Detailed information about our English Probate and Estate Administration service

Grant application only

Grant application only service

We will deal with the Grant application which includes completion of the application via online portal or by post (depending on circumstances), completion of the Inheritance Tax return and all correspondence with the Probate Registry. If Inheritance Tax is due, we will liaise HMRC and will complete the documents required to pay Inheritance Tax. The personal representatives are responsible for obtaining and verifying the information required for the grant application and for completing the remainder of the estate administration.

Our work types

We divide our work into three main types; Simple Estates, Standard Estates and Complex Estates. We then have two levels within each main type; Level 1 and Level 2.

Simple Estates

We define a Level 1 Simple Estate as follows:

  • The estate meets HMRC’s definition of an excepted estate
  • There is a valid will
  • There are no legacies in the will
  • There are no more than 3 executors
  • There are no more than 3 beneficiaries
  • There are no ‘missing’ or untraceable beneficiaries or executors
  • There is only one property
  • There are accounts with no more than 2 banks or building societies
  • There is no more than 1 NS&I product
  • There are no assets other than those listed above
  • The estate meets HMRC’s definition of a ‘simple’ estate for reporting income and capital gains during the administration period.
  • The deceased did not make any lifetime gifts
  • The gross estate value is less than the Nil Rate Band (currently £325,000)
  • There is no Inheritance Tax due
  • There are no claims against the estate or disputes

We define a Level 2 Simple Estate as follows:

  • The estate meets HMRC’s definition of an excepted estate
  • There is a valid will
  • There are no legacies in the will
  • There are no more than 3 executors
  • There are no more than 3 beneficiaries
  • There are no ‘missing’ or untraceable beneficiaries or executors
  • There is only one property
  • There are accounts with no more than 2 banks or building societies
  • There is no more than 1 NS&I product
  • There are no assets other than those listed above
  • The estate meets HMRC’s definition of a ‘simple’ estate for reporting income and capital gains during the administration period.
  • The deceased did not make any lifetime gifts
  • The gross estate value is less than the Combined Nil Rate Band (currently up to £650,000)
  • There is no Inheritance Tax due
  • There are no claims against the estate or disputes

As part of our service, we will confirm whether an estate meets the criteria for an excepted estate. As a summary, the estate of a UK domiciled person is excepted if it meets any of the following criteria:

If the person died before 31 December 2021:

  • The estate value is below the Inheritance Tax threshold at the time the person died
  • The person that died left everything to a surviving spouse or civil partner living in the UK or to a qualifying charity and the estate is worth less than £1 million

If the person died after 1 January 2022:

  • The estate value is below the Inheritance Tax threshold at the time the person died
  • the estate is worth £325,000 or less and any unused threshold is being transferred from a spouse or civil partner who died first
  • The person that died left everything to a spouse or civil partner living in the UK or to a qualifying charity and the estate is worth less than £3 million.

Standard Estates

We define a Level 1 Standard Estate as being an excepted estate that does not meet the Simple Estate criteria.

We define a Level 2 Standard Estate as follows:

  • The estate does not meet the criteria of an excepted estate
  • There is no Inheritance Tax due
  • The gross estate value is less than £1.5 million
  • The gross estate value is more than £1.5 million but no Inheritance Tax is due as a result of Spouse Exemption
  • Business Property Relief is claimed on AIM portfolio / shares only
  • There are no gifts out of excess income
  • There is no claim for more than one transferable Nil Rate Band

Complex Estates

We define a Level 1 Complex Estate as follows:

Level 1 – where no Inheritance Tax is due and the estate does not meet the definition of a Standard or Simple Estate.

Level 1 – where Inheritance Tax is due

  • The gross estate value is less than £1.5m
  • Inheritance Tax is paid upfront and not by instalments
  • Double grossing does not apply
  • There are no disputes over domicile
  • There is no claim for successive IHT charges
  • There is no claim for Double Taxation Relief

We define a Level 2 Complex Estate as an estate that does not meet the definition of Level 1 set out above.

