Standardised Price List

You don’t have to use a Solicitor to obtain Probate, but there are many benefits, such as having a Probate Solicitor to provide independent legal advice throughout the process which can take 6 – 12 months or sometimes longer. It can spare you from having to deal with all the administrative, legal and tax work required, such as calculating IHT and corresponding with HM Revenue and Customs.

No, you do not have to use the same Solicitor whom drafted the Will, unless the will specifically specifies this.

You will need to confirm whether or not the deceased had a Will and details of their assets and debts at the date of their death.

You should take all reasonable steps to locate the original Will, you can use an online service to check the Will Register. https://www.nationalwillregister.co.uk/search-for-a-will/

The term estate refers to individual’s possessions at the time of their death which includes anything owned by the deceased, for example, any property, bank accounts, investments, jewellery etc

Probate is the legal term given to the process that must be followed after a person has died – once an application is submitted and approved the Probate Registry issue either a Grant of Probate if there is a Will or Letters of Administration when no Will was left, the document sets out whom has legal authority to deal with the deceased’s assets, such as closing bank account and selling/transferring property.

Inheritance Tax (IHT) is a tax on the estate (the property, money and possessions) of someone who’s died, which is charged at a rate of 40%.

The current IHT threshold is £325,000. Assets that pass between spouses are exempt from IHT. There are also other reliefs that can be claimed, and we can advise you further.

It is not necessarily the value of the estate that determines the requirement for probate. If the estate consists of any land or property, then probate will be required in order to sell or transfer the same.

Banks set their own threshold’s for when probate is required is to release funds, some require probate for anything over £5,000.00 whereas others require probate for anything over £50,000.00. It is therefore recommended that you ask the provider for their specific requirements.

Costs will depend on the complexity of the estate and the service you require. The Probate Registry charge a fixed fee of £300.00 for an application.

Farnworth Rose offer a range of services;

Grant Only Service – Where we make the Grant application only, we charge a fixed fee of £850.00 plus VAT where a tax return is not required. Where a tax return is required, we start at £1,250.00 plus VAT, we will provide a quotation after we have received details of the estate.

Cost of applying for the Grant, collecting and distributing the asset are charged on an hourly rate basis. We recognise that estates come in all shapes and sizes and therefore our charges will be calculated by reference to the amount of time spent dealing with the matter. Before we provide an accurate quotation, we will invite you to an appointment (which can be accommodated remotely) to discuss the nature of the estate and your needs, this will allow us to give you a clearer estimation of our fees.

A typical estate administration will cost between £2500 – £8000 plus VAT.