Wills, Trusts & Administration of Estates

Wills, Trusts & Administration of Estates Cumbria, Carlisle and Wigton
  • Preparation of Wills or Codicils
  • Inheritance Tax planning
  • Creation and Management of Trusts
  • Obtaining probate and administration of estates
  • Preparing Lasting Powers of Attorney
  • Applications to the Court of Protection;
  • Will and Estate Disputes
  • Advice relating to issues affecting the elderly client
  • Transferring property or assets to other family members by way of gift

How we charge for corresponding with financial institutions to confirm value of known assets, applying for the Grant of Representation, collecting and distributing the assets and providing estate accounts.

In dealing with the administration of an average sized estate, where inheritance tax is not payable, we would anticipate this will take between 10 and 22 hours work at hourly rates of between £200.00 to £250.00 depending on the fee earner acting in the conduct of the estate. Total costs are estimated at between £1,500.00 to £5,000.00 (plus VAT of between £300 - £1000.00 ). The total amount of disbursements estimated in dealing with the administration of the estate would be approximately £164.00 to £800.00, but will vary from estate to estate.

The exact cost will depend on the individual circumstances of the matter. For example, if there is one beneficiary and no property, costs will be at the lower end of the range. If there are multiple beneficiaries, a property and multiple bank accounts, costs will be at the higher end.

Fee Earner hourly rates

  • Directors and Solicitors over 8 years qualification £250.00 plus VAT of £50.00.
  • Solicitors and legal executives £215.00 - £230.00 plus VAT of £43 - £46.00.
  • Other Fee Earners £200.00 plus VAT of £40.00.

We will handle the full process for you. This example is for estates where:

  • There is a valid Will
  • There is no more than one property
  • There are no more than 5 bank or building society accounts
  • There are no other financial assets such as shares, business interests or intellectual property
  • There are 1 to 5 beneficiaries
  • There are no disputes between beneficiaries on division of assets. If disputes arise this is likely to lead to an increase in costs
  • There is no inheritance tax payable and executors do not need to submit a full account to HMRC
  • There are no claims made against the estate

Disbursements not included in this fee:

  • Probate application fee - £273.00
  • Additional copies of Grant of Probate £1.50 per copy (plus VAT of £0.30p where applicable)
  • Bankruptcy only Land Charges Department searches - £2.00 (plus VAT of £4.00) per beneficiary
  • Land Registry searches  - see current Land Registry Fees Order (plus VAT of 20%)
  • Post in the London Gazette and local newspaper - protects against unexpected claims from unknown creditors - on average approximately £200.00 to £300.00 depending on each case
  • Valuation fee - payable to valuer if a property valuation is required

Disbursements are costs related to your matter that are payable to third parties, such as court fees. We handle the payment of the disbursements on your behalf to ensure a smoother process.

Potential additional costs:

  • If there is no Will or the estate consists of any share holdings (stocks and bonds) or other business interests such as shares, there are likely to be additional costs that could range significantly depending on the estate and how it is to be dealt with. We can give you a more accurate quote once we have more information
  • If any additional copies of the grant are required, they will cost £1.50 plus VAT of £0.30p.
  • Dealing with the sale or transfer of any property in the estate is not included
  • If inheritance tax is payable and an IHT400 and supporting schedule needs to be drafted the costs will be considerably higher

Some clients spend more time discussing matters with us for a variety of reasons and we are happy to explain and advise as much as the client wishes. However, because we charge on a time spent basis, if more time is spent than in the average case set out above, our charges will be higher.

How long will this take?

On average, estates that fall within this range are dealt with within 6 to 12 months. Typically, obtaining the grant of probate takes 4 to 12 weeks. Collecting the financial assets then follows which can then take between 1 and 4 weeks but the sale of a property can take anything from a few weeks to a couple of years. Once this has been done, we can distribute the assets.

Obtaining Probate only – Example 2

We can help you through this difficult process by obtaining the grant of probate on your behalf.

How much does this service cost?

Estimated fee of £800.00 plus VAT plus disbursements as set out below.

This includes obtaining the grant of probate only based on the information you have provided to us.

Breakdown of costs:

  • Legal fees £800.00
  • VAT on legal fees £160.00
  • Probate court fee £273.00
  • Fee for 5 court sealed copies of the grant of probate £9.00 (including VAT)

Disbursements are costs related to your matter that are payable to third parties, such as court fees. We handle the payment of the disbursements on your behalf to ensure a smoother process.

As part of our fixed fee we will:

  • Provide you with a dedicated and experienced probate solicitor, legal executive or paralegal 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 relevant HMRC forms
  • Make the application to the probate court on your behalf
  • Obtain the probate and send copies to you

On average estates where we apply for a grant of representation only they are dealt with within 6 to 16 weeks.

If inheritance tax is payable, then our fees will be likely to be significantly higher and we would charge on a time spent basis. This is due to the additional work of preparing the IHT400 and supporting schedules.

Who will carry out the work for you:

We have a dedicated team of probate fee earners working from our Carlisle and Wigton offices. Details of our fee earners who deal with probate work are set out on the Our People Section of our website. All probate assistants, trainee and assistant solicitors are supervised by a Director of the firm who is a qualified solicitor.

How do I get in touch?

Please contact either our Carlisle office on 01228 525221 or our Wigton office on 016973 43241 or complete our enquiry form.