Legal 500 Leading Firm 2026 / The Time Best Law Firms 2026 / 40+ Years of Expert Legal Practice in London
Legal 500 Leading Firm 2026 / The Time Best Law Firms 2026 / 40+ Years of Expert Legal Practice in London
Our Wills, Trusts and Probate team has more than 40 years of collective experience advising on probate and estate administration. We provide clear information about our legal fees, likely third-party costs and the work covered before you instruct us.
Call +44 20 7387 2032 or complete our online contact form to discuss your estate and obtain a fee quote from our probate solicitors in London.
Call +44 20 7387 2032 Request a Fee QuoteLewis Nedas Law advises executors, administrators, beneficiaries and families on probate and the administration of estates in England and Wales. The firm has provided legal services for more than 40 years and is recognised as a Legal 500 Leading Firm 2026 and in The Times Best Law Firms 2026.
Richard supervises the department and advises on Wills, probate, trusts and complex private client matters. His experience includes work for high-net-worth individuals and clients with offshore interests.
Myles is an experienced private client solicitor whose work includes high-value estates and trusts. His published hourly rate is £275 plus VAT where work is charged on an hourly basis.
The person responsible for your matter and the basis of the firm's charges will be confirmed when you instruct us.
The cost of probate depends on the value and complexity of the estate, the work required and whether Inheritance Tax is payable. Our published legal fee ranges are:
| Estate | Our Legal Fees |
|---|---|
| Estate valued up to £5,000 | £950 plus VAT |
| Estate over £5,000 and up to £1 million | £2,000 to £3,500 plus VAT |
| Estate over £1 million where no IHT is due through spouse or charity exemption | £3,500 to £5,500 plus VAT |
| Estate subject to Inheritance Tax | Approximately £5,500 to £7,500 plus VAT |
A straightforward estate with a small number of assets may fall towards the lower end of a quoted range. An estate involving numerous accounts, property, trusts, lifetime gifts, tax issues, overseas assets or extensive correspondence may cost more. We will discuss the likely scope and cost before substantive work begins.
The work covered depends on the agreed scope of your instructions. For a typical estate administration matter, our work may include:
Taking initial instructions
Reviewing the Will and relevant estate documents
Identifying the executors or administrators
Contacting banks and financial institutions
Obtaining date-of-death valuations
Checking beneficiary identity and contact information
Establishing estate assets and liabilities
Obtaining professional valuations where required
Considering the Inheritance Tax position
Preparing relevant HMRC forms
Preparing the probate application
Arranging payment of Inheritance Tax from estate funds where available
Applying for the Grant of Probate or Letters of Administration
Registering the grant with relevant organisations
Collecting estate assets
Paying estate liabilities
Preparing estate accounts
Making agreed interim or final distributions to beneficiaries
Your engagement letter should record which stages are included in your particular quote.
There is an important distinction between obtaining a grant and dealing with the whole estate.
A Grant of Probate application may involve valuing the estate, dealing with the tax position and preparing the application for the grant. Full estate administration can continue after the grant has been issued. It may involve closing accounts, selling assets, settling liabilities, dealing with tax during the administration period, preparing estate accounts and distributing funds.
We can advise on the level of assistance required and confirm which work is included in the fee quoted.
Disbursements are payments made to third parties in connection with your matter. As at August 2026, the government probate application fee is:
£526 where the estate is worth more than £5,000
No probate application fee where the estate is worth £5,000 or less
£2 for each extra copy of the grant ordered when the application is submitted
£16 for an additional copy requested after the application has been submitted
Government charges can change and should be checked when an application is made. Other possible third-party costs may include:
Bankruptcy or Land Charges searches
Property valuations
Surveyors' fees
Share or business valuations
Missing beneficiary tracing services
Genealogist fees
Statutory notices
Foreign lawyer fees
Translation or legalisation costs
Specialist tax advice
Conveyancing fees where estate property is sold or transferred
Not every estate incurs these costs. We will identify foreseeable disbursements relevant to your matter and explain whether VAT applies where that information is available.
