Estate Administration

Deed of Variation   £480 (£400 + £80 VAT) 

5 working days. We will obtain the original Will and estate assets, obtain agreement from all Beneficiaries, draft the Deed of Variation, execute the Deed, submit any necessary notifications to HMRC or relevant authorities and adjust estate distributions in line with the Deed.

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Example Fees

• Legal Fees £480 (£400 + £80 VAT)

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There will be other third-party costs in addition to the above. The disbursements are as follows:

• Electronic ID for 1 customer 1 x £15 = £15

TOTAL EXAMPLE COST
= £495 (£415 + £80 VAT)

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Deed of Appointment   £300 (£250 + £50 VAT)

5 working days. The stages of a Deed of Appointment involve identifying the Trust and its assets, determining the purpose, reviewing the governing document, consulting Trustees and Beneficiaries if required, drafting and executing the Deed, transferring or allocating assets, and updating records while notifying relevant parties. 

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Example Fees

• Legal Fees £300 (£250 + £50 VAT)

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There will be other third-party costs in addition to the above. The disbursements are as follows:

• Electronic ID for 1 customer 1 x £15 = £15

TOTAL EXAMPLE COST
= £315 (£265 + £50 VAT)

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Deed of Retirement   £300 (£250 + £50 VAT)  

5 working days. The stages of a Deed of Retirement involve identifying the retiring Trustee, reviewing the Trust or governing document, consulting remaining Trustees and Beneficiaries if required, drafting and executing the Deed, formally removing the Trustee from the Trust, and updating records while notifying relevant parties. 

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Example Fees

• Legal Fees £300 (£250 + £50 VAT)

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There will be other third-party costs in addition to the above. The disbursements are as follows:

• Electronic ID for 1 customer 1 x £15 = £15

TOTAL EXAMPLE COST
= £315 (£265 + £50 VAT)

Deed of Retirement and Deed of Appointment   £360 (£300 + £60 VAT)  

10 working days. The Key stages for both are detailed above.

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Example Fees

• Legal Fees £360 (£300 + £60 VAT)

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There will be other third-party costs in addition to the above. The disbursements are as follows:

• Electronic ID for 1 customer 1 x £15 = £15

TOTAL EXAMPLE COST
= £375 (£315 + £60 VAT)

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Corrective Accounts   £120 (£100 + £20 VAT)  

10 working days. An example of when these forms may be needed would be when a property or investment was valued for less than it should have been. We would have to adjust the application, or submit a separate application with a re-calculation of the Inheritance Tax due. 

 

The stages of completing Inheritance Tax application forms involve gathering details of the deceased’s assets and liabilities, calculating the estate’s value and any tax due, completing and submitting the appropriate forms to HMRC, and arranging payment or clearance as required. 

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Example Fees

• Legal Fees £120 (£100 + £20 VAT)

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There will be other third-party costs in addition to the above. The disbursements are as follows:

• Electronic ID for 1 customer 1 x £15 = £15

TOTAL EXAMPLE COST
= £135 (£115 + £20 VAT)

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Transfers From Estates (Plus Disbursements)  £720 (£600 + £120 VAT)

See our Ancillary Conveyancing page here for more details.

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Assents From Estates (Plus Disbursements)  £960 (£800 + £160 VAT) 

See our Ancillary Conveyancing page here for more details.

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Lifetime Trust Property Transfers (Plus Disbursements)  £960 (£800 + £160 VAT)

See our Ancillary Conveyancing page here for more details.

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We are unable to transact on sales and purchases; however, we have a list of trusted conveyancing firms, that we are happy to introduce to you.​

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Online Executor Toolkit   £600 (£500 + £100 VAT) Paid to our sister company Toolboxx Limited 

DIY online Executor Toolkit allows you to apply for a Grant of Probate and fully administer an estate online. This service is provided by our sister company, Toolboxx Limited. You can find out what is included, the key stages, and payment options by clicking here.