 

Summary of the overall process

Simple Estates and Standard Estate Level 1

Stage One

  1. Prepare papers to apply for probate
  2. Review and signing of probate papers by the personal representatives. Normally we will have a meeting with them at this stage but if they live away this can be dealt with by post or email.

Stage Two

  1. Apply to the Probate Registry for probate including paying registry fees.
  2. Probate is normally issued sixteen weeks after the application has been submitted.

Stage Three

  1. The grant is sent to you with copies of the grant application documents.
  2. You will deal with the remainder of the estate administration.

 

Standard Estates Level 2

Stage One

  1. Prepare papers to apply for probate including IHT400 and schedules.
  2. Review and signing of probate papers by the personal representatives. Normally we will have a meeting with them at this stage but if they live away this can be dealt with by post or email.

Stage Two

  1. Submit IHT400 and Schedules to HMRC.
  2. Apply to the Probate Registry for probate including paying registry fees.
  3. Probate is normally issued sixteen weeks after the application has been submitted.

Stage Three

  1. The grant is sent to you with copies of the grant application documents including IHT400 and Schedules.
  2. You will deal with the remainder of the estate administration.

Complex Estates

Stage One

  1. Prepare papers to apply for probate including IHT400 and schedules.
  2. Review and signing of probate papers by the personal representatives. Normally we will have a meeting with them at this stage but if they live away this can be dealt with by post or email.

Stage Two

  1. Arrange for Inheritance Tax to be paid to HMRC.
  2. Submit IHT400 and Schedules to HMRC.
  3. Apply to the Probate Registry for probate including paying registry fees.
  4. Probate is normally issued sixteen weeks after the application has been submitted.

Stage Three

  1. The grant is sent to you with copies of the grant application documents.
  2. You will deal with the remainder of the estate administration.

Our legal fees

Simple Estates

Level One

£995 plus £199 VAT (total of £1,194)

Level Two

£1,495 plus £299 VAT (total of £1,794)

Standard Estates

Level One

£2,495 plus £499 VAT (total of £2,994)

Level Two

£3,995 plus £799 VAT (total of £4,794)

Complex Estates

Level One

£4,995 plus £999 VAT (total of £5,994)

Level Two

£7,495 plus £1,499 VAT (total of £8,994)

What our legal fees do not include (other costs that you may be expected to pay)

Our legal fees do not include Inheritance Tax and this is paid from the estate of the person that has died. For further information about Inheritance Tax please see our Guide to Inheritance Tax or visit the Gov.UK website.

£300 – Probate Registry – Grant application fee

£1.50 – Probate Registry – Copy Grant fee (per copy)

£200 (estimate) – Notarised or Apostilled documents (this applies to cross border / international matters)

Please note, there may be other fees due and we will always notify you before we start work if there are other fees due.

Our Legal Fees that may be due on some but not all estates

£495 plus £99 VAT (total of £594) – Additional fee due when the deceased did not leave a Will or a gift in the Will fails which means the estate passes by the rules of Intestacy. This fee applies to Simple Estates and Standard Estates.

£995 plus £199 VAT (total of £1,194) – Additional fee due when the deceased did not leave a Will or a gift in the Will fails which means the estate passes by the rules of Intestacy. This fee applies to Complex Estates.

£495 plus £99 VAT (total of £594) – Additional fee due when the deceased had assets in a jurisdiction outside of England and Wales. This fee applies to Simple and Standard Estates.

£995 plus £199 VAT (total of £1,194) – Additional fee due when the deceased had assets in a jurisdiction outside of England and Wales. This fee applies to Complex Estates.

£495 plus £99 VAT (total of £594) Property Transfer Fee

Please note, depending on your circumstances there may be other costs due and we will always notify you before we start work if there are other expected costs.