Some work may require a separate quote. Examples can include:
Disputes between beneficiaries
Challenges to the validity of a Will
Claims under the Inheritance Act 1975
Court proceedings
Sale or transfer of estate property
Complex trust work
Overseas probate proceedings
Foreign legal advice
Extensive investigations into lifetime gifts
Complex tax enquiries
Missing beneficiaries
Insolvent estates
Business valuations or complex business interests
If extra work becomes necessary, we will explain the reason and the likely cost before that work proceeds.
Some estates require detailed Inheritance Tax work before the probate application can be completed. The tax position can depend on matters such as:
The gross and net value of the estate
Property ownership
Gifts made during the deceased's lifetime
Transfers between spouses or civil partners
Charitable gifts
The residence nil-rate band
Transferable allowances
Business or agricultural reliefs
Trust interests
Overseas assets
Inheritance Tax itself is not part of our legal fee. Where tax is payable, some or all of it may need to be paid before a grant can be issued. We can advise on the probate and estate administration aspects and discuss whether specialist tax advice is required.
The time required depends on the estate. Current HM Courts and Tribunals Service statistics show that probate grants issued between January and March 2026 took around five weeks on average from application to grant, across all probate grant applications. Straightforward digital applications that were not stopped averaged around two weeks. Applications that were stopped averaged around 14 weeks.
Government guidance advises applicants that a grant may take up to around 12 weeks after submission, with longer periods possible where further information is required. Those figures relate to obtaining the grant, not completing the full administration of the estate.
Estate administration can take several months and may take longer where there is:
A property sale
Inheritance Tax
HMRC correspondence
Overseas assets
Trusts
Business interests
Missing beneficiaries
Claims against the estate
A disputed Will or probate claim
We will provide an indication of the likely timetable based on the estate we are dealing with.
Once the grant has been obtained, further work may include:
Sending the grant to banks and investment providers
Closing or transferring accounts
Collecting estate funds
Paying debts and liabilities
Settling final Inheritance Tax
Dealing with Income Tax or Capital Gains Tax arising during administration
Placing statutory notices where appropriate
Transferring or selling property
Preparing estate accounts
Paying legacies
Making interim distributions
Making final distributions to beneficiaries
A separate conveyancing quote will normally be provided if estate property needs to be transferred or sold through our property team.
The value of an estate is only one factor affecting legal costs. Two estates of the same value can require very different amounts of work. For example, an estate consisting of one property and one bank account may involve fewer administrative steps than an estate containing numerous investment portfolios, trusts, overseas property, business assets and lifetime gifts.
Factors affecting fees can include:
Number of assets
Number of beneficiaries
Property ownership
Tax complexity
Lifetime gifts
Trust arrangements
Overseas connections
Quality of the deceased's records
Missing documentation
Whether beneficiaries can be located
Whether disputes arise
Our quote will take these factors into account.
Our private client team has more than four decades of collective experience dealing with probate and estate matters.
Lewis Nedas Law is recognised as a Legal 500 Leading Firm 2026.
Lewis Nedas Law is included in The Times Best Law Firms 2026.
Probate work is handled by experienced private client lawyers under departmental supervision.
We explain our legal charges, foreseeable third-party costs and the scope of work before instructions are confirmed.
Our published fees start at £950 plus VAT. The final cost depends on estate value, complexity, tax, assets and the work required.
The government fee is £526 for estates over £5,000. There is no application fee for estates valued at £5,000 or less.
Third-party costs are separate where stated. We explain foreseeable disbursements and their likely cost before the relevant work is undertaken.
Property conveyancing is usually charged separately. Our conveyancing team can provide a separate quote where a sale or transfer is required.
Timescales depend on the assets, tax position and any disputes. A straightforward estate may take months, with complex estates taking longer.
Clear information about legal costs can help executors understand the financial implications of administering an estate before work begins. Lewis Nedas Law can advise on probate applications, estate administration, Inheritance Tax matters, high-value estates and complex probate work.
Call +44 20 7387 2032 or complete the firm's online contact form to discuss your circumstances and request a probate fee quote from our London solicitors.
Call +44 20 7387 2032 Request a Fee QuoteThe figures on this page provide general pricing information and do not constitute a binding quote. The cost of an individual matter depends on its facts and the agreed scope of work. Government fees and third-party charges can change.
