Probate Assistance Service

What is included in this service?

The service includes:

• The preparation of the application for the Grant based on the estate information and values provided by the Executor(s)/Administrator(s) (‘the LPRs’). We will also arrange for this to be submitted to the Probate Registry once signed.
• Completion of an inheritance tax account, if required, and submission to HM Revenue and Customs.
• Calculation of any inheritance tax due on submitting the account.

What does the service not include?

• The service is limited to the application for the Grant so does not include any other aspects of the estate administration process e.g. collection of assets, settlement of income tax affairs, distribution of assets.
• Subsequent inheritance tax reporting and forms due in connection with this reporting.
• Finalising the inheritance tax position at the end of the administration including the payment of additional inheritance tax or claiming a refund.
• Advice on the interpretation of the Will, the devolution of the estate or the estate administration process.
• Any costs relating to the valuation of assets as at the date of death.
• Probate Court fees which will be charged in addition to our fee.
• Any additional probate documents required e.g. Affidavit or Witness statement as a result of an issue with the Will.

How much will the service cost?

Every estate differs and so we offer a fixed fee quote based on the bespoke circumstances of the estate.  Once a fixed fee has been agreed and accepted, we will detail this in a Letter of Engagement.

Factors that have an impact on the level of fee we charge include:

• Number of reliefs to inheritance tax being claimed in the inheritance tax account e.g. Transferrable Nil Rate Band, Residence Nil Rate Band.
• Number of gifts made by the deceased in the 7 year period.
• Complex inheritance tax calculations.
• Availability of Business Property Relief and/or Agricultural Property Relief.
• An issue with the Will which need to be addressed prior to or part of the application for the Grant.

If additional work comes to light after the fixed fee has been agreed, additional fees will be payable.  In these circumstances, a fixed fee quote will be provided for work.

The property sale or transfer service is provided by a third party conveyancing solicitor.  If the property is worth over £500,000 the firm will provide a bespoke fixed fee quote for providing this service.  In addition to their fees, there will be disbursements payable including a Land Registry fee which varies depending on the value of the property and whether the land is registered or unregistered.  Full details will be provided by the conveyancing solicitor prior to you confirming your engagement with them.

The Probate Assistance Service fee schedule provides an indication of costs, some typical examples are set out below.

Example 1:

The estate does not require a full inheritance tax account and contains 2 bank accounts.

Our fee for the Grant only service would be: £795 plus VAT

Or for the Grant application and collection of the 2 bank accounts: £995 plus VAT

Disbursements: Probate Court fee of £273 plus £1.50 for every office copy grant.

Example 2:

An estate requiring a full inheritance tax account and the following reliefs are available – transferrable nil rate, residence nil rate band and transferrable residence nil rate band is available.

The fee for the Grant only service would be: £1,445 plus VAT

Disbursements: Probate Court fee of £273 plus £1.50 for every office copy grant.

Example 3:

An estate requires a full inheritance tax account as it is subject to inheritance tax.  There are no reliefs available other than the nil rate band but the deceased made some gifts in the seven years prior to death.  Some of these gifts will be covered by exemptions.

The fee for the Grant only service would be: £1,195 plus VAT

Disbursements: Probate Court fee of £273 plus £1.50 for every office copy grant.

How long will it take?

We will prepare the application for the Grant including the inheritance tax account (if required) on average within 3-4 weeks of receiving the full information required.  This will then be sent to the LPRs for review and signing.  If a full inheritance tax account is required, the application process takes place in 2 stages:

Stage 1: The inheritance tax account is submitted first to HM Revenue and Customs.

Stage 2: After 20 working days of stage 1, the application for the grant can be submitted to the Probate Registry.

If a full inheritance tax is not required, the application will be submitted for the grant as soon as it has been signed by the LPRs.   The Probate Registry have their own timescales for issuing the Grant which is outside of our control.

Who will be responsible for providing this service?

Our team have an average of over 20 years’ experience in estate administration.  They pride themselves on supporting clients during a difficult time.  You will be given direct line contact details for your dedicated Relationship Manager so that you can make contact with them with at any stage if you have any questions.  Your Relationship Manager will be supervised by the Head of Probate and Probate Managers.