Other professional fees that may be due on some but not all estates

Share registrar fees for lost share certificate indemnity.

Stockbroker fees for transferring or selling shares.

Please note, the fees for other professionals will be confirmed before they are instructed.

How long will it take (estimated time frame)

Simple Estates and Standard Estates Level 1

Stage One

Two to four weeks

Stage Two

Sixteen weeks

Stage Three

One week

Overall

Between nineteen and twenty one weeks

 

Standard estates Level 2 and Complex Estates

Stage One

Two to four weeks

Stage Two

Twenty two weeks

Stage Three

One week

Overall

Between twenty five and twenty seven weeks

Who will carry out the work

Grant applications will be carried out by Paul ClarkTEP or Natasha Yelland.

Natasha is a solicitor and has more than 1 year’s post qualification experience.

Paul is a solicitor and has over 8 years post qualification experience. He is a full member of STEP and sits on the Private Client Section advisory committee.

Paul Clark is the managing director of Spall Clark Solicitors and has overall responsibility for all probate matters.

Partial Estate Administration

Partial Estate Administration

When we have dealt with the Grant of Probate application, the personal representatives may require us to undertake specific tasks without requiring us to undertake the full administration. The fees charged will be based on the same matter type as when we dealt with the Grant of Probate application (e.g. Simple, Standard or Complex, Level 1 or 2). Please see the Grant of Probate only section for details of how we define estates.

We offer two types of service.

Straightforward service

Placing Statutory Notices to Creditors, placing an Estate Search or completing an Inheritance corrective account.

Note that this service is only available when we have dealt with the Grant application.

Bespoke Service

Undertaking certain tasks such as contacting share registrars or preparing estate accounts.

Note that this service is only available when we have dealt with the Grant application.

Our legal fees

Note these fees are in addition to our Grant only fees.

Straightforward service

£495 plus £99 VAT (total of £594) This applies to Simple, Standard and Complex Estates.

£995 plus £199 VAT (total of £1,194) – Preparing an Inheritance Tax corrective account for a Complex Estate Level 1

£1,495 plus £299 VAT (total of £1,794) – Preparing an Inheritance Tax corrective account for a Complex Estate Level 2

Bespoke service

Hourly rate of £272 plus £54.40 (total of £326.40) subject to a minimum fee of £995 plus £199 VAT (total of £1,194). This applies to Simple Estates Level 1.

Hourly rate of £272 plus £54.40 (total of £326.40) subject to a minimum fee of £1,495 plus £299 VAT (total of £1,794). This applies to Simple Estates Level 2.

Hourly rate of £272 plus £54.40 (total of £326.40) subject to a minimum fee of £3,495 plus £699 VAT (total of £4,194). This applies to Standard Estates Level 1.

Hourly rate of £272 plus £54.40 (total of £326.40) subject to a minimum fee of £5,995 plus £1,199 VAT (total of £7,194). This applies to Standard Estates Level 2.

Hourly rate of £272 plus £54.40 (total of £326.40) subject to a minimum fee of £7,995 plus £1,599 VAT (total of £9,594). This applies to Complex Estates Level 1.

Hourly rate of £272 plus £54.40 (total of £326.40) subject to a minimum fee of £9,995 plus £1,999 VAT (total of £11,994). This applies to Complex Estates Level 2.

Example 1 – Standard Estate Level 1

As a guide, we expect our fee to be £3,808 plus £761.60 VAT (total of £4,569.60) which is equivalent to 14 hours work where we are instructed to deal with 2 bank accounts, 7 individual share holdings including registering the grant with the registrars, selling the shares and collecting in the proceeds before preparing estate accounts.

