Grant of Probate Quotes: Save on Fixed Fee Probate

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Sometimes, the savings will be massive. When you use our service to compare fixed fee probate costs, I expect the minimum expected savings on probate fees to be one-third.

JUST GET ME THE PROBATE QUOTES PLEASE!

Call 03 300 102 300 to save on probate solicitors’ fees, or use the Fee Cutting Enquiry below.

We find the variation in probate lawyer’s fees for obtaining a grant (or Letters of Administration if there is no valid Will) incredible. A firm that claims to be the largest in the lands probate quote was £8,000. We found a firm that cut the cost down to just £475 plus Court fees (it was a while ago, I am afraid!) The clients – who did a little extra work to help, so the quotes are not totally comparable, saved £7,525 or 94%. Similar proportionate savings are still available but won’t often be offered by probate professionals. But we are here to show you the options (even DIY) and to compare probate quotes in the widest sense – not just the types that maximise fees!

Probate Quotes. Fixed fee probate.

That was a while ago, but another example was a very large estate for which their probate solicitor quoted a fee of £120,000. We got that down to a fixed probate fee of £54,000 – a saving of £64,000 or 55%. So, the beneficiaries’ pockets will receive a substantial boost thanks to us! How much could we save you?

“HMRC opened 2,029 Inheritance Tax Investigations between April and November 2023 alone, recovering £172 million. This is part of a larger trend – over 3,100 investigations and £251 million recovered in the previous tax year. Interest is at 7.75%.”

Some normal probate estimates we could save you lots of money on:

I am not suggesting these solicitors’ probate fees are unduly expensive in the market – you could pay far more – just that we can save you a lot of money on them! In each of these cases, I would anticipate saving on the solicitors’ probate fees at least one-third by using our knowledge to compare probate quotes:

“Full admin fixed 2.75% of the gross probate value of the estate but with a minimum of £3,000 + VAT.” HJ.
“Full admin 1 property and 3 bank accounts only. We anticipate our cost estimate for the full administration of an Estate as described above will be between £7,200 and £9,600″ BL&BL.
“Grant only IHT205 only from £2,400 but if IHT400 from £3,000″ MFG.
“Grant only No Inheritance Tax payable £2,750 to £4,125 plus VAT. If IHT is payable £5,500 to £9,625 plus VAT. 1 property & up to 5 accounts” LAB.

Click for Our Probate Quote form . Or download a more detailed form.

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Lower cost and Fixed Fees for Probate – how we help you to get value for money:

With top lawyers fee of up to £33.60 a minute (over £2,000 an hour) and newly qualified ones from £4.58 a minute (£275 an hour), all plus VAT, it is easy to see that some substantial savings can be made when we put in a little research on your behalf. Fixed fee probate services are available. More detail below.

Probate Quotes: How much can we save you? It costs nothing to find out. Download a more detailed form.

If you like, you can email any quote you get to st***@*********************co.uk with details of the estate, and we’ll do our best to save you some money – it won’t even cost you a stamp, but it could save thousands.

Be aware that a surprising number of firms carrying out probate are not authorised to do so. Still, they can get around it by charging for “Estate Administration” rather than just obtaining the grant (which is the bit authorisation is required for.) It is perfectly possible to separate the two parts, which alone can be a big saving.

Read this before you ask anyone for professional help.

(Click for our general page on Contentious Probate if there may be claims or disputes.)

Few people are experienced in probate: bureaucracy and traps await the unwary executor! You can be personally liable if things go wrong. The Taxman can charge substantial penalties if you don’t get the Inheritance Tax right. You will also find that the institutions frequently give incorrect information – and if you fail to realise it, you are still responsible.

You could also run into problems if you miss people who should have inherited (it is quite common if you don’t know the rules – especially if there is no valid Last Will.) Or there could be creditors or “dependents” you don’t know about. Saving the estate some money could be very expensive if you have to pay compensation from your own pocket. Our help could be invaluable in minimising the cost.

