Probate · Fixed fee agreed first, with VAT
Estate administration with a property or no will
Aaron handles the whole estate where there is a property or no will, and no full inheritance tax account. 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£6,000inc. VAT(£5,000 + 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: the £6 Land Registry fee plus VAT; £8.40 by post | £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 |
Trust wills, probate, and trust and estate administration carry 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 £24 inc. VAT (£20 + VAT) for the matter and £7.50 inc. VAT (£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, and arranges the property valuation, to identify all the assets and debts.
Applying for the grant
Aaron reports the excepted estate's figures in the probate application and prepares the supporting documents.
Collecting in and the property
Aaron collects in the assets, manages the property until it is sold or transferred, and pays the debts and any tax.
Distributing the estate
Aaron distributes the estate in line with the will, or the intestacy rules, 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, plus managing and selling or transferring the property or the share, or an intestacy.
- Not included
- Conveyancing fees, valuers and clearance firms, deeds of variation and disputes.
- 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.
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 with a property in the sole name or a share as tenants in common, or no will (intestacy), and no full IHT400 inheritance tax account, the starting fee for this service applies. The fee for an estate of cash and investments with a valid will is listed separately and is lower. Where HMRC needs the full IHT400 account, the estate administration with the full inheritance tax account fee applies, and it is higher. 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; a business, a farm or foreign assets; shareholdings in certificate form; a lost will; a trust in the will; 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; reporting the excepted estate's figures, and any nil-rate band transferred from a late spouse or civil partner, in the probate application; managing the property (insurance, valuations, utilities and clearance) until sale or transfer; collecting in the assets; paying debts and tax; the final estate accounts and distribution.
What is not included: Conveyancing fees for the sale or transfer of the property; third-party valuers and clearance companies; deeds of variation; disputes. Each is quoted separately if you need it. 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
This is general information about the law of England and Wales, not legal advice. Each case is assessed on its own merits.
The whole estate, where there is more to it
A property changes an estate administration. It has to be valued, insured, looked after and eventually sold or transferred. Aaron manages all of it, alongside the grant, the money in and the money out, at a fixed fee agreed before anything starts. The same starting fee applies where there is no will. Where HMRC needs a full inheritance tax account, with or without a property, the estate administration with the full inheritance tax account fee applies instead.
If the estate is cash and investments only, with a valid will and no full tax account, the standard estate administration fee applies instead, and it is lower.
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 nil-rate band 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.
£1,140inc. VAT(£950 + 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.
£2,160inc. VAT(£1,800 + 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£3,600inc. VAT(£3,000 + VAT)agreed as a fixed fee before any work starts - Estate administration, with the full IHT400 account
One person or a couple · 9 to 14 months
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.
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
- 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.
from£9,600inc. VAT(£8,000 + 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.