Example 2 – Standard Estate Level 2

We expect our fee to be £5,995 plus £1,199 VAT (total of £7,194) which is equivalent to our minimum fee when we are instructed to deal with preparing estate accounts with the following features:

  • Will
  • 2 executors
  • 2 beneficiaries
  • Estate valued at £750,000
  • Residence Nil Rate Band claimed
  • Transferable Nil Rate Band claimed
  • No Inheritance Tax due
  • 1 Property
  • 5 bank or building society accounts
  • 7 individual shareholdings

What our legal fees do not include (other costs that you may be expected to pay)

£200 to £300 – Trustee Act Notices to Creditors (estimate)

£234 (including VAT) – Estate Search

Please note, there may be other fees due and we will always notify you before we start work if there are other fees due.

Other professional fees that may be due on some but not all estates

Share registrar fees for lost share certificate indemnity.

Stockbroker fees for transferring or selling shares.

Please note, the fees for other professionals will be confirmed before they are instructed.

How long will it take (estimated time frame)

Straightforward service

Stage 1 – How long we take to prepare the documents

Two weeks

Placing Statutory Notices to Creditors, placing an Estate Search or completing an Inheritance corrective account.

Stage 2

Statutory Notices to Creditors

Eight weeks

Estate Search

Four weeks

Inheritance Tax Corrective Account

Eight weeks

Bespoke service

We will provide an estimate based on the type of work we are instructed to undertake.

As a guide, if we are instructed to sell 7 share holdings, we expect it to take around six weeks to complete.

If we are instructed to complete estate accounts, we expect it to take around 4 weeks.

 

Who will carry out the work

Grant applications will be carried out by Paul ClarkTEP or Natasha Yelland.

Natasha is a solicitor and has more than 1 year’s post qualification experience.

Paul is a solicitor and has over 8 years post qualification experience. He is a full member of STEP and sits on the Private Client Section advisory committee.

Paul Clark is the managing director of Spall Clark Solicitors and has overall responsibility for all probate matters.

 

Full administration service

Full administration service

We will deal with the entire administration process from start to finish. This applies whether our solicitors are appointed as professional executors or we act on behalf of the executors, administrations or personal representatives.

Our work types

We divide our work into three main types; Simple Estates, Standard Estates and Complex Estates. We then have two levels within each main type; Level 1 and Level 2.

Simple Estates

We define a Level 1 Simple Estate as follows:

  • The estate meets HMRC’s definition of an excepted estate
  • There is a valid will
  • There are no legacies in the will
  • There are no more than 3 executors
  • There are no more than 3 beneficiaries
  • There are no ‘missing’ or untraceable beneficiaries or executors
  • There is only one property
  • There are accounts with no more than 2 banks or building societies
  • There is no more than 1 NS&I product
  • There are no assets other than those listed above
  • The estate meets HMRC’s definition of a ‘simple’ estate for reporting income and capital gains during the administration period.
  • The deceased did not make any lifetime gifts
  • The gross estate value is less than the Nil Rate Band (currently £325,000)
  • There is no Inheritance Tax due
  • There are no claims against the estate or disputes

We define a Level 2 Simple Estate as follows:

  • The estate meets HMRC’s definition of an excepted estate
  • There is a valid will
  • There are no legacies in the will
  • There are no more than 3 executors
  • There are no more than 3 beneficiaries
  • There are no ‘missing’ or untraceable beneficiaries or executors
  • There is only one property
  • There are accounts with no more than 2 banks or building societies
  • There is no more than 1 NS&I product
  • There are no assets other than those listed above
  • The estate meets HMRC’s definition of a ‘simple’ estate for reporting income and capital gains during the administration period.
  • The deceased did not make any lifetime gifts
  • The gross estate value is less than the Combined Nil Rate Band (currently up to £650,000)
  • There is no Inheritance Tax due
  • There are no claims against the estate or disputes

As part of our service, we will confirm whether an estate meets the criteria for an excepted estate. As a summary, the estate of a UK domiciled person is excepted if it meets any of the following criteria:

If the person died before 31 December 2021:

  • The estate value is below the Inheritance Tax threshold at the time the person died
  • The person that died left everything to a surviving spouse or civil partner living in the UK or to a qualifying charity and the estate is worth less than £1 million

If the person died after 1 January 2022:

  • The estate value is below the Inheritance Tax threshold at the time the person died
  • the estate is worth £325,000 or less and any unused threshold is being transferred from a spouse or civil partner who died first
  • The person that died left everything to a spouse or civil partner living in the UK or to a qualifying charity and the estate is worth less than £3 million.

