Probate

Probate and estate administration services

As licensed practitioners for probate related work and specialists in all aspects of taxation, accounts preparation and estate planning, Hedley Dunk are best placed to take care of your probate and estate administration work.

We understand how difficult it can be to handle someone’s legal and financial affairs, particularly at a time when you’re likely to be coming to terms with the death of someone close. But don’t worry, we’re here to help, providing as much or as little support as you need to get things done.

We were the first accountancy firm in Dartford to be licensed to carry out probate work, following a major change in the law. Prior to this change only solicitors and banks were able to carry out this work.

Applying for Probate

Whether you chose to carry out the probate and estate administration process yourself with our guidance and support, or you instruct us to do the work for you, the application for probate is still the same and involves:

Finding the will
Applying for the grant of representation
Administering the estate
Preparing the estate accounts
Distributing the assets to the beneficiaries of the estate.

Why choose us?

Specialists - We are one of only a few qualified accountancy firms in the area who are licensed to carry out probate work. This, combined with our expertise in all areas of accounts, tax and estate administration means you can have total confidence in us handling the whole process for you.

Background knowledge - If the deceased was a client of ours, we are likely to have all the necessary financial information and background details to make the probate process as smooth as possible. If they were not a client, we can still deal with the probate application should their existing accountant not be licensed to do this work.

Quicker processing = reduced costs – As accountancy and tax specialists we’re used to gathering and calculating financial and tax related information. In doing so, we can reduce the amount of time it takes to compile the necessary information. By speeding up the process we can help you to keep the costs down, leaving more for the beneficiaries.

Competitive pricing – Whilst solicitors and banks can also carry out probate work, they tend to charge a fixed percentage based on the value of the estate, which could be as high as 4% even for simple estates. We feel that we are very competitively priced compared with other probate specialists and we’re happy to give you a quote based on the volume and complexity of the work which needs to be carried out. We are confident that our approach to gathering the relevant information, calculating what tax is due and administering the estate is quicker and more succinct, therefore keeping costs to a minimum.

Probate Pricing

We offer two pricing options for you to choose from. Option 1 is an hourly rate; whereby you will be charged for each hour of work undertaken. Option 2 is a fixed fee; this will be calculated by reference to the total gross value of the estate. All fees are subject to VAT.

Option 1

There are a range of hourly rates for the probate work depending on the level and experience required to undertake the work, ranging from £90-£154 an hour.

Option 2

The fixed fee can be calculated as a percentage, up to 1.5% of the underlying value of the gross estate and is subject to VAT. The actual percentage would depend on the complexity of the matter.

There may be factors which would typically increase the cost of our fees. Where there is likely to be any additional cost, we will make sure you are informed of this at the earliest opportunity and a clear estimate of those extra costs will be provided.

Disbursements

Disbursements are costs related to your matter that are payable to third parties, such as Land Registry fees or court fees. We handle the payment of the disbursements on your behalf which are likely to include:-

Item	Amount	VAT	Total
Probate Fee	£300.00	£0.00	£300.00
Office Copies for the Grant of Probate (per copy) - for example, 6	£9.00	£0.00	£9.00
Land registry copy fee	£3.00	£0.00	£3.00
Bankruptcy Search fee (per beneficiary)	£2.00	£0.00	£2.00
Confirmation of identity (per person)	£18.00	£3.60	£21.60
Advert in the local paper (est)	£200.00	£40.00	£240.00
Post in the London Gazette	£87.30	£17.46	£104.76

Additional Costs

In the event that there is no Will or the estate consists of any share holdings (Stocks and Bonds), there are likely to be an additional costs that could range significantly depending on the estate and how it is to be handled. We can give you a more accurate estimate once we have more information.

Should further assets be discovered in the course of the administration additional costs will arise.

The cost of selling or transferring a property is not included in this price, if you require this service, please let us know and we will provide you with an estimate in that regard.

Exclusions

Where there is likely to be any additional or unusual costs, we will make sure you are informed of this at the earliest opportunity and a clear estimate of those extra costs will be provided.

Additional services that will require the assistance of a third party at additional cost include:

Accountancy services and tax advice
Valuations for property, savings, investments or other assets

Personal service – whilst carrying out any probate work we are always sensitive to your needs and emotions during this time. You can be sure that we will treat your legal and financial affairs discreetly and in the strictest confidence and take the administrative burden away from you.

Associated areas we can help

In addition to providing the probate and estate administration service, we can also help you and your family in the following related areas:

Estate planning
Executorships
Financial planning and wealth management
Inheritance tax planning
Retirement planning

Diversity statement

Hedley Dunk are firmly committed to promoting the principles of equality and diversity within our policies, practices and dealings with clients, employees and associates.

It is a regulatory requirement for all probate firms to collect, report and publish employee diversity data. We have collected the data and reported the results to the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England & Wales. As an indication, in April 2023 56% of our staff members were female and 44% were male.

Probate registration

Details of our Probate Registration can be viewed at www.icaew.com/probate under reference number C001246549.

The Probate Regulations can be found at www.icaew.com/regulation/reserved-legal-services.

Contact us

For more information about our probate and estate administration service, please contact Stephen Fryer our probate specialist (stephen@hedleydunk.co.uk)