Our pricing model is bespoke to your needs and to that of the estate. A fixed fee will always be agreed, where possible, which will clearly outline what is involved in the service and what additional third party charges may be incurred.

Some examples of the types of service with case studies are as follows with approximate fees shown.

1. Co-habiting couple of 30+ years – never married – Fred and Elaine. Fred dies after a short illness. He never made a Will so has died intestate. He has 3 children from a former relationship. Elaine gets in touch for some advice.
   
   As Fred died intestate it is important to assess the composition of Fred’s estate. Elaine would not be entitled to any of the estate because she would not be classed as a beneficiary under the rules of Intestacy. After identifying that the main asset within Fred’s estate was a property which was held in joint names, Elaine was advised that this would be fully hers now following Fred’s death as it is not an asset within his ‘estate’. Fred had a small bank account in his sole name but the funeral was paid from this. There were 3 x joint bank accounts with Elaine, which again would now be fully hers. Assisted Elaine with writing to the financial institutions to advise of Fred’s death. Dealt with the removal of Fred’s name from the Land Registry so that the property was in the sole name of Elaine. Fee of £600 plus VAT and a third party cost of £20 for the Land Registry.

2. Married couple of 20 years – George and Pippa. Pippa dies. They have mirror Wills in which they appointed each other as Executor and the sole beneficiary of their estates. George gets in touch for some advice.
   
   As Pippa left a Will it is firstly important to check that on the face of it the Will that she left is a valid one. It is then important to assess the composition of her estate. The majority of Pippa’s assets were held jointly with George but she had a sole investment but the financial institution did not require a Grant of Probate.
   
   George was advised that it would be best to professionally administer Pippa’s estate by writing to the financial institutions to ensure that there is a sufficient audit trail in place so that when he dies, his Executor can apply for the appropriate Inheritance Tax reliefs that were unused in Pippa’s estate. By having a service offering in this regard will aide the family and assist them so that when the George dies, the information is readily available. Fee of £950 plus VAT. The estimated time for issuing a Grant of Probate is currently 16 weeks from the date of submission.

3. Henry has died. He has left a Will leaving his estate to a local charity but has appointed his friend Mark to act as Executor. Henry’s estate is worth in excess of £3million.

Mark is aware that there are certain requirements that must be adhered to when a charity is a beneficiary and is confident that the estate would not be subject to Inheritance Tax (as the estate is left to charity) but Mark feels that the responsibility is too onerous for him and wishes for a professional to administer the estate on his behalf.

Mark had initial information of what he thought was in Henry’s estate. It was necessary to ascertain the date of death information to validate the size of the estate to prepare the Inheritance Tax form. This form is still required even though Inheritance Tax is not applicable. This form has to be submitted to HMRC who will issue a receipt (known as IHT421) directly to the Probate Registry within 15-20 working days. Once this was completed the Grant of Probate can be applied for. The estimated time for issuing a Grant of Probate is currently 16 weeks. Upon receipt of the Grant of Probate, a copy can be sent to the financial institutions that Henry held assets in to encash them. The debts could be paid off and the Income Tax affairs finalised. The balance of the estate is then distributed to the charity. Fee of £4,500 plus VAT.