Standard Estates

We define a Level 1 Standard Estate as being an excepted estate that does not meet the Simple Estate criteria.

We define a Level 2 Standard Estate as follows:

  • The estate does not meet the criteria of an excepted estate
  • There is no Inheritance Tax due
  • The gross estate value is less than £1.5 million
  • The gross estate value is more than £1.5 million but no Inheritance Tax is due as a result of Spouse Exemption
  • Business Property Relief is claimed on AIM portfolio / shares only
  • There are no gifts out of excess income
  • There is no claim for more than one transferable Nil Rate Band

Complex Estates

We define a Level 1 Complex Estate as follows:

Level 1 – where no Inheritance Tax is due and the estate does not meet the definition of a Standard or Simple Estate.

Level 1 – where Inheritance Tax is due

  • The gross estate value is less than £1.5m
  • Inheritance Tax is paid upfront and not by instalments
  • Double grossing does not apply
  • There are no disputes over domicile
  • There is no claim for successive IHT charges
  • There is no claim for Double Taxation Relief

We define a Level 2 Complex Estate as an estate that does not meet the definition of Level 1 set out above.

 

Summary of the overall process

Stage One

Simple Estates

  1. Determine if there is a valid will and identify the executors and beneficiaries
  2. Obtain full details of the value of all assets and liabilities of the deceased. Often a formal value of furniture and personal effects is required but we will advise you if an estimated valuation is sufficient. Similarly, we will advise you if a valuation of a house is required. Values of all jointly held assets are also needed.

All other estates

  1. Determine if there is a valid will and identify the executors and beneficiaries. If there is no valid will, identify the beneficiaries and who is entitled to act as administrator.
  2. Place an estate search.
  3. Obtain full details of the value of all assets and liabilities of the deceased including any lifetime gifts. Often a formal value of furniture and personal effects is required but we will advise you if an estimated valuation is sufficient. Similarly, we will advise you if a valuation of a house or other property is required. Values of all jointly held assets are also needed.

Stage Two

Simple Estates

  1. Prepare papers to apply for probate.
  2. Review and signing of probate papers by the personal representatives. Usually we will have a meeting with them at this stage but if they live away this can be dealt with by telephone or Teams.
  3. Apply to the Probate Registry for probate including paying the registry fees.
  4. Probate is normally issued sixteen weeks after the application has been submitted.

Standard Estate Level 1

  1. Calculate the value of any lifetime gifts
  2. Calculate the amount of transferrable nil rate band (if required)
  3. Prepare papers to apply for probate / letters of administration
  4. Review and signing of probate papers by the personal representatives. Usually we will have a meeting with them at this stage but if they live away this can be dealt with by telephone or Teams.
  5. Apply to the Probate Registry for probate including paying the registry fees.
  6. Probate is normally issued sixteen weeks after the application has been submitted.

Standard Estate Level 2

  1. Prepare Inheritance Tax return and Schedules including calculating any Inheritance Tax reliefs and exemptions such as Spouse Exemption and Business Property Relief.
  2. Prepare papers to apply for probate.
  3. Review and signing of probate papers by the personal representatives. Normally we will have a meeting with them at this stage but if they live away this can be dealt with by telephone or Teams.
  4. Submit IHT400 and Schedules to HMRC.
  5. Apply to the Probate Registry for probate including paying the registry fees. This can be completed once HMRC have confirmed receipt of our application and provide us with an application code.
  6. Probate is normally issued sixteen weeks after the application has been submitted.

