Collecting assets then follows, which can take between 5-10 weeks. Once this has been done, we can distribute the assets, which normally takes 4-6 weeks.

Probate cases are dealt with by Stephen Broughton, who is a qualified Solicitor, and qualified in 1973. Stephen works from our Kesgrave office.