But probably the worst part of being an executor is that you are piggy in the middle. In around half of cases, family members (and especially their partners) will think you are slow, unfair, or even cheating them. We hear it all the time. We can introduce you to firms that are experts at defusing these sorts of situations, getting the job done as quickly as possible and keeping the family unit from self-destructing. Disputes after deaths are really common. Family executors are probably best advised to leave everything to professionals even if the estate is simple – that way, the professional takes the blame, and the family may survive.

We strongly recommend that if there is any possibility of Inheritance Tax being due, you contact us to find competent professional advice at a sensible cost. Remember that any gifts made in the previous 7 (sometimes 14) years need to be considered, as do any trusts. Gifts, where the deceased retained a benefit (a typical one is people giving their house to their children to “save” tax but continue living in it), are also considered. Another surprisingly common one is the holiday home “given” to the children – but still used.

Simple estate?

If it really is, and you have the time to deal with the bureaucrats (not the few remaining Civil servants in the Probate Registry – the banks, investment houses, councils, etc.) – go for it; you’ll save money which the estate would otherwise have paid. Just double-check everything before you send off the forms! However, we do have an option to help with that, too.

We keep an eye on the probate market so we can refer you to firms with the time and the capacity to look after your case properly. We rely on your feedback when advising future clients, which gives them a strong incentive to look after you well.

Click for Our Probate Quote form. Or download a more detailed form.

Is Fixed Fee Probate the answer?

This is a pricing structure for probate services where the firm charges a set fee for the entire process, regardless of the time or work involved. This can be a more cost-effective option than traditional hourly rates, especially for simple estates. Wait for the BUT! Here are some of the advantages of fixed fees:

Transparency: You know upfront how much the probate process will cost, so there are (usually) no hidden surprises.
Budgeting: This can help you budget more effectively and avoid financial stress during a difficult time.
Speed: agreed fee cases may be completed more quickly than hourly rate probate, as the solicitor or firm is incentivised to keep costs down.
Convenience: You can usually complete the entire process online or over the phone, which can be more convenient for those who are busy or live far away from the solicitor’s office.

Here are some of the disadvantages of fixed probate quotes:

Not always available: Not all firms offer fixed fees, so we may need to shop around to find one that does.
May not be suitable for complex estates: Fixed fees may not be suitable for complex estates, as the solicitor may need to charge additional fees for unexpected work.
May not be as flexible: If any unexpected complications or extra assets or liabilities are discovered, the solicitor may be unable to stick to the fixed quote.

Overall, fixed fee probate can be a good option for simple estates where you want to know upfront how much the process will cost. However, the fee will be based on the information you provide, so things may change if anything unexpected (good or bad) pops up. Bad might be someone disputing the will or an executor or beneficiary making unreasonable demands on the lawyer’s time. A good example might be the discovery of a substantial overseas shareholding with significant extra work needed to release it.

How can you save money on probate fees?

Ask any probate firm to confirm they don’t use these methods of inflating fees:

* Insisting on doing everything – some firms will fit in with your requirements, not vice versa. But not all will, so it is horses for courses.

Why us? What makes us the firm you should use if you need help? We are on your side, and any firm who wants us to continue recommending them has to stay on its toes for our clients! And there is no obligation to accept the quote we recommend (though it is helpful if you let us know if you get a better one; maybe we can use them!)

The Probate Department (brokers) Ltd can arrange help on matters in the Probate, Estate Planning and Trust areas, helping you save money on probate. Why not call us at 03 300 102 300? A chat will cost you nothing, and you will find the fees and personal service of our recommendations are far better than those of high street solicitors, banks, and large institutions. Low Cost Probate. Or email me:

Click for Our Probate Quote form. Or download a more detailed form.

Spend LESS of the beneficiaries’ cash probate fees – get in touch!

