Probate & Estate Administration
Bereavement can leave your mind in turmoil as you struggle to come to terms with your loss. Coping with the everyday can be hard enough, so the prospect of dealing with Probate and perhaps unfamiliar legalities associated with it can be daunting to say the least.
What does ‘Probate’ involve?
Confusingly, the term ‘Probate’ is used to describe the Grant of Probate as well as the process involved in obtaining it. This can be quite complex and includes various things such as making an inheritance tax return and paying any tax due, sorting out income tax and pensions, collecting in the Estate from banks, building societies and selling assets, settling any debts owed to the Estate and paying money due, and gifts of items to beneficiaries, along with preparation of accounts for the Estate.
Dying intestate – what happens when there is no Will?
No everyone has a Will when they die. When this happens there are strict procedures which govern how their Estate is administered and by whom. These are known as the rules of intestacy. We are able to assist with Estates for which there is no Will.
Inheritance Tax Checker
You can check whether there is any inheritance tax due on the Estate by using an online Inheritance Tax Checker tool, such as this one which is from the Gov.uk website
Guidance through the process
Our team will help guide you through the Probate administration process and the various steps which you need to take, using straightforward language, rather than complicated legal jargon. We will deal with the process in an empathetic, efficient and cost effective manner.
Key stages of Probate & timescales
The key stages of Probate together with approximate timescales for the process are outlined in this blog.
The process of Estate Administration to include obtaining Probate, dealing with tax and administration involved in finalising the Estate generally takes around 12-18 months.
Alternatively you may choose to opt for our assistance with obtaining the Grant of Probate only, in which case, the approximate timescale would be 6-9 months.
A significant proportion of this time is due to delays at The Probate Registry who are currently advising that applications for Grants of Probate are taking on average 16 weeks to process.
Simpler Estates can take less time to administer, but more complex Estates such as those containing many assets are likely to take longer. Anticipated timeframes may be affected by factors such as numerous or missing beneficiaries, claims arising for contentious Probate, or from property needing to be sold.
Pricing
Details of costs relating to Probate and Estate Administration can be found on our Pricing page. These matters are quoted for subject to complexity and urgency, but a fee estimate will be provided given as soon as clear instructions are provided.
Please note: You can use our services even if the Will is held with another firm. You do not have to use the solicitors who prepared the original Will.
