Probate · Fixed fee agreed first, with VAT
Estate administration with the full inheritance tax account
Aaron handles the whole estate where HMRC needs the full inheritance tax account, with or without a property or tax to pay. A fixed fee agreed in writing before the work starts, never a percentage.
From this figure, agreed as a fixed fee in writing before any work starts. Once agreed it does not change.
- Who it is for
- One person or a couple
- Typical timescale
- 9 to 14 months
- Who does the work
- Aaron Johnson, Consultant Solicitor and TEP, personally. No hand-offs.
What it costs
The fee, and the costs that are not the fee.
Third-party costs, called disbursements, are paid to the court, the Office of the Public Guardian, HM Land Registry or another body. They are passed on at cost and shown here so there is nothing to discover later.
See every fee on one page.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| FeeFrom this figure, agreed as a fixed fee in writing before any work starts. Once agreed it does not change. | from£8,000+ VAT(£9,600 inc. VAT) |
| Third-party costs, paid at cost | |
| Probate application feenone if the estate is £5,000 or less | £526 |
| Extra copies of the granteach, ordered with the application; £16 each afterwards | £2typical, can vary |
| Bankruptcy searchesPer beneficiary, before distribution | £7.20 |
| Section 27 statutory noticesLondon Gazette and a local newspaper; protects executors from unknown creditors | £250typical, can vary |
| Land Registry official copiesper document, HM Land Registry, no VAT | £7 |
Regulated work (trust wills, probate, trust and estate administration) carries a small onboarding fee for the matter and an identity check for each person. Standard wills and powers of attorney do not. It is confirmed before any work starts. For this service it is £20 + VAT for the matter and £6.25 + VAT for each person.
What happens, in order
From first call to finish.
- How long it takes
- 9 to 14 months
Aaron does each step himself. If a step takes longer than expected, that is his cost, not yours.
Free 15-minute call
Aaron learns about the estate, explains what needs to happen and gives you a fixed fee.
Valuing the estate
Aaron contacts the banks, insurers and other institutions, arranges any property valuation and asks about gifts made in the seven years before the death, to identify all the assets and debts.
The IHT400 account and the grant
Aaron prepares the IHT400 account and its schedules, arranges payment of the tax due before the grant, then applies for the grant once HMRC's code arrives.
Collecting in, debts and tax
Aaron collects in the assets, manages any property until it is sold or transferred, pays the debts and any further tax, and answers HMRC's questions.
Clearance, accounts and distribution
Aaron obtains HMRC's clearance, then distributes the estate in line with the will and gives everyone full accounts.
Included and not included
What the fee covers, and what it does not.
Published under the SRA Transparency Rules. Anything outside the fee is quoted separately before it is done.
- Included
- Everything in estate administration with a property where it applies, plus the full IHT400 account and schedules, the reliefs and allowances claimed, the tax calculated and paid from the estate (including instalments on a property), HMRC correspondence and clearance.
- Not included
- Conveyancing fees, valuers and clearance firms, deeds of variation and disputes. The inheritance tax itself, which is paid from the estate.
- What the starting price assumes
- The full IHT400 account, whether or not tax is due.
- No more than one property, in England and Wales.
- Up to 4 beneficiaries.
- Up to 6 bank, building society or NS&I accounts.
- Up to 3 shareholdings or investment holdings. A portfolio run by one manager counts as one.
- All the assets in the UK.
- A valid will.
- What raises the quote
- More beneficiaries, accounts or holdings than the starting price assumes, or shares to be sold rather than transferred.
- Each additional property.
- A property that has to be let, cleared or managed for a long time.
- No will.
- Assets outside the UK.
- A business or a farm.
- A trust in the will, or a trust the estate creates.
- Lifetime gifts to trace and value for the IHT400 account.
- A beneficiary who is under 18, lives abroad or cannot be traced.
- An insolvent estate, where the debts are more than the assets.
- An HMRC enquiry.
- A dispute or a claim against the estate. A deed of variation is its own item, at its own fee.
Each is agreed with you in writing before the extra work starts, as a revised fixed fee. Never an hourly rate.
How the fee is set: Fees are fixed and modular, never hourly and never a percentage of the estate. Aaron gives a fixed-fee quote in writing after assessing the estate.
Starting fee: For an estate that needs the full IHT400 inheritance tax account, with or without a property and whether or not tax is due, the starting fee for this service applies. Where the estate is excepted, the lower estate administration fees apply instead. Aaron publishes every fee, with VAT, on the fees page.
What raises the fixed fee: The starting fee assumes what is listed above. More than one property; a property to let, clear or manage for a long time; more beneficiaries, accounts or shareholdings; the number of debts to settle; no will; a business, a farm or foreign assets; a trust in the will; lifetime gifts to trace; missing beneficiaries; the deceased's final self-assessment return; an insolvent estate; an HMRC enquiry or a DWP investigation; or any dispute. Each is agreed as a further fixed amount before the work starts. The fee agreed covers what is known at the time. If something new comes to light later, a further fixed fee for that piece of work is agreed with you first.
What is included: Obtaining date-of-death valuations; the full IHT400 account and its schedules; claiming the allowances and reliefs that apply; calculating the inheritance tax and paying it from the estate, including instalments on a property; the probate application once HMRC's code arrives; managing any property until sale or transfer; collecting in the assets; paying debts; HMRC correspondence and clearance; the final estate accounts and distribution.