We can always promise to do our best to find you good, reliable help at a sensible cost, but some cases really do need highly sophisticated advice where the hourly rate will inevitably be higher, and the fees of a top-flight probate solicitor might be justified. But still modest for the level of expertise required. Of course, the Court fees were added on top of the £475, and the probate court fee was possibly included in the other probate fee. Read on for court costs and more, or use the form at the foot of the page to compare probate quotes – or give us a call at 03 300 102 300. We won’t recommend a highly sophisticated service (higher probate fees!) unless you really need it. Either way, we help you compare probate costs so you get the service you need at a cost that makes sense.

When choosing a probate solicitor, it is important to understand that any solicitor can hold themselves out as doing probate work, but that doesn’t mean they are either specialist or indeed expert. Some solicitors juggle very different disciplines, and only their Continuing Professional Development record going back at least ten years will demonstrate their expertise – in my opinion. In the Law, you have to specialise to be good. Even in big firms (often expensive), this is not always the case – all work is work.

Available Probate Services and options:

In all cases, I aim to find suitable professionals who charge sensible fees. It’s not the bottom end of the market, though. That is too risky for my comfort.

New Option: professional help: as much or as little as you choose – minimum 1 hour at half a typical probate solicitors’ rate from a qualified and regulated professional.

Option 1: The professionals do the work

a) Fixed fee probate based on the estate details supplied or

b) an hourly rate based on the complexity of the estate and the seniority of the staff who need to do the work.

c) We do have a further unusual option which may suit housebound or really busy folk or those who live far away or abroad, and that is to delegate ALL the work, including preserving any property, marketing it and even making sure the lawn gets mowed, the locks are changed and the post sorted. The cost, of course, comes from the estate.

Option 2: Do it all yourself. Probate forms are here. Or call 0117 930 2430 (24×7) – you can ask for our free Guide to Probate below.

If it is a straightforward estate, you have the admin skills and the time, AND there is no possibility of a dispute.

Option 3: The Assisted Probate Service

Here, you do the easy bits rather than pay £300+ an hour to a probate solicitor. The professional tidies up and checks as far as they can (as you have done much of the work). If you have the admin skills to deal with the rest, this is the one for you!

Option 4: Deed of Variation

These are much underused, to the delight of the Chancellor. They are used to change the way an estate is distributed – with the agreement of those who lose out! This may save inheritance tax or skip a generation so those who need help get it soon, not 20 or 30 years later. It may also be used to create Trusts and to protect vulnerable folk. If you inherit money you don’t need, then decide to give it away, then die within 7 years – the Taxman claps his hands in delight and will add all or part of the gift back into your assets for tax purposes.

Option 5. Disputed Probate (contentious probate in the profession).

This is heavy-duty stuff, and the minute you discover there may be a dispute, you need to get a fully professional, contentious probate firm involved, and that is NOT your typical High Street Solicitor. You are talking of tens of thousands of pounds if it gets to Court, and possibly a further zero on the end. Act early to get a defence organised! Experts are not cheap, but less expert advice can lose your home.

Option 6. Complex Estates

Overseas assets, trusts, lifetime tax planning and other complexities may mean that the average High Street firm will be out of their depth. Not all will admit it, and they may buy in outside help, duplicating costs.

The typical rate in the market for Probate help is around £300++ VAT an hour. Our associates’ Assisted Probate Service rates for simple estates are typically well under half that rate. For an estate where Trusts or IHT are involved, the rate is a bit higher – but you will be in good hands, according to our clients. Plus, of course, third-party costs. Potentially more sophisticated solicitor-led advice will cost more (all solicitors are far from equal in complex probate cases), but will be sensible in the market. High-level advice may be essential in estates where serious arguments are likely. Not all firms are equipped for Court appearances in disputes.

Ask for a recommendation using the Enquiry Form below or call 03 300 102 300– no sales pitch, cost, or obligation.

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Call us on 03 300 102 300 or use the form below for competitive probate quotes.

