Fixed price Wills & Probate

Our Wills and Probate solicitors are experts in their field, and having been named Law Firm of the Year at the 360 Legal awards twice, it’s no secret that our solicitors are amongst the industry leaders in providing expert advice and representation in all legal matters, including issues regarding Probate and Will fees. We are delighted to offer a range of fixed price services in this area.

Please note that our fixed or estimated fees for Wills and Probate work are based upon a matter having standard features. They give an indication of the likely range of prices in most instances. However if your matter has non-standard features such as complex property, family relationships, dispositions or risks, then we may not be able to assist you for the fees shown on our website. In that instance we may give you an alternative fee quote based on hourly rates or  further fixed or estimated fees.

If you would like further information on how we can help you, please call us on 0161 696 6238 for a no obligation initial chat with one of our advisors. We have a team of friendly and approachable advisors who are waiting to take your call. They will talk to you about your situation without using legal jargon and they will do their best to make you feel comfortable and at ease. If you don’t want to call us initially you can contact us at a time most convenient to you, anytime of the day or night, through our online enquiry form and we will get back to you as soon as we can to see if we can help.

All prices quoted relating to Stephensons legal fees are not inclusive of VAT

Making a Will - price guide

Stephensons' specialist Will writing solicitors have extensive experience in preparing Wills to cover all circumstances. Whether you have a complex estate or you simply want to make sure certain belongings go to certain people, we can make a Will to suit you.

Level 1 Wills

£300 Single Will - £400 Mirror Wills (plus VAT and ID check)

Instruction options available

• We send out a link to our Wills instruction form for you to complete as far as possible and return in advance so that it ensures we can get your Will done in one visit.
• If you are not on email then we can send a Will pre-appointment questionnaire in the post so that we can get the Will done for you in one visit if you return the questionnaire beforehand.
• If you want to attend to provide instructions and we then draft the Will and go through it with you before signing all in one attendance (and you don’t want to pre-complete a questionnaire either through our online system or by bringing in a pre-appointment questionnaire we send to you in the post).

Level 2 Wills - Multiple Legacies

£375 Single Will - £450 Mirror Wills (plus VAT and ID check)

• Suitable if the Will is more complicated, requires multiple legacies or you would like a draft to be sent to you to consider further. This option is also suitable if you would like to attend to provide instructions, we then draft the Will and go through it with you before signing all in one attendance.
• Should you need to leave someone out of your Will an additional £90 including VAT will be payable to cover the cost of the advice we need to give you on the implications of this.

Level 3 Wills

£400 Single Will - £600 Mirror Wills (plus VAT and ID check)

Wills to include a trust to protect against factors which could affect the surviving spouse/civil partner together with the relevant deed to ensure that the jointly owned property is owned in such a way to allow a half share to pass into a trust on the first death.

Level 4 Wills

£1,555

This is for people who wish to receive inheritance tax planning advice related to their Will so as to leave as much as possible to their chosen beneficiaries through minimising inheritance tax paid. These Wills can involve the use of trusts to plan to minimise the impact of inheritance tax and is more particularly aimed at married couples/civil partners due to the tax exemptions provided to them*.

*If you are not married or in a civil partnership we would be able to advise you on inheritance tax planning options which advice would be charged on the hourly rates of the person assisting you. 

How much does probate cost?

Please note that our fixed or estimated fees for Wills and Probate work are based upon a matter having standard features. They give an indication of the likely range of prices in most instances. However if your matter has non-standard features such as complex property, family relationships, dispositions or risks, then we may not be able to assist you for the fees shown on our website. In that instance we may give you an alternative fee quote based on hourly rates or further fixed or estimated fees. To get a more specific ,no obligation, quote for your matter please feel free to complete the contact form on this page and we will contact you give you some more information. There will be no hard sell. We will just let you know what your options are and then you decide.

Grant of probate/grant of letters of administration only where no Inheritance Tax is payable - £1,200 plus third party costs (disbursements)* and VAT

Executors/administrators can then deal with the administration of the estate after we have obtained the grant for them.

If Inheritance Tax is payable or there are other tax matters arising we will agree a fee with you based on the hourly rates of the person dealing with the matter. Complex estates involving tax matters tend to be handled by more senior solicitors and staff and our average hourly rate for them is £225 plus VAT.