What is not included: Conveyancing fees for the sale or transfer of a property; third-party valuers and clearance companies; deeds of variation; disputes. Each is quoted separately if you need it. The inheritance tax itself is paid from the estate and is not part of the fee. Section 27 notices are a disbursement at cost.
Aaron’s promise
What you can hold him to.
- Aaron handles your matter from start to finish
- The fee is fixed and confirmed before work starts
- You are told what is happening at every stage
- Home visits across Bridlington and East Yorkshire
- A free 15-minute call, with no obligation
In more detail
The whole estate, with the full inheritance tax account
Some estates need the full inheritance tax account, form IHT400. HMRC asks for it where the estate is not an excepted estate. That happens where more than the nil-rate band passes to people other than a spouse, civil partner or charity. It also happens with a very large estate, large gifts, a trust interest or assets abroad.
Aaron prepares the account and its schedules and claims every allowance and relief that applies. He pays any tax from the estate, by instalments on a property where that helps, and obtains HMRC's clearance. He does it alongside the grant, the money in and the money out, at a fixed fee agreed before anything starts.
If the estate turns out to be excepted, a lower estate administration fee applies instead: with a property or no will, or for cash and investments with a valid will.
Other probate fees.
About probate- Grant only probate
One person or a couple · Usually within 12 weeks of the application (HMCTS)
Reviewing the will and death certificate, the estate figures and any transferred allowance reported in the probate application, the legal statement, the application, and the grant handed to you.
Plus Probate application fee £526. Extra copies of the grant about £2.
£950+ VAT(£1,140 inc. VAT) - Grant only, with the IHT400 account
One person or a couple · HMRC's code first, then usually within 12 weeks of the application (HMCTS)
The full IHT400 account and schedules, the reliefs and allowances claimed, tax calculated and the account submitted to HMRC, then the application and the grant.
Plus Probate application fee £526. Extra copies of the grant about £2.
£1,800+ VAT(£2,160 inc. VAT) - Estate administration
One person or a couple · 6 to 9 months
Valuations, the excepted estate's figures in the probate application, the grant, collecting in the assets, paying debts and tax, final accounts and distribution, for an estate of cash and investments with a valid will.
Plus Probate application fee £526. Extra copies of the grant about £2. Bankruptcy searches £7.20. Section 27 statutory notices about £250.
What the starting price assumes, and what raises it
- What the starting price assumes
- Up to 4 beneficiaries.
- Up to 6 bank, building society or NS&I accounts.
- Up to 3 shareholdings or investment holdings. A portfolio run by one manager counts as one.
- All the assets in the UK.
- A valid will.
- What raises the quote
- More beneficiaries, accounts or holdings than the starting price assumes, or shares to be sold rather than transferred.
- A property, or no will. The estate then moves to the property or no will tier.
- The full IHT400 account. The estate then moves to the IHT400 tier.
- Assets outside the UK.
- A business or a farm.
- A trust in the will, or a trust the estate creates.
- Lifetime gifts to trace and value.
- A beneficiary who is under 18, lives abroad or cannot be traced.
- An insolvent estate, where the debts are more than the assets.
- An HMRC enquiry.
- A dispute or a claim against the estate. A deed of variation is its own item, at its own fee.
Each is agreed with you in writing before the extra work starts, as a revised fixed fee. Never an hourly rate.
from£3,000+ VAT(£3,600 inc. VAT)agreed as a fixed fee before any work starts - Estate administration, with a property or no will
One person or a couple · 9 to 14 months
Everything in estate administration, plus managing and selling or transferring the property or the share, or an intestacy.
Plus Probate application fee £526. Extra copies of the grant about £2. Bankruptcy searches £7.20. Section 27 statutory notices about £250. Land Registry official copies £7.
What the starting price assumes, and what raises it
- What the starting price assumes
- No more than one property in England and Wales, in the sole name or a share as tenants in common.
- Up to 4 beneficiaries.
- Up to 6 bank, building society or NS&I accounts.
- Up to 3 shareholdings or investment holdings. A portfolio run by one manager counts as one.
- All the assets in the UK.
- A valid will, or no will.
- An excepted estate, with no full IHT400 account.
- What raises the quote
- More beneficiaries, accounts or holdings than the starting price assumes, or shares to be sold rather than transferred.
- Each additional property.
- A property that has to be let, cleared or managed for a long time.
- The full IHT400 account. The estate then moves to the IHT400 tier.
- Assets outside the UK.
- A business or a farm.
- A trust in the will, or a trust the estate creates.
- Lifetime gifts to trace and value.
- A beneficiary who is under 18, lives abroad or cannot be traced.
- An insolvent estate, where the debts are more than the assets.
- An HMRC enquiry.
- A dispute or a claim against the estate. A deed of variation is its own item, at its own fee.
Each is agreed with you in writing before the extra work starts, as a revised fixed fee. Never an hourly rate.
from£5,000+ VAT(£6,000 inc. VAT)agreed as a fixed fee before any work starts
Next step
Ready when you are.
Sixty seconds of questions that end on your plan and a fixed fee, with VAT.
Or call 01262 310 850, Monday to Friday, 9am to 5.30pm.
Appointments are usually available within a few working days, including Tuesday and Thursday evenings, and home visits across East and North Yorkshire.