Incidentally, the Court Probate Fee in 2024 is £273 for estates requiring a Grant and valued at more than £5000. So £6,000 and £60m estates pay the same Court fee, hardly fair, in my opinion. Of course, that excludes all the other probate costs unless you do everything yourself.

Just letting the local solicitor who may hold the Will do the work may cost you dear, so why not let us get a comparative probate quote for you? No cost, no obligation. Form at the bottom of the page or call 03 300 102 300. Small solicitor firms may not have the expertise; larger firms usually will, but they are usually saddled with big overheads, which the customer pays for in increased solicitor fees for probate.

You might even find out that a grant of probate isn’t even needed! That is an even bigger saving on probate solicitors’ fees! You would be surprised how often people worry, and then it turns out there isn’t a requirement to get a Grant anyway.

Dealing with the financial affairs of someone who has died can be stressful, and the cost of delegating to some professionals is a lot less than others. So contact us to get a probate quote. Fixed fees in probate are available in many cases, provided you have enough information. Always remember that fixed fee quotes are based on the information you supply and might change if other things turn up. Always compare probate quotes carefully.

Is professional probate help needed? Here are some more Probate Warnings where professional help may save the day:

Where Inheritance Tax is likely to be payable – there are penalties for not paying within six months of the 1st day of the month following the death. That can be hard to achieve unless everything is well documented.
Quarrelsome families often fall out forever – let them blame the third party, and keep the family together! See Will Disputes.
Beneficiaries left out, or folk who may have been supported by the deceased or to whom an obligation was owed. Again, they take it out on the professional.
Bankrupt beneficiaries can lead to bankrupt executors! Executors who pay out without doing bankruptcy searches may find themselves sued (personally) by the Trustee in Bankruptcy for defrauding creditors.
Disputes ideally need defusing by a neutral party as Court action can easily cost the price of a house or more. See Will Disputes.
Estates where tax planning has taken place, including gifts and specialist investments. Careful research is needed with expertise.
Overseas assets – all sorts of complications here. There may well be overseas lawyers’ probate costs to add on as well. An especially common trap is “English” companies’ shares, which are actually American-based based which will greatly delay and increase costs.
Where the deceased may not be “domiciled” in the UK different tax rules may apply. A strong clue is that the father of the deceased was born abroad and not of English parentage.
The family doesn’t have the administrative skills necessary. With many estates costing less than £500 (+ Court Fees) to sort out, why have all the worry? Our recommended probate lawyers can cover as much or as little of the work as you wish, even if it is just a quick check. Our associates are there to help.

Maybe you don’t need to get a probate quote, as you can deal with much of the work yourself. But perhaps you want to clarify a few points and get a final check, just to be sure? We can help through a specially negotiated Assisted Probate Service. It costs nothing to get a comparative quote – just tell us a little about the estate and maybe save thousands! We just need an idea of what is in the estate in terms of assets and liabilities, what the Will says, and whether there are any overseas complications (the most common being directly held shares in companies based in the United States.) The more detail, the better, but we appreciate there will be unknowns in many cases, and Asset Searches are well worth doing yourself or through the lawyer.

Quotes fixed fee probate. — Save on probate fees

A Grant of Probate (or Letters of Administration, usually if there is no Will, sometimes as there is no executor) is the legal document giving the Executors (or Administrators) authority to deal with the assets and liabilities of an estate in accordance with the Will or under the Rules of Intestacy. Probate quotes do vary wildly from firm to firm – if you find a better one than we can offer, please do let us know. Or call 03 300 102 300.

What that does NOT mean is that the Executor/ Administrator can do what they wish with the estate. If they don’t follow the Law, then they may be sued or even prosecuted for theft. Ignorance is no excuse, and paying a probate lawyer to at least have a check is often prudent.

Click for Our Probate Quote form.

Costs and Fees to Obtain a Grant of Probate or Letters of Administration.

