Price Transparency

At Fogwill & Jones (Legal Services) Limited we charge for all work done in relation to Probate matters on an hourly rate basis.  We believe that this is the fairest way to charge for the work needed.  Many other firms will charge a percentage of the gross estate in fees, but we have chosen not to.We can deal with the administration of the whole estate to relieve you of the burden of handling the estate or alternatively we can assist with parts of the administration for example obtaining the Grant of Probate or handling a particular asset.The exact cost for the Probate work we undertake will depend ultimately on the individual circumstances of the estate and how much work you wish us to take on.  If the estate is not complicated and for example, there is only one beneficiary, no property and limited assets to collect, costs will be at the lower than matters where there are multiple beneficiaries, a property and several bank accounts and other assets the costs will be at the higher end.Example fees:For a estate where there is:

• a valid will
• no more than one property and the estate does not exceed £325,000
• no more than 4 bank or building society accounts
• no other intangible assets
• no more than 4 beneficiaries
• no disputes between beneficiaries on division of assets. If disputes arise this is likely to lead to an increase in costs
• no inheritance tax payable and the executors do not need to submit a full account to HMRC
• no claims made against the estate and the estate does not include:

A business, farms, farmhouses or farmland, an interest in another estate, loans or mortgages payable to the deceased, foreign assets, assets held in trust, national Heritage assets or unlisted stocks and shares or holdings which gave the deceased control of a company.On average, these estates will take between 4 and 6 months to administer.  This time can be broken down as follows: We would usually expect to obtain the grant of probate from court within 4 – 8 weeks (subject to current delays at the Probate Registry). Collecting assets then follows, which can take between 6 – 8 weeks.  Once this has been done, we can distribute the assets, which normally takes another 6 – 8 weeks.This work will usually take between 12 and 16 hours work at a rate of £245 per hour. The fees could therefore be between £2940 and £3920 plus VAT.When you instruct us we will send a letter to you setting out the basis upon which we will charge our fees.Generally the work involved in the estate administration of an estate will be to:

• Identify the legally appointed executors or administrators and beneficiaries and establish the extent of the estate by identifying the various assets and liabilities
• Prepare the online application for the Grant of Probate on behalf of the executor(s) and submit it to the Probate Registry together with the Will, if there is one
• Once the Grant is received from the Probate Registry it is submitted to the various organisations with whom assets are held in order to start the process of transferring the assets into the beneficiaries’ names;
• All estate liabilities have to be paid before the estate can be distributed among the beneficiaries;
• Confirming that tax is paid up to date and there are no outstanding HMRC claims;
• Preparation of the Estate accounts and distribution of the estate in accordance with the terms of the Will.

Transferring or selling any property in the estate is not included.There may be other possible disbursements during the administration:

• Probate application fee of £300 plus £1.50 per copy
• Bankruptcy-only Land Charges Department searches (£2 per beneficiary)
• £69.50 plus VAT to advertise in The London Gazette – this protects against unexpected claims from unknown creditors.
• £300-£350 plus VAT to advertise in a Local Newspaper – this also helps to protect against unexpected claims.