In order to ensure your loved ones are looked after once you are gone and that your wishes are respected, you will need a Will. It is never a pleasant task to think about but it will give you peace of mind that your estate is dealt with by someone you trust and that it passes to your loved ones. By making a Will you protect your loved ones, help benefit a charity or people of your own choice.  

Find out more about why a Will is important here.

It is important to consider what would happen if you died without a Will, known as dying intestate. If you die intestate, how your estate is dealt with will be governed by intestacy law. The intestacy law prescribes who may administer your estate and who will inherit.

Our clients are given an estimate of costs after our initial meeting or as part of the engagement process. There are some areas where we are able to be more indicative and, as in accordance with the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) guidance on price transparency, we have published our price and service information where it is possible to be upfront about charges without knowing all the details of the matter.

Wills

• Single Codicil £350 plus VAT
• Mirror Codicils £500 plus VAT
• Single Will: £500 plus VAT
• Mirror Wills: £800 plus VAT
• Single Will with embedded Trust (e.g. Discretionary or Life Interest): £900 plus VAT
• Mirror Will with embedded Trust (e.g. Discretionary or Life Interest): £1,600 plus VAT

Anything more complex, solicitor will provide estimate after initial meeting and receiving necessary detail/specific instructions.

Package price for client that instructs for both LPAs and Wills – as above with 100 plus VAT discount

Lasting Powers of Attorney

Lasting Powers of Attorney (Property & Finance and/or Health & Welfare)

• One LPA for single person: £500 plus VAT plus £82 Office of the Public Guardian Court fee
• Two LPAs for single person/one LPA for couple: £800 plus VAT plus £164 Office of the Public Guardian Court fee
• Three LPAs: £1,000 plus VAT plus £246 Office of the Public Guardian Court fee
• Four LPAs: £1,200 plus VAT plus £328 Office of the Public Guardian Court fee

Package price for client that instructs for both LPAs and Wills – as above with 100 plus VAT discount

Registration Of Enduring Power Of Attorney 

£750 plus VAT plus £82 OPG registration fee

Advance Directive

• Standalone £250 plus VAT
• With an LPA £200 plus VAT

Probate

Bindmans will draft an application for Grant of Probate (or Grant of Letters of Administration) using the information provided by the appointed executors or relatives as appropriate. The Grant only service is only available where no inheritance tax is due. The executors or administrators will be responsible for dealing with the estate once the Grant has been received.

Our Grant only fees are:

• Where a simplified estate form would previously have been required (IHT205)  £2,500 plus VAT
• Where a full estate form would previously have been required (IHT400)  £3,500 plus VAT

Please note, the above fees quoted are for estates where no inheritance tax is payable and fees may vary depending on the size and complexity of the estate.

Our fees for our full estate administration service (including preparation of IHT account if applicable, application for Grant, and distribution of estate) are 2% of the gross value of the Estate plus VAT. For the majority of estates, our fees will equate to the costs for the total time undertaken to administer the estate on your behalf. The solicitor dealing with your matter will confirm the costs estimate to you following the initial consultation when they have a fuller understanding of the complexity and value of the estate.

Please note that there is a minimum fee of £2,500 plus VAT

Trusts

Fees will depend on the type of trust and what you are putting in it. Typically:

• A bare trust holding cash will cost  £660 inc VAT to set up.
• A Vulnerable/Disabled Person’s Trust will cost £1,180 inc VAT
• A lifetime discretionary trust or life interest trust designed to hold cash or investments will cost around £1800 inc VAT to set up.

Disbursements

In addition to our costs you will be responsible for paying costs payable to another organisation which are incurred by us on your behalf, for example, probate court fees, expert report fees, interpreter/translation costs, our travel costs if we have to travel outside our office on your behalf, counsel fees, and courier costs.

In the course of the administration of the estate, typical disbursements that may be payable are as follows:

• Probate application fee (if the value of the estate exceeds £5,000)  £273            
• Bankruptcy Searches (per beneficiary)  £2
• HM Land Registry Official Copies of Title (per title) £3
• Notice in the London Gazette (to protect against unexpected claims from unknown creditors) £80
• Notice in a Local Newspaper (to protect against unexpected claims from unknown creditors) Price upon application
• Estate Search for Assets £155
• Additional copy of the Grant £1.50

Applications to Court of Protection to appoint a Deputy for Property & Finance

Costs for dealing with the application for Deputyship £1,500 – £2,500 plus VAT

Disbursements are as follows:

• Court application fee £371
• Capacity Assessment and completion of COP3 form £250 – £350 (TBA by instructed medical practitioner)
• HM Land Registry Official Copies of Title (if applicable) £3 plus VAT
• Security Bond (if applicable) The Court may require you to set up a security bond before you can be appointed as a property and affairs deputy. This is a kind of insurance that protects the finances of the person you are a deputy for. You set up the bond with a security bond provider. The amount you pay depends on the value of the estate of the person you’re a deputy for and how much of their estate you control. The court may decide it is not necessary, for example if the person’s estate has a low value.

After you have been appointed Deputy, you must pay:

• An annual supervision fee depending on what level of supervision your deputyship needs. This will range from £320 for general supervision to £35 for minimal supervision (for property and affairs deputies managing less than £21,000)
• A £100 assessment fee if you are a new deputy.

The Office of the Public Guardian will tell you how and when to pay your assessment and supervision fees.

Value Added Tax (VAT)

Value Added Tax (VAT) is required to be added to our fees and all disbursements. This applies if your usual place of residence is the UK. Details of the current rate of VAT which will be applied can be found HERE. If you are not resident in the UK, you are not liable to pay VAT. 

How long does the process take?

Wills

Once formal instructions have been taken and depending on the complexity, it will take between 6-8 weeks for us to provide you with a draft will.

LPAs

Once formal instructions have been taken and depending on the complexity, it will take between 6-8 weeks for us to provide you with draft LPA/s. Once the application/s have been submitted, the Office of the Public Guardian will take between 8-12-16 weeks to register the LPA/s. Following the registration of the LPA/s, there is a 4 week statutory cooling off period implemented by the Court of Protection before the LPA/s can be used.

Probate

Depending on the complexity of the estate, it usually takes around 8-12 weeks in order to establish the size of the estate for inheritance tax purposes. Once an application has been made for Grant of Probate/Letters of administration, it will take between 8-1616 weeks for the grant to be issued.

Overall, following initial instructions to obtaining the grant will take between 3-4-6 months.

Trust

Once formal instructions have been taken and depending on the complexity, it will take between 6-8 weeks for us to provide you with the draft trust deed.

Please be advised that fees and process times could be subject to increase depending on the complexity of your matter, or if there are contentious elements.