There are three sets of costs: the Probate Registry Court Fees, probate solicitors fees, and expenses of the administration. Let us deal with these in turn.

Fees charged by the Probate Registry 2024 for the Grant.

Current fees for estates valued at over £5,000 are £273 + £1.50 per copy of the Letters of Administration.

Probate Costs – Expenses of the Administration.

Whoever is the Executor or Administrator of the estate, there will be costs involved in managing the process. Expenses that Executors or Administrators can claim personally are very limited. No chance of making a profit legally!

However, it may be necessary to pay out for property insurance (you could get sued if you don’t and something goes wrong), urgent repairs, and maintenance. Other insurance is available to protect executors. Bankruptcy searches on all beneficiaries, Trustee Act Adverts, tracing services, loans to pay Inheritance Tax, and probate court fees.

Professional fees (we can source small amounts of help or a complete service at sensible fees should you wish it. There is also the cost of the funeral to be considered where there was no prepaid plan in place. Provided it is agreed in advance, and the bank (etc.) has sufficient funds, many will agree to pay the funeral bill directly to the undertaker – but if you pay it, you will have to wait until the Grant is issued to be reimbursed. Obviously, there will be a lot of time which lay executors give free, phone calls (often repeated calls to the same forms who have failed to provide vital information), travel (for which you can claim expenses), looking after the security and safety of buildings and contents, fending off beneficiaries demanding to know why you are taking so long to pay them and much more. The worst thing is dealing with disappointed beneficiaries who may threaten to sue and miss substantial creditors – often because the paperwork has been thrown away.

If there is any threat of claims against the estate (probate disputes), contact us, and we’ll put you in touch with specialist firms. There can also be major issues between executors, as some seem to think they can do what they like with the estate assets and believe they can legally defraud beneficiaries!

Typical Professional Probate Fees – Fixed Fee or Hourly Rate + (sometimes) a Sucker Punch

Professional fixed fee probate quotes vary from around a flat 1.5% to 5% of the gross estate, to hourly rates, typically over £300 an hour + VAT- and often plus charges for letters, phone calls etc. Some add a sucker punch of an extra commission, the “responsibility allowance” or whatever they choose to call it. We will avoid recommending anyone who does that, and we’re pretty shocked that the Regulators still allow it. It amounts to £18 on a £1000 asset or loan or £5,400 one of £300,000 – plus all the time costs. Looking at London properties your “responsibility allowance” element could easily add £36,000 to the bill. The same will apply if the deceased had a mortgage or other debt of the same amounts, so a £500,000 property with a £400,000 mortgage would be dealt with at normal hourly rates – then up to another £16,200 added to the bill for the heavy responsibility!

The gross estate is the value of the assets PLUS the value of the liabilities, so an estate with a big mortgage (for example) may be far more expensive than you would expect on a “low” percentage lawyer’s fee.

Our associates can help with straightforward estates from under half the typical hourly rate and for more complex estates we would introduce you to others who can provide more sophisticated help at the low end of relevant solicitors’ fees (but not expertise) – with no nasty responsibility allowance! Alternatively, a flat % of the gross estate. All plus third-party costs (disbursements) and VAT where relevant.

Probate Quote: Get Value for Money. For help call 03 300 102 300.

The amount we can save you on Probate solicitors fees varies substantially: our best to date is a 94% saving! It is unusual for it to be that much, but there are normally substantial savings to be made. We do ask for any quotes you have had, not so we can quote a little less, but so we don’t waste time when you have had a really competitive quote – we’ll just say so! Probate solicitors’ fees vary widely, and there are other professionals who can help.

The basic form (just below) is simple, but you are welcome to add additional details to help make our recommendations better.

We are told that some firms charge as much as 5% of the GROSS value of the estate, plus VAT which makes it 6% – more than one pound in twenty (plus third-party costs) being lost to the beneficiaries.