Complex Estates

  1. Prepare Inheritance Tax return and Schedules including calculating any Inheritance Tax reliefs and exemptions such as Business Property Relief.
  2. Prepare papers to apply for probate.
  3. Review and signing of probate papers by the personal representatives. Normally we will have a meeting with them at this stage but if they live away this can be dealt with by telephone or Teams
  4. Arrange for Inheritance Tax to be paid to HMRC
  5. Submit IHT400, Schedules and Inheritance Tax calculation to HMRC.
  6. Apply to the Probate Registry for probate including paying the registry fees. This can be completed once HMRC have confirmed receipt of our application and provide us with an application code
  7. Probate is normally issued sixteen weeks after the application has been submitted.

Stage Three

Simple Estates

  1. Register the grant of representation, obtain and complete relevant account closure forms.
  2. Place advertisements for statutory notices to creditors (if required).
  3. Collect in bank or building society account proceeds and NS&I holdings
  4. Pay funeral account, if not already released from an account earlier, and all other bills.
  5. Contact Department of Works and Pensions to settle state benefits such as pensions.
  6. Arrange for property to be sold or transferred

All other estates

  1. Register the grant of representation, obtain and complete relevant account closure forms.
  2. Place advertisements for statutory notices to creditors (if required).
  3. Collect in cash assets.
  4. Pay funeral account, if not already released from an account earlier, and all other bills.
  5. Liaise with accountant regarding settling income tax to date of death
  6. Deal with any other outstanding matters.
  7. Contact Department of Works and Pensions to settle state benefits such as pensions. In cases where the deceased had been receiving means tested benefits, enquiries will need to be answered concerning the deceased’s assets.

Stage Four

Simple Estates

  1. Prepare final estate accounts for approval by the executors.
  2. Once the personal representatives have approved the accounts, we will send the accounts to the beneficiaries for their approval.
  3. Contact HMRC to confirm that the estate administration has been completed.

All other estates

  1. Prepare interim estate accounts and send these to the personal representatives for approval.
  2. Once the personal representatives have approved the accounts, we will send them to the beneficiaries for their approval.
  3. Meet with the beneficiaries to review their personal financial and inheritance tax position.
  4. Pay legacies.
  5. Make interim payments to residuary beneficiaries if possible and required.
  6. Arrange the transfer of any property to beneficiaries including registering with HM Land Registry and fees.

Stage Five

Simple Estates

  1. Make final payments to the residuary beneficiaries and provide them with a set of final estate accounts.
  2. Send copies of all the important estate documents to the personal representatives.

Standard Estate Level 1

  1. Instruct accountant to deal with income tax returns to cover all income and capital gains arising during the estate administration.
  2. Prepare final estate accounts and send the accounts to the personal representatives for approval.
  3. Once the personal representatives have approved the accounts, we will send the accounts to the beneficiaries for their approval.
  4. Make final payments to the residuary beneficiaries and provide them with a set of final estate accounts.
  5. Send copies of all the important estate documents to the personal representatives.

Standard Estates Level 2 and Complex Estates

  1. Submit Inheritance Tax adjustments to HMRC for example corrective account or submit loss relief claim (if required)
  2. Obtain Inheritance Tax clearance certificate.
  3. Instruct accountant to deal with income tax returns to cover all income and capital gains arising during the estate administration.
  4. Prepare final estate accounts and send the accounts to the personal representatives for approval.
  5. Once the personal representatives have approved the accounts, we will send the accounts to the beneficiaries for their approval.
  6. Make final payments to the residuary beneficiaries and provide them with a set of final estate accounts.
  7. Send copies of all the important estate documents to the personal representatives.

