Wills and Probate services to protect family and financial affairs
GS Solicitors overs a range of professional services from an expereicned team to safeguard your interests, so that if the worst should happen you can have peace-of-mind that your estate is in order.
Why make a Will?
Simply put, without a Will you have no control over who will receive any property, money and personal items after your death. A surviving spouse does not automatically receive all of a deceased husband or wife’s estate and unmarried partners or same sex couples receive nothing. This can lead to significant financial hardship.
Wills are not just for the elderly. Every adult should have a Will, especially if any of the following apply:
- You have Children
- You are married or separating after a marriage
- You co-habit, have a long term partner or are in a same sex couple
- You have assets over £325,000, business interests or agricultural interests
- You wish to specifically benefit / exclude a family member
- You have retired
What can I include in my Will?
A Will can include more than simply the division of your finance and property. You can also state your wishes for other personal matters such as:
- Appoint Guardians for Children
- Protect Property from Care Home Fees
- Specify Funeral arrangements
And of course, you can also review your Will if your personal circumstances change. As a rule of thumb you should consider whether your Will matches your requirements every 5-10 years.
The team at GS Solicitors are highly experienced in drawing up Wills and providing estate planning services. Speak to us today to find out how we can help you.
Administering the affairs of someone after their death
We offer two different service levels to our customers to assist with administering the affairs of someone after their death, depending on the level of involvement Executors named in a Will, or family under an intestacy (no Will) wish to take.
A solicitors traditional Probate service would assist in the entire estate administration, ending with the production of estate accounts and making payment out to those entitled. This service is known as the Full Probate Service.
Often, Executors or family are willing to undertake most roles but with the security that the actual Probate application legal forms are completed by professionals, including the IHT tax form that has to be completed for HM Revenue & Customs. In this scenario, we offer a Grant Only service which primarily involves the completion of the key documents to obtain Probate / Letters of Administration.
Will Charges
The following act as a guide for our standard charges for "single" and "straightforward" Wills.
| Professional Fees from (+ VAT) | |
|---|---|
| Single Will (One Person) |
£200.00 |
| Mirror Will (Two People) |
£300.00 |
The Professional fees we charge will vary based on the following factors:
- Experience of the Fee earner
- Complexity of the Will
- Trusts
These will incur additional fees which we will discuss with you.
Timescales
Usually draft wills are sent out for approval within 14 days of the initial meeting with the client.
Probate Charges
The following act as a guide for our standard charges for "single" and "straightforward" Wills.
| Professional Fees from (+ VAT) | |
|---|---|
| Grant Only | £650.00 |
| Full Admin (estates below £1m) | Estimation of 4–7 Hours Work Directors: £220.00 p/hour Solicitors and legal executives with over 8 years’ experience: £200.00 p/hour Solicitors and legal executives with over 4 years’ experience: £175.00 p/hour Trainee Solicitors, paralegals and other fee earners: £110.00 p/hour |
| AML ID Fee (Per Person) | £6.00 |
| Additional Fees (+ VAT) | |
| - No Valid Will - Shareholdings (Stocks and Bonds) |
|
| Additional Copies of Grant | £0.50 |
As an alternative to offer clarity at the request of a client we can offer probate service at a fixed % of the gross value of the estate value.
Disbursements
In both probate services there are a number of additional amounts payable to third parties (disbursements) that are in addition to our fees.
| Disbursements (no VAT) | |
|---|---|
| Probate Application Fee | £155.00 |
| Bankruptcy-only Land Charges Department Searches (Per Beneficiary) |
£1.00 |
| Post in London Gazette | £83.40 |
| Post in Local Newspaper | £100.00 - £120.00 |
The Professional fees we charge will vary based on the following factors:
- Value of the Estate
- Experience of the Fee earner
- Complexity
- Number of beneficiaries
- Whether a property is involved (Sale or transfer of a property is not included)
- Multiple bank accounts
Timescales
It is difficult to provide an anticipated time estimate even for Grant Only services as this is largely dependant upon the time taken for the probate registry to process the application. Delays of eight weeks are common. If requested, we can provide a time estimate based upon our knowledge of the current processing times at the probate registry.
For full administration services, timeframes largely depend on the complexity of the estate and/or whether a IHT400 full inheritance tax account is required to be lodged with HMRC.
Contact us
How can we help you further? Please get in touch for more information or to arrange an initial consultation.
Our office hours are Monday to Friday 9.00am – 5.00pm. Meetings are by appointment only.
To contact us outside of office hours with your enquiry, please complete the form below. Please note that fields marked * are required for the form to submit.
GS Solicitors Ltd23 Station Road
Hinckley
Leicestershire
LE10 1AW 01455 618763 enquiries@gssolicitors.co.uk