We appreciate that many people wish to do as much as possible themselves and may only want a limited amount of help to keep probate costs down (not that that is always a good idea!) On the other hand, some will want everything done for them.

Our job is to introduce clients to suitable experts and to keep tabs on those experts (via your reports) to ensure they are doing a good job and providing value for money not simply a low probate quote. We used to do it in-house, but experience shows that attracting and keeping good quality staff is really tough. So instead of doing that, we spend our time interviewing solicitors and other specialists to form a panel with various areas of expertise. We can then chat with you to find out what your needs are, and pass you on to the appropriate panel member, once they have confirmed that they have the staff and time available to do the job. You don’t really want to be 100th in the queue for attention!

Once you confirm that you wish them to act for you, and have agreed to the probate fees, we ask you to report any issues to us. This will then influence whom we recommend in future, unless the problems are sorted out quickly.

I WOULD LIKE A (no obligation) PROBATE QUOTE PLEASE

(Tick boxes to left of option – don’t show on all screens). Or download a more detailed form.

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You can also write to us:

Stephen Pett, Editor, The Probate Department (brokers) 5 Malcolm Gardens, Polegate BN26 6PN

Where matters become unavoidably contentious, we can refer you to other firms that specialise in contentious probate. We should also mention that a great deal of our associates’ work is in Estate Planning, trusts, asset protection etc, so we can help the living plan effectively, as well as point you in the right direction in sorting out the affairs of the deceased, perhaps with fixed fee probate quotes.

Free telephone guidance: free generic guidance is limited to 5 minutes. Such guidance can only be based on the information given, and a full and considered study of the facts with paperwork may not come to the same conclusion. We always recommend that we pass you on to a specialist firm to get formal advice. We do not give advice, nor do we charge fees.

Will or Intestacy Review: who is entitled to what? Very often, the family may be uncertain (or disagree) with what the entitlement of individuals is, and this can lead to massive problems. A quick review can often settle that before it escalates.

Caveat – where there is a dispute: we can introduce you to firms who will ask the Courts to try to force the “other side” to speak to you and try to resolve problems (before they are granted the right to deal with the estate by the Probate Registry) by what is called “entering a caveat.” That may be enough to avoid what is called “contentious probate” – if it is not, we can introduce you to firms who handle such work at relatively modest cost, but it should be avoided if at all possible!

Fixed Fee Probate: provided you give an accurate list of all the assets and liabilities in the estate, we can source a very competitive fixed fee service. They will try to stick to it, but if extra work is required because problems arise or clients require additional advice or time, then that may change things.

Hourly Rates: in most cases, an hourly rate is actually the fairest way to deal with things, and is often much cheaper (especially if everyone is patient and just awaits our regular reports!) However, often estate are more complex than they seem, and the fixed fee providers will be looking to add their hourly charge for extra issues. Generally speaking most estates involve about 80% case workers rate (the lowest), 20% supervisors and no barristers rate unless things get complicated. That usually comes in where there are serious tax issues or complex trusts, and you will always be advised before this rate is charged.

Survey of Solicitors fees

This is the most recent survey of solicitors fees we could find; clearly, you are unlikely to be using a “Magic Circle” law firm (unless you are very rich!)

Average Solicitors hourly fees 2022 in brackets – I haven’t found any later ones.)

plus VAT.

Posh City solicitors: £1020 to £2020

Posh firms newly-qualified lawyer: £450 to £600

City firm partner (outside the magic circle): £600 – £900

City firm with less than 2 years’ post-qualification experience: £450 to £600

Major regional and national firm partner: estimated £450 – £600.

Major regional and national firm with less than 2 years post qualification experience: estimated £275 to £360.

Source: Jim Diamond’s Hourly Rate Survey 2022 and Final Report (he retired) did not cover all grades so there are some estimates.

Low cost probate quotes our recommendations hourly rates: are generally much less and the extras (“disbursements”) will be a lower, as they don’t have any hidden or unclear charges to help you save money on probate!