Full Service or Grant Only?
JE Bennett Law offers two approaches to estate administration to meet your particular circumstances and preferences.
Full Service
With Full Service we will handle everything required as part of the estate administration process. This includes any required research and investigative work such as the following:
- arranging the funeral
- clearing the deceased’s property
- identifying and arranging valuations of assets
- preparing and submitting the grant application documents
- preparing and submitting inheritance tax returns
- settling the deceased’s income tax position
- collecting in the assets after the grant has been issued and dealing with the estate’s tax affairs.
- settling any debts
- preparing the estate accounts
- distributing the balance of the estate to the beneficiaries
We price our Full Service Estate Administration services based on hourly rates, rather than a percentage of the estate value as some firms do. So what you will pay is based on the work we do, not how large the estate is.
The total cost you will pay will be the sum of the hours worked by our team plus any disbursements. The details of which are laid out below in the disbursements section.
We will always provide an estimate in writing of all costs prior to taking your instruction. If you wish to take advantage of our skills and experience in researching and providing all the required information, then Full Service will be the appropriate choice for you.
Grant Only
With our Grant Only service, we will manage the application process for you, but will rely on you to provide all the information we require to be able to submit the application. There are different tiers to our grant only service, depending on the nature of the grant and the reporting required. For Grant Only applications we offer a fixed price service. Types and pricing are detailed below.
Which is best for you?
The right option for you is that which best suits your preferences and circumstances. If you have the time and inclination to gather and provide all the necessary information yourself, and you want the reassurance of fixed fee, then a Grant Only option may suit your purposes. If you prefer to oversee the process rather than deal with all of the administrative tasks and burden yourself, then full service may be more appropriate.
Overall Costs
Whether you opt for Full Service (hourly rate) or Grant Only (fixed fees) the overall cost to you of our Estate Administration services will depend on the complexity of the work. This may be influenced by such matters as whether a Will is in place, whether a sole executor has been named, the amount of assets, the number of residuary beneficiaries, or the number of creditors and the various disbursements that may be required.
Due to the number of influencing factors our Estate Administration fees typically range from around £3000 to £18000 exc. VAT. This range is a guide not a limit.
For Full Service work we will always provide you with an estimate prior to engagement based on your particular circumstances.
For Grant Only applications we will advise on the appropriate scenario and likely disbursements.
Our Professional Fees – For Full Service (hourly rates)
Our Estate Administration services will be carried out by our experienced probate team. Our work in this area is typically led by a Partner or Associate, who may be supported by a member of our legal support team. Work is allocated to a member of the team appropriately to the complexity of the estate, and regardless of the circumstances you can rest assured that we have the skills to assist you effectively. You can learn more about our probate work here and more about the experience of our individual team members by clicking on their name below.
Team Member Seniority Hourly Rate
Richard Shearing Senior Partner £395 + VAT (£474 inc VAT)
Robert Sullivan Senior Associate £300 + VAT (£360 inc VAT)
Anastasia Andrews Associate £250 + VAT (£270 inc VAT)
Talia Higgins Junior Paralegal £140 + VAT (£168 inc VAT)
Natalie Marais Legal PA £140 + VAT (£168 inc VAT)
Our Professional Fees for Grant Only (Fixed Fee)
In grant only applications the client is required to obtain all of the necessary information to make the application and takes full responsibility for the veracity of that information. The JE Bennett Law team will guide them with regard to the information required. Grant only applications are a fixed fee service + any disbursements.
Grant only applications – Pricing Tiers:
- Application for a grant where there is no inheritance tax to pay and no transferable allowances are required – £1,450 plus VAT (£1,740 inc VAT) plus disbursements
- Application for a grant where there is no inheritance tax to pay and requires claiming the transferable nil rate band – £1,795 plus VAT (£2,154 inc VAT) plus disbursements
- Application for a grant where there is no inheritance tax to pay and requires completion of IHT400 and associated supplements – £2,350 plus VAT (£2,820 inc VAT) plus disbursements
- Application for a grant where the estate is subject to inheritance tax to include completion of IHT400 and associated supplements – £2,895 plus VAT (£3,474 inc VAT) plus disbursements
Disbursements:
Disbursements are payable in addition to our professional fees and are as follows:
Probate Application Fees £300 (free for estate value under £5000)
Advertising For Unknown Creditors* £280 + VAT
Bankruptcy Searches £6 + VAT per surname searched
Will Search** £105 + VAT
* optional
** optional (in order to check that there is no later Will)
All prices correct as of 01/07/2025 and are subject to change
Timescales – How Long Will The Process Take
How long a matter will take to conclude varies greatly depending on the circumstances. It can takes weeks or months to collate the information required to ascertain what level of reporting needs to be undertaken. Some estates with very complex elements, or subject to disputes, can take years to resolve.
An application for a Grant can only be made when the required reporting has been made to HMRC. Once an application for a Grant has been made, it can again take months for the application to be processed, and the Grant issued. Unfortunately, the timeframe within which the probate service deals with an application is out of our hands once it has been submitted.
Once the Grant has been issued, it must be circulated around all the parties involved in order for them to release the funds or assets which they are holding. Any outstanding debts must also be cleared.
After all the assets have been collected in, the estate’s income and capital gains tax position must be reviewed and, where appropriate, reported to HMRC and any tax liability paid.
Only after all of these elements have been dealt with can the estate distribute the estate to the beneficiaries.
We generally advise that most estates take around 12 – 18 months to reach a conclusion.
