Our fees

Lasting Powers Of Attorney (LPA)

There are two types of Powers of Attorney; Property and Financial Affairs and Health and Welfare.  

Our fixed fees will include:

-  A meeting with you to advise, discuss your options and receive your instructions
-  Preparation of the Lasting Powers of Attorney
-  The registration application for the Lasting Powers of Attorney
-  Providing guidance as required for your Attorneys and the Certificate Provider
-  Overseeing signing and witnessing formalities
-  Submission of the registration application to the Office of the Public Guardian 

What You Need Our Fee
One person preparing one LPA £400 +VAT
One person preparing both LPAs £550 +VAT
Two people preparing one type of LPA £600 +VAT
Two people preparing both types of LPA £850 +VAT

There is a Court fee payable to the Office of the Public Guardian for Registration of each individual Lasting Power of Attorney.  Currently this is £82 per LPA. The fee is not subject to VAT.  Solicitor Certified copies of the Registered Power can be pre-ordered at £30 plus VAT.

It can take between 4 - 5 months to complete a Lasting Power of Attorney.  This is because of the delays at the Office of the Public Guardian.  During their busier periods it could take longer.

It would not normally be necessary to undertake other work or incur other costs other than those described above. However, we would be very happy to provide you with a more tailored quote for all stages of your particular case once we know about your specific circumstances.

Wills

Wills are drawn to the specific needs of the individual. We can offer fixed fees for standard Wills. This would not include: any Will making Trust provisions for a disabled or vulnerable beneficiary; or making Trust provision for asset protection; or making provision for a second spouse and/or children of a former marriage; or to protect occupation of a property or where issues of Domicile, Business or Foreign assets arise, or tax planning advice.   

Our fixed fees for standard Wills, will include:

-  A meeting with you to advise, discuss your options and receive your instructions
-  Preparation of your draft Will with supporting advice for your consideration
-  A further meeting with you to sign your Will
-  A storage facility for your original Will, if required

What You Need Our Fee
Simple Single Will £290 +VAT
Pair of mirror Wills (married couple / civil partners) £490 +VAT
Non Standard Wills will be quoted after initial interview £400 to £1,000 +VAT

A typical Will can take between 3 to 4 weeks to complete, depending on complexity.  If the matter is urgent and is of a time-sensitive nature then we will work with you to do our best to fit in with your timescales.  Complex matters may take longer than the average time to complete.  Once we’ve talked to you, to understand your requirements, we will be able to give you clearer timescales.

Occassionally there is additional work to complete in relation to your Will, for example changing the ownership of a property at Land Registry.  Our fees above do not include this additional work.  We will quote separately in relation to these services once we know more about your specific circumstances. 

Charging Structure For Probate

Every Estate is unique. Because of this we provide a tailored estimate of our fees based on the individual circumstances of the Estate.  For example, if there is one beneficiary and no property, costs will be at the lower end of the range. If there are multiple beneficiaries, a property and multiple bank accounts, costs will be at the higher end.

We charge on an hourly basis for our work.  Importantly, we do not make any ‘percentage’ or ‘value element’ charges.

Our hourly rates are as follows:

  • £350 + VAT Solicitor and CEO
  • £300 + VAT Solicitor
  • £175 + VAT Legal Assistant
  • £175 + VAT Trainee Solicitor

Hourly rates are subject to VAT at 20%.

For an estate where:-

  • There is a valid Will
  • A Grant of Probate is needed
  • There is no inheritance tax payable, but an Inheritance Tax return is required
  • There is a property
  • There are no more than 5 bank or building society accounts
  • There are no more than 3 share holdings
  • There are 2 – 4 beneficiaries
  • There are no disputes between beneficiaries on division of assets. If disputes arise this is likely to lead to an increase in costs 
  • There are no claims made against the estate

We estimate our fees to be around £3,600 - £5,100 + VAT (VAT at 20%).  This would equate to around 12 – 17 hours of a solicitor’s time.

For an estate where:-

  • There is a valid Will
  • A Grant of Probate is needed
  • There is inheritance tax payable
  • There is a property
  • There are no more than 7 bank or building society accounts
  • There are no more than 5 share holdings
  • There are 4 - 8 beneficiaries
  • There are no disputes between beneficiaries on division of assets (if disputes arise this is likely to lead to an increase in costs) 
  • There are no claims made against the estate (if claims arise this is likely to lead to an increase in costs)

We estimate our fees to be around £4,800 - £7,800 + VAT (VAT at 20%).  This would equate to 16 – 26 hours of a solicitor’s time. 

