Probate

Probate is the legal process for dealing with the estate for someone who has died.  It is the responsibility of the Executors named in their Will.  In most cases, these will be family, or friends, of the deceased.  But some appoint professional Executors, for example, a Solicitor.

If you are the Executor of the Will, you will usually have to obtain a Grant of Probate.  However, this may not be necessary for estates of less than £15,000, or if the assets were held jointly and are passing to a surviving spouse, or civil partner.

If you do need to carry this out, the first step is to assess the size of the estate and then apply for a Grant.

We, at Silver and Ward, can help Executors with the process at very competitive rates. The second stage in the Probate process is the administration of the estate, where Executors gather in and distribute assets in accordance with their Will.  This can only be undertaken once a Grant of Probate, or Letters of Administration, have been obtained.

Again, we at Silver and Ward can help Executors with as little, or as much, of this part of the process as they require. At Silver and Ward our clients find that being an Executor is not an onerous process as we are able to assist and advise every step of the way and remove the burden of being an Executor from them.

We can help you through this difficult process by obtaining the Grant of Probate or Letters of Administration on your behalf. We confirm that your apply for Grant of Probate where there is a will and Letters of Administration where there is no will.  We can also undertake the collecting and distributing of assets if required.

How much does this service cost? We confirm that Mrs Mayell charges an hourly rate of £205 plus VAT in dealing with an application for Grant of Probate or Letters of Administration and estate administration. We confirm that VAT is charged at 20% in addition to her hourly rate.

We only deal with estates that are below a deceased’ s Inheritance Tax threshold and require an IHT205 form to be completed and where there is no Inheritance Tax to pay. If we are instructed to just apply for the Grant of Probate or Letters of Administration we estimate costs of 3-4 hours work at £205 per hour plus VAT at 20%.

In addition, there is a fee payable to the Probate Registry of £155.00 and £4.50 for 3 office copies of the Grant of Probate or Letters of Administration. Please note that disbursements are costs related to a matter that are incurred whomsoever you may instruct and are payable to third parties, such as probate fee. We handle the payment of these on your behalf to ensure a smoother process. We confirm that these are not subject to VAT .

If you then require us to assist with the administration of the estate this is charged at an hourly rate of £205 plus VAT for all work done. We confirm that letters and telephone calls are charged at £20.50 plus VAT per letter/phone call/email. As we only deal with estates below the Inheritance Tax threshold if we are administering the estate we do not expect our costs to exceed £2,000 plus VAT. If we need to review this with you it will be done in person and in writing.

Our charging rates are annually reviewed on the 5th April each year.

As part of the above fees we will:

  • Provide you with a dedicated and experienced probate solicitor to work on your matter
  • Identify the legally appointed executors or administrators and beneficiaries
  • Accurately identify the type of Probate application you will require
  • Obtain the relevant documents required to make the application
  • Complete the Probate Application and the IHT 205 HMRC form
  • Make the application to the Probate Registry on your behalf
  • Obtain the Probate or Letters of Administration and securely send three copies to you
  • Collect and distribute all assets in the estate

On average, estates that fall within this range are dealt with within 6-7 months. Typically, obtaining the Grant of Probate or Letters of Administration takes 12 weeks from the date the application is made to the Probate Registry. Collecting assets then follows, which can take between 3 months subject to the sale of any house. Once this has been done, we can distribute the assets, which normally takes 3-4 weeks.

We confirm that Mrs Mayell deals with all Grant of Probate applications and she has been qualified as a solicitor since 1996. She has an LLB Honours Law Degree from Birmingham Polytechnic and is a highly experienced solicitor in dealing with wills and probate.

Please note that this cost information is general and we will give you more precise and personalised information when you contact us direct with details of the estate you would like us to administer. Our charges are calculated on Mrs Mayell’s hourly rate as set out above.

Once you contact us direct we will always let you have a personalised written estimate of our charges and those will relate to your matter and you should rely on that information rather than any more general information that you have seen on our website.

probates sheringham