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10 Simple Steps to Administer an Estate Yourself

1. Get the death certificate.

2. Find the Will and identify the Executor.

3. Make a list of all assets and debts.

4. Apply for probate or Letters of Administration if needed.

5. Open a bank account for the estate.

6. Pay any debts and funeral expenses.

7. Complete any tax returns.

8. Distribute money, property, and belongings to Beneficiaries.

9. Keep records of all transactions.

10. Close the estate once everything has been distributed.

Completed at your own pace.

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Simple Estate Administration (Plus Disbursements)   £1,620 (£1,350 + £270 VAT)

In addition to all the benefits of the Executor Toolkit (you will receive a code to access the platform), we will complete the Grant of Probate (also known as the Grant of Representation, Administration, or Confirmation) application for you and support you. At the same time, you administer the Estate with our highly qualified legal team. 

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We aim to have all required documents drafted and sent to you, and completed and sent to the relevant Government agency, within 21 working days. This includes the inheritance tax papers for you to sign, return, and forward to Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs (HMRC), as well as the Grant of Administration sent to the Probate Registry. Currently, the time from application to the Grant of Probate being issued is approximately 14 weeks.

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• We will complete the Grant of Probate Application and any additional forms for you

• We will liaise with the Probate Registrar on your behalf, so an appointment is not needed

• We will calculate if Inheritance Tax (IHT) is payable

• We will arrange other relief, e.g. transfer of Nil Rate Band, if required

• We will prepare any Oath or tax forms needed

• We are on hand for any questions and support 

 

Example Fees

• Where the application relating to an excepted estate (which generally means no inheritance tax is due), our fees will be £1,620 (£1,350 + £270 VAT).

• For taxable estates, where a full HMRC form IHT400 is necessary, our fees will be £2,400, including VAT (£2,000 + £400 VAT)

Should a further allowance of a Residence Nil Rate Band and or Transferable Residence Nil Rate Band needs to be applied for. We charge an additional fee of £350 (£291.67 + £58.33 VAT) per allowance.
 

There will be other third-party costs in addition to the above. The disbursements are as follows:

• Probate fee £300

• Additional copies of the Grant or Letters of Administration £16 per copy. We recommend at least 2 copies at a total cost of £32

• Electronic ID search for each Executor £15

• Land registry search to establish property ownership £7

 

TOTAL EXAMPLE COST

 = No Inheritance Tax £1,974 including VAT where applicable

 = Taxable estates​ £2,754 including VAT where applicable

 

Full Estate Administration (Plus Disbursements)   From £5,220 (£4,350 + £870 VAT)

Hand everything over to a specialist case manager who will deal with the entire matter for you and keep you informed throughout the process. We will assume all legal liability for the administration of the estate.

 

The work that may be involved in a Full Estate Administration matter:

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• Ascertaining the assets and debts of the deceased at the date of their death and the values as per the date of death.

• Preparing the necessary papers to apply to the court for a Grant of Probate (including the HMRC inheritance tax forms).

• Providing advice about statutory notices and placing such notices if required.

• Gathering in the assets, paying the debts and dealing with the distribution or transfer of the assets to the beneficiaries in accordance with the terms of the Will (or under the law of intestacy if no Will exists).

• Settling any inheritance tax due, engaging in negotiations with HMRC’s Capital Taxes Office (if required)

• Dealing with any income tax or capital gains tax issues that may arise during the period of administration and preparing the estate’s tax returns.

• Preparing a final estate account, which will be submitted to the executors for approval before final distributions are made to the beneficiaries.

 

Time Scales:

• In simple cases involving a Will and a limited number of assets, with no inheritance tax to pay, we would anticipate being able to apply for the Grant of Probate within 14 weeks of instruction.

