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Probate - Administration of Estates

When you are dealing with the death of a loved one, the practicalities of dealing with their estate can be overwhelming. At Serjeant & Son we will provide an experienced and sympathetic helping hand, whatever your situation may be. From small estates to agricultural businesses, our level of professionalism and commitment to helping you and your family does not differ.

Fees

The cost of administering an estate can vary depending on the complexity and the level of assistance required. Some people prefer to do much of the work themselves, leaving only the Inheritance Tax forms and application for a Grant to our experienced team. On the other hand, others will hand over the entire administration of the Estate to us, we therefore charge on an hourly rate basis. In order to keep costs to a minimum we utilise our legal assistants to carry out the more administrative tasks. Typically most estates would cost between £500 - £3000 plus VAT. Please click here to see our standard charging rates.

If we are administering the Estate we may charge a handling fee, the usual responsibility percentage that we will charge is as follows:

Where Serjeant & Son are not executors - 0.45% of the gross estate
Where Serjeant & Son are executors - 0.6% of the gross estate
Where a bank or other professionals are executors - 0.2% of the gross estate

This is not charged if we are merely applying for a Grant of Probate / Letters of Administration and not administering the estate.

Disbursements

In addition, there will be a probate fee which is currently £273 and there may be additional charges for court sealed copies, copies of previous grants, death certificates and valuations. We will advise for each individual estate.

Probate Fixed Fee Appointment

If you wish to apply for a Grant of Probate and administer the estate yourself, but simply wish for some advice and a guide on how to go through the process, we offer a fixed fee one hour appointment for £250 + VAT. After your appointment, you will be provided with a comprehensive letter of advice to help you when making your application and administering the estate.