Probate Fees Set To Increase

While the changes are yet to be approved by the House of Commons and a date for that has not yet been announced, the proposed changes will mean an increased fee for any Estate which is worth over £50,000.

At the moment, no fee is payable if the Estate is worth less than £5,000, and there is a flat fee of £155 if you are applying through a solicitor, or £215 if you are applying personally.  If these changes are introduced, the fees could go up to as much as £6,000!

The proposed new fees are as follows:

Estates worth less than £50,000                                            £0

Estates worth from £50,000 up to £300,000                          £250

Estates worth from £300,000 up to £500,000                       £750

Estates worth from £500,000 up to £1 million                        £2,500

Estates worth from £1 million up to £1.6 million                    £4,000

Estates worth from £1.6 million up to £2 million                    £5,000

Estates worth more than £2 million                                        £6,000

No date has been set for these proposed changes, but they are likely to be implemented in April 2019.  Therefore, if you are concerned about these increases, you may wish to submit your application before the new fees are introduced.  Any probate application submitted before the change, should only incur the existing fees.

Probate applications can take several weeks/months to finalise, so it may be worth obtaining all the advice you need as soon as possible.

If you are concerned about these changes and wish to obtain legal advice, then please do not hesitate to contact our offices.