For an estate where:-

  • There is no valid Will
  • Letters of administration is needed
  • There is inheritance tax payable
  • There is a property
  • There are no more than 7 bank or building society accounts
  • There are no more than 5 share holdings
  • There are 4 - 8 beneficiaries
  • There are no disputes between beneficiaries on division of assets (if disputes arise this is likely to lead to an increase in costs) 
  • There are no claims made against the estate (if claims arise this is likely to lead to an increase in costs)

We estimate our fees to be around £5,400 - £8,400 + VAT (VAT at 20%).  This would equate to 18 – 28 hours of a solicitor’s time. 

A high value estate does not necessarily mean it is a more complex estate.  Factors which would make an Estate more complex include:-

  • Multiple assets in different jurisdictions (eg lots of shareholdings, lots of different bank accounts)
  • Assets abroad
  • Significant lifetime gifting or complex lifetime tax arrangements
  • Complex business affairs
  • Claims made against the Estate
  • Missing Beneficiaries
  • Defective or missing Will
  • Intestacy or partial intestacy i.e. there is no Will or the Will does not deal with all assets
  • Defective Will or missing Will

These would increase the time needed to be spent administering the estate and therefore would increase our fees.  As explained above, we would provide you with a costs estimate for your individual circumstances at the outset.

Other services

In addition to the above, we can also deal with:

  • Deeds of Variation
  • Conveyancing
  • General Litigation Advice
  • Wills

These services are not included in our estimates above.

Disbursements for Estate Administration

A disbursement is a cost payable to another organisation, payable by us acting as your agent in any given matter.  The disbursements that you may pay can vary depending on the type of work that we are completing for you.  Examples of disbursements which may arise include:

Disbursement Cost
Probate Court Fees £273.00 no VAT
Each Copy of the Grant £1.50 no VAT
Bankruptcy Search on each beneficiary £2.00 no VAT
Trustee Act Notice in the London Gazette £80.00 + VAT (VAT at 20%)
Local Newspaper Notice £220 no VAT
ID Search Fees (per name) £9.95 to £14.95 plus VAT 
Land Registry Document £3.00 no VAT

Share fees – there are occasionally fees associated with replacement share certificates or share sales.  These costs will be confirmed by the Registrar during the administration of the estate

There are various taxes that might be payable during the administration of an Estate.  Here are some helpful links:-

Inheritance Tax - https://www.gov.uk/valuing-estate-of-someone-who-died/estimate-estate-value#use-the-online-inheritance-tax-checker

Income Tax – https://www.gov.uk/probate-estate/reporting-the-estate 

Capital Gains Tax - https://www.gov.uk/probate-estate/managing-and-selling-assets 

Estimated Timescales for Estate Administration 

It can take time to complete probate matters, particularly those where complexities arise.  For a straight-forward, non-complex Estate, the process and timescales can be estimated as follows:

Gathering details and valuations of the assets & liabilities of the Estate 4 – 6 weeks
Preparing IHT return (if required) and Probate Application 1 week
Submitting IHT return 4 weeks
Submitting Probate Application & waiting for Probate to be granted 16 – 20 weeks
Closing/ transferring assets 2 – 4 weeks
Selling property 12 weeks minimum from when sale is agreed
Paying liabilities 1 - 2 weeks
Dealing with income tax 12 – 18 weeks
Dealing with inheritance tax this can vary 
Preparing final estate accounts 1 weeks
Making distributions 1 - 2 weeks

These timescales do not take into account property that needs to be sold, dealings with HMRC in relation to inheritance tax to ensure that everything is settled or any other complicating factors.  It is not unusual for the administration of a straight-forward non-complex Estate to take a year.

Probate Application Only

If you need help with just a Probate application we help you.

Where an inheritance tax return is not required by the Estate and it is classed as an ‘Excepted Estate’ (see HMRC’s definition of an excepted estate - https://www.gov.uk/valuing-estate-of-someone-who-died/check-type-of-estate ) we charge a fixed fee for the Probate Application.  This is £1,200 + VAT (VAT at 20%).