• Once a Grant of Probate has been obtained, the timescale for collecting assets and distributing the Estate will depend on a wide range of factors, including the complexity of the Estate. For non-taxable estates, we estimate it will take between 9 and 12 months to administer. This includes approximately 2 months to gather the necessary documents prior to the Grant of Administration, 4 months waiting for the Grant of Administration to be issued, and 3-6 months administering the Estate. For estates where Inheritance Tax needs to be paid, we estimate it will take between 12 and 24 months due to the increased documentation required from the Estate. More complex cases, and those involving multiple properties, could take longer. You can find more information on how Inheritance Tax is calculated here. 

• It is possible to make a partial distribution before all work has been completed. However, this depends on the Executors’ attitude to risk, particularly concerning early distribution before the expiration of the period allowed for claims against the estate. We would discuss this thoroughly with the Executors at that point.

• You can find more information on how Inheritance Tax is calculated here. 

 

Example Fees

• Where the application relating to an excepted estate (which generally means no inheritance tax is due), our fees will be £5,220 (£4,350 + £870 VAT).

There will be other third-party costs in addition to the above. The disbursements are as follows:

• Probate fee £300

• Additional copies of the Grant or Letters of Administration £16 per copy. We recommend at least 2 copies at a total cost of £32

• Electronic ID search for each Executor £15

• Land registry search to establish property ownership £7

• Bankruptcy search fee for each beneficiary £6

• Legal Statutory Notices £300

• Certainty Will Search £126

• Asset Search £275

 

TOTAL EXAMPLE COST

= £6,281 including VAT where applicable

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Bespoke Estate Administration (Plus Disbursements)   £POA Contact us 

A mixture of our Estate Administration Services based on your individual circumstances and the level of support needed. 

In relatively simple estates, as the Executor, you may feel that you can deal with the collection and distribution of the assets within the estate yourself. You may, therefore, decide to instruct us on a limited basis. We are happy to assist you in any way we can to work with you as the Executor. The time required to complete this service depends on which parts of the administration process we complete. We will go through this with you in detail before commencing any work.

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Example Fees

Our pricing depends on how involved you want us to be. We will discuss the options with you and always break down the time we need to work on the bespoke Estate Administration. In the following example, our fees would be £6,000 (5,000 + £1,000 VAT).

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Basis of Charging:

• Our fees are based on the time involved in dealing with the issues. The average hourly charging rate of the Probate team is £210, including VAT (charged at 20%). The actual hourly rate of the case manager involved in your matter will be given to you at the outset of instructing us. The fee will depend on the nature of the estate, its complexity, and the expertise required to complete it diligently. 

• In most circumstances, we would charge a percentage element against the Gross Value of the Estate, which in this example is 3% (2.5% + 1% VAT). 

• The charge and percentage element will be fully explained to you from the outset.

 

Our fees for the full administration of an estate may vary depending on the following factors:

• Whether there is a valid Will

• The number of bank accounts comprised within the estate

• The number of properties held within the estate

• Whether there are any non-property investments (such as stocks and shares)

• Whether there is any business or agricultural property

• Whether the estate is taxable

• The number of beneficiaries

• The likelihood of disputes between beneficiaries as regards the division of assets

• Whether any claims against the estate are made

 

There will be other third-party costs in addition to the above. The disbursements are as follows:

• Probate fee £300

• Additional copies of the Grant or Letters of Administration £16 per copy. We recommend at least 2 copies at a total cost of £32

• Electronic ID search for each Executor £15

• Land registry search to establish property ownership £7

• Bankruptcy search fee for each beneficiary £6

• Legal Statutory Notices £300

• Certainty Will Search £126

• Asset Search £275

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TOTAL EXAMPLE COST = £7,035 including VAT (charged at 20%)

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Please note that if a matter becomes contentious because a challenge is made to the validity of the Will or a claim is made against the Estate, it may have to be referred to a partner firm of Solicitors specialising in this area of law. Additional costs may be incurred. You will be fully informed, and costs will be discussed before further Solicitors are engaged. Their pricing will be set out clearly and available on their website.