Dealing with entire estate (obtaining grant, collecting in assets and distributing to beneficiaries)

For average estate values which are under £325,000 and with no inheritance tax payable, where this is the case our average prices are: 3% of the gross value of the estate plus third party costs and VAT.

This means, for example, that if the estate is worth £250,000 before deduction of debts and other expenses then our fees would be £7,500 plus third party costs and VAT.

We charge a minimum fee of £3,000 plus third party costs (disbursements)* and VAT.

If Inheritance Tax is payable or there are other tax matters arising we will agree a fee with you based on the hourly rates of the person dealing with the matter. Complex estates involving tax matters tend to be handled by more senior solicitors and staff and our average hourly rate for them is £225 plus VAT.

*Third party costs

• Probate Court fee of £300 plus VAT
• £1.50 plus VAT for each office copy of the grant required (1 per asset usually)
• £3.00 plus VAT HM Land Registry official copy entry
• £2 plus VAT bankruptcy search
• £10 plus VAT for electronic ID search
• HM Land Registry registration fees based on scales and the value and status of the property - between £30 and £200.

Other third party costs will be advised as required, e.g. accountant’s fee for potential income tax return, statutory advertisement fee to advertise for unknown creditors, asset tracing fee

There may be additional third party costs for lost share certificates and share registrar and/or sale agent fees on transfer or sale of the shares

S27 Advertisements in the London Gazette and a local newspaper in from £150 - £300 depending on the local newspaper advertising costs

Stockbroker fees - £25 - £150 depending on the number of shareholdings to be dealt with

How long does probate take?

The probate procedure involves the personal representatives valuing the estate's assets, taking from this any debt amounts and then notifying the probate registry what the value of the remaining estate is. The length of time involved largely depends on what is in the estate. If there is a house, then it will depend on the housing market and how quickly a sale can be agreed. If there are only bank accounts then you may be able to get the grant within about two months. If there are shares, it could take longer. The more wide-ranging the types of assets there are in an estate, the longer it could take. If inheritance tax has to be paid, the values of the assets in an estate may have to be agreed with the Inland Revenue and this could take time.

Key stages and what is included in our pricing

If you instruct us to obtain a grant only and you administer the estate then the key stages and what is included in our prices is:

1. Preparing the relevant HMRC forms and Statement of Truth from the probate valuations obtained by you
2. Placing statutory advertisements (if required)
3. Carrying out a Certainty Search if required
4. Helping you to ensure that the relevant HMRC forms and Statement of Truth are correct and suitable to be signed
5. Lodging your application for the Grant of Representation at the Probate Registry
6. Providing you with the Grant of Representation and sealed copies

If you instruct us to obtain a grant and administer the estate then the key stages and what is included in our prices is:

1. Valuing the estate assets
2. Obtaining details of outstanding debts
3. Arranging payment of the funeral from estate funds (if required)
4. Placing statutory advertisements (if required)
5. Carrying out a Certainty Search if required
6. Preparing the relevant HMRC forms and Statement of Truth
7. Arranging payment of Inheritance Tax where necessary
8. Helping you to ensure that the relevant HMRC forms and Statement of Truth are correct and suitable to be signed
9. Lodging your application for the Grant of Representation at the Probate Registry
10. Collecting in the assets
11. Paying the debts from estate funds
12. Liaising with HMRC in respect of income tax for the current tax year up to date of death
13. Instructing an accountant to complete additional tax returns (if required)
14. Preparing estate and distribution accounts
15. Distributing the estate to the beneficiaries

*Not included in the price are the sales fees on properties, estate agency, taxes and  HMLR fees.

What qualifications do the team hold?

All estate administration work is supervised by a qualified solicitor. Specific experience can be seen in the individual staff profiles.

If you would like further information on how we can help you, please call us on 0161 696 6238 for a no obligation initial chat with one of our advisors. We have a team of friendly and approachable advisors who are waiting to take your call. They will talk to you about your situation without using legal jargon and they will do their best to make you feel comfortable and at ease. If you don’t want to call us initially you can contact us at a time most convenient to you, anytime of the day or night, through our online enquiry form and we will get back to you as soon as we can to see if we can help.