What is Probate?
When a person dies, someone needs to settle their affairs. Normally this involves gathering in their assets (e.g. getting money out of bank accounts, selling shares and property etc), paying off any outstanding debts, and then distributing the estate. If they left a Will it should be distributed according to that Will and if not, there are rules that decide how their estate should be distributed.
Personal Representatives (sometimes called “PRs”) are responsible for dealing with the affairs of the deceased (PRs are also known as Executors if there was a Will or Administrators if there wasn’t a Will).
One of the first things that the PRs might need to do is to obtain a Grant of Representation which is an official certificate that says you are entitled to handle things on behalf of the person who died. For more detailed information about obtaining a Grant of Representation, read the information on what to do when someone dies’ or see or the Probate FAQ’s
Different types of Probate services
We offer different levels of Probate service with different pricing options which means that people can choose the right level of help to suit them with a cost that they are comfortable with.
Grant Only
First, we have a service where we will obtain the Grant of Probate or Letters of Administration for you, and then you can administer the estate yourself. We can do this via email, telephone, or face to face, and this saves you having to potentially be interviewed at the Probate Registry if you attempt to do this privately. We offer a fixed fee for this service which is agreed upfront and is usually around £950 + VAT.
Full Administration of the Estate
We also offer a ‘full service’, and completely administer the estate from start to finish, which includes where applicable:
- Applying for the Grant of Probate or Letters of Administration
- Encashing the assets and settling liabilities
- Filing tax returns
- Obtaining clearance from HMRC
- Creating estate accounts
- Distributing the assets
- Beginning administering Trusts where applicable, including those hidden ones that aren’t always obvious from a Will
The other option – where you choose the parts of Probate you need help with
We also offer a service where we can help with particular parts of an estate, for a fixed cost, so that clients can select exactly what they need, and know in advance exactly what it will cost. As the person responsible for administering the estate, you could be asked years in the future for evidence of how you administered the estate, and where all the money went.
Estate Accounts are a simple set of documents detailing all the ins and outs, and if we prepare them for you it will be clear and meet the requirements of anything you may be asked to provide in the future.
We can complete tax forms for clients for a fixed fee. Income tax returns are complicated enough, but completing them on behalf of someone else with limited information and slightly different rules can be difficult.
If you need help with an estate, please don’t be afraid to call for advice. It might be that we can help you with some free words of advice. But, it might also be that we can help and take the pressure off you for and it may be more reasonably priced than you thought.
Get in touch, we can help you with the Probate services you need
We offer a free consultation and you can make an appointment to speak to us by calling 01623 45 11 11, emailing probate@fidler.co.uk, making an appointment in person, at our offices, by video call or in the comfort of your own home.