For this service we will:-

  • Identify the legally appointed executors or administrators and beneficiaries
  • Identify the type of Probate application you will require
  • Draft and complete the Probate Application and the relevant HMRC forms based on the  probate values you have provided
  • Make the application to the Probate Court on your behalf
  • Obtain the Probate and send you the original Grants

If an inheritance tax return is required for the Probate application we charge on an hourly basis.  The hourly rates that would apply are:-

  • £350 + VAT Solicitor and CEO
  • £300 + VAT Solicitor
  • £175 + VAT Legal Assistant
  • £175 + VAT Trainee Solicitor

Hourly rates are subject to VAT at 20%.

For an estate where there is no Inheritance Tax payable, but a return needs to be submitted, we estimate our fees to be between £2,100 - £2,700 + VAT (VAT at 20%).  This equates to between 7 – 9 hours of a solicitor’s time.

If there is Inheritance Tax payable, we estimate our fees to be between £2,700 - £3,300 + VAT (VAT at 20%).  This equates to between 9 – 11 hours of a solicitor’s time.

For this service we will:-

  • Identify the legally appointed executors or administrators and beneficiaries
  • Identify the type of Probate application you will require
  • Calculate and draft the Inheritance Tax return based on the  probate values you have provided
  • Draft and complete the Probate Application based on the  probate values you have provided
  • Submit the Inheritance Tax return
  • Make the application to the Probate Court on your behalf
  • Obtain the Probate and send you the original Grants
  • Obtain clearance from HMRC for Inheritance Tax.
     

Disbursements for Probate Application

A disbursement is a cost payable to another organisation, payable by us acting as your agent in any given matter.  The disbursements that you may pay can vary depending on the type of work that we are completing for you.  Examples of disbursements which may arise include:

Disbursement Cost
Probate Court Fees £273.00 no VAT
Each Copy of the Grant £1.50 no VAT
ID Search Fees (per name) £9.95 to £14.95 plus VAT 

For further information on whether Inheritance Tax is payable, visit - https://www.gov.uk/valuing-estate-of-someone-who-died/estimate-estate-value#use-the-online-inheritance-tax-checker

Estimated Timescales for Probate Application 

Once we have received all of the information we require from you, timescales can be estimated as follows:

Preparing IHT return (if required) and Probate Application 1 week
Submitting IHT return 4 weeks
Submitting Probate Application & waiting for Probate to be granted 16 – 20 weeks
Waiting for clearance from HMRC for Inheritance Tax 12 – 18 weeks

 

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I just wanted to say a big thank you for helping mum to sell her house. She hasn’t moved in 48 years and this year has been hugely stressful for her so l just wanted to thank you for your patience and kindness at times. It really did help make the process more bearable.
Client: L Safapour
Service Provided: Conveyancing
Date: 08/2/23
Louise came highly recommended to us to help sort our Wills. She was extremely helpful & gave us very clear & thoughtful advice. We would definitely recommend her services.
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Service Provided: Wills
Date: 22/6/23
I first met Louise seven years ago when my partner passed away, she provided much support and with good communication. Now I have tracked Louise to this present company and she is handling my late mother’s estate, again with care and efficiency.
Client: G Fealey
Service Provided: Probate
Date: 02/6/23
I just wanted to thank Louise Harris for her excellent handling of my Will. Her advice and help over the years has been invaluable and I would highly recommend her and Baldwin & Robinson for their Will writing services.
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Service Provided: Wills
Date: 05/6/23
I dealt with Louise Harris at Baldwin & Robinson for a Deed Poll, change of name. Throughout the process she was professional and friendly. I wouldn’t hesitate using Louise again in the future.
Client: P Ray
Service Provided: General Legal Services
Date: 15/8/23
We've just used Baldwin & Robinson for the sale of our home in Warlingham and wouldn't hesitate to recommend them. Our sale ran seamlessly and was completed in a speedy 3 months from our offer being accepted to completion. We used Tracey and her team previously for a property sale, property purchase and also when we purchased land from a neighbour. Each time, the service provided has been straightforward and professional. We've been given excellent advice and support where needed, making the daunting process of moving home seem easy.
Client: Z Smith
Service Provided: Conveyancing
Date: 29/8/23
Louise started acting for me 8 years ago and has helped me enormously in making a new Will with Powers of Attorney recently. She is very professional, thorough, friendly and above all entirely trustworthy. I would recommend anyone looking for a highly competent Solicitor to approach Louise
Client: N Bradley
Service Provided: Private Client
Date: 13/10/23
We went to B&R for help with a long overdue update to our wills. Louise was friendly, efficient and a pleasure to deal with. She made what is at heart a dour and dull process as close to a pleasure as it can be! Well done, and thank you
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Date: 09/11/23