Probate

Professional probate services from a licensed firm can save you time, money and stress.

Our probate specialists can help you, at what can often be a difficult time for you and your family.

The probate process can be complex, time consuming and stressful. It is reassuring to know a professional is working on your behalf.

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    Alwyns provides a personal, efficient service that is guaranteed to give you peace of mind.

    We can handle all of the necessary probate requirements for you in a sympathetic manner, at a price which represents excellent value for money.

    Alwyns probate services include:

    • Becoming a named executor of an estate – solely or jointly with family members, advisers or friends
    • Acting as executor or assisting other executors to:
      • determine assets of deceased
      • complete inheritance tax (IHT) forms and determine if IHT is due
      • apply for probate
    • Applying for letters of administration where there is no valid will
    • Collecting estate assets
    • Assisting in distribution of estate assets in accordance with the will or intestacy provisions
    • Preparing a statement of account of the estate
    • Acting as trustee where will or other trust created by testator

    View our diversity summary for 2019
    View our diversity summary for 2021
    View our diversity summary for 2023

    After interpreting the results of our recent Diversity survey, we would comment as follows:

    The firm is committed to provide equal opportunities in employment. This means that all job applicants and employees will receive equal treatment regardless of gender, sexual orientation, marital status, race, colour, age, nationality, ethnic or national origins, religious beliefs or disability. It makes good business sense for us to ensure that our most important resource, our staff, are recruited and treated in a fair and effective way.

    The firm monitors the diversity of the workforce by reviewing the composition of its existing staff and applicants for jobs. When recruiting, we consider all applications based on the skills required for the position. Similarly promotion within the firm is based solely on merit.

    Our current data is as we expected, based on the population surrounding our office in Loughton.

    Common Questions and Answers

    It’s important to know that no two estates are ever the same and they are likely to change per individual case. At Alwyns, we charge our fees on a time spent basis as we consider this reflects both the complexity of the assignment and the amount of our involvement required for each individual estate.

    Our hourly rates range from £110 per hour for a Tax Executive to £275 per hour for a Partner. We will discuss your individual case with you and provide you with an indicative level of fees based on your case.

    Our fees for obtaining a grant of probate based on all of the information provided to us by the family with an estate containing a main residence, 2-3 bank accounts and a share portfolio typically starts from £3000 plus VAT.

    The average cost of handling the full process for a simple estate, including the administration, is usually between £7500 – £9000 plus VAT.

    This includes:

    • Liaising with the family and gathering valuations for estate assets
    • Completion of the IHT400 and supporting schedules
    • Application for grant of probate
    • Running a client account and collecting in funds
    • Preparation of estate accounts
    • Distribution of the Estate

    In addition to these fees, there are some other costs associated with obtaining probate. We will either request these amounts directly from you, or we can disburse them on your behalf and add them to our fees.

    These expenses may include:

    • Probate application fee £273*
    • Copies of sealed grants £1.50* per copy
    • Placing a notice in the Gazette £99.90*
    • Postage costs to ensure tracked delivery of documents to HMRC and probate registry

    *Prices correct at 22/3/23

    Obtaining a grant of probate can take anywhere between 6-9 months and sometimes longer. This is mostly dependent on the availability of information from third parties and HMRC/probate registry processing. Due to current backlogs at the probate registry, the estimated timeline from the submission of the application to the grant of probate is, itself, 16 weeks*.

    We will always have an initial meeting/phone call to discuss what work is required. This is free with no obligation. Following the initial consultation we will then provide a fee estimate based on your particular circumstances. We do not tend to give fixed fees due to the intricacies and complexities with each case.

    At Alwyns, we use experience and similar previous cases to provide an estimate of fees which we would discuss with you as part of our engagement process.

    Need practical advice in a user-friendly way?

    We’re far more interested in finding out what makes you tick, than in setting the stopwatch to tick every time we talk to you.

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    020 8502 0411