 

Our legal fees

Simple estates

Level One

£2,995 plus £599 VAT (total of £3,594)

Level Two

£3,995 plus £799 VAT (total of £4,794)

Standard estates

Level One

£7,995 plus £1,599 VAT (total of £9,594)

Level Two

£12,995 plus £2,599 VAT (total of £4,794)

Complex estates

Level One

£14,995 plus £2,999 VAT (total of £17,994)

Level Two

£24,995 plus £4,999 VAT (total of £29,994)

What our legal fees do not include (other costs that you may be expected to pay)

Our legal fees do not include Inheritance Tax and this is paid from the estate of the person that has died. For further information about Inheritance Tax please see our Guide to Inheritance Tax or visit the Gov.UK website.

Other costs that are likely to be paid in most cases

£300 – Probate Registry – Grant application fee

£1.50 – Probate Registry – Copy Grant fee (per copy)

£200 to £300 – Trustee Act Notices to Creditors (estimate)

 

Other costs that may be due on some but not all estates

£3.00 – Land Registry title check fee (per property title)

£20 up to £1,105 – Land Registry fees for transferring or assenting the property (dependent on property value)

£200 (estimate) – Notarised or Apostilled documents (this applies to cross border / international matters)

 

Our Legal Fees that may be due on some but not all estates

£995 plus £199 VAT (total of £1,194) – Additional fee due when the deceased did not leave a Will or a gift in the Will fails which means the estate passes by the rules of Intestacy.

£995 plus £199 VAT (total of £1,194) – Additional fee due when the deceased had assets in a jurisdiction outside of England and Wales.

£495 plus £99 VAT (total of £594) – Transfer of registered land from the deceased’s name to trustees or beneficiaries (registered properties only)

From £995 plus £199 VAT (total of £1,194) – Disclaiming or varying an inheritance (paid by the person disclaiming or varying their inheritance)

Hourly rate of £272 per hour plus £54.40 VAT (total of £326.40) subject to a minimum fee of  £745 plus £149 VAT (total of £894) – Appointment or removal of trustees (paid from the trust)

Hourly rate of £272 per hour plus £54.40 VAT (total of £326.40) subject to a minimum fee of £495 plus £99 VAT (total of £594) – Providing advice to trustees  (paid from the trust)

Please note, depending on your circumstances there may be other costs due and we will always notify you before we start work if there are other expected costs.

 

Other professional fees that may be due on some but not all estates

Accountant fees for dealing with business tax returns, personal tax returns to up date of death and trust registration.

Auctioneer fees if selling personal possessions or household contents.

Property clearance fees.

Share registrar fees for lost share certificate indemnity.

Solicitor fees for selling a property.

Solicitor fees for selling a business.

Stockbroker fees for transferring or selling shares.

Please note, the fees for other professionals will be confirmed before they are instructed.

 

How long will it take (estimated time frame)

The estimated time frames below are estimates of how long each stage should take.

Stage One

Simple Estates

Six to eight weeks

All other estate

Ten to twelve weeks

Stage Two

Simple Estates and Standard Estates Level 1

Eighteen to Twenty weeks

Standard Estate Level 2 and Complex Estates

Twenty four to Twenty six weeks

Stage Three

Simple Estates

Four weeks

All other Estates

Six to Eight weeks

Stage Four

Simple Estates

One week

All other Estates

Two weeks

Stage Five

Simple Estates

Two weeks

Standard Estates Level 1

Six to Eight weeks

Standard Estates Level 2 and Complex Estates

Sixteen weeks

Overall

Simple Estates

Between eight and ten months

Standard Estates – Level 1

Between ten and twelve months

Standard Estates – Level 2

Between fourteen and fifteen months

Complex Estates

Between fourteen and fifteen months

 

Who will carry out the work

Grant applications will be carried out by Paul ClarkTEP or Natasha Yelland.

Natasha is a solicitor and has more than 1 year’s post qualification experience.

Paul is a solicitor and has over 8 years post qualification experience. He is a full member of STEP and sits on the Private Client Section advisory committee.

Paul Clark is the managing director of Spall Clark Solicitors and has overall responsibility for all probate matters.

We look forward to working with you

Get in touch