Probate solicitor fees: what you will pay and what firms must publish
Probate is one of the services for which a regulated firm in England and Wales that publicises it as being on offer must publish prices on its website, yet our scan finds price information on only a small minority of firm websites: the current figure is on the statistics page. Here is how probate is actually charged, and how to compare firms before you instruct one.
The three ways firms charge for probate
- Fixed fee. Most common for a grant-only service, where the solicitor obtains the grant of probate and you handle the rest. Advertised fixed fees often start around 1,500 to 2,500 pounds plus VAT; check exactly what the fee covers.
- Hourly rate. Common for full estate administration. The final bill depends on how much work the estate turns out to need, so ask for an estimate of hours and a cap or review point.
- Percentage of the estate. Some firms charge a percentage of the estate's value, often between 1% and 5%, sometimes combined with an hourly rate. On a 400,000 pound estate the gap between 1% and 5% is 16,000 pounds, so this single question can matter more than any other.
The same estate can be quoted very differently under the three models. A simple estate with one property and two bank accounts is usually cheapest on a fixed fee; a percentage fee tends to be poor value on large, simple estates.
Costs that come on top of the solicitor's fee
- The probate application fee: 526 pounds since 13 July 2026 for estates over 5,000 pounds (no fee at or below that). It applies whether you use a solicitor or apply yourself.
- Extra sealed copies of the grant: 2 pounds each when ordered with the application. You usually need several, one per bank or institution.
- VAT at 20% on the solicitor's fee where the firm is VAT registered, which most are. Check whether quoted figures include it.
- Other disbursements: statutory notices to creditors, bankruptcy searches, property valuations, and unclaimed asset searches.
- Inheritance tax is separate from all of the above and, where due, usually has to be at least partly paid before the grant is issued.
What the firm's website must already tell you
For uncontested probate (where the estate is not disputed and all assets are within the UK), the SRA Transparency Rules require the firm's website to show the total cost or an average or range with the basis for the charges, what is included and what is not, likely disbursements and their cost, whether VAT applies and the amount, the key stages and typical timescales, and the experience and qualifications of the people doing the work and their supervisors.
If a firm you are considering publishes none of this, you are entitled to ask why, and to ask for the same information in writing before you commit. A firm that itemises its probate pricing on its own website has made comparison easy; treat that as a good sign.
How to compare probate quotes
Ask two or three firms for the total figure in writing on the same basis: the fee model, VAT, the court fee and all expected disbursements for your specific estate (number of properties, accounts, beneficiaries, and whether inheritance tax is likely). Ask what happens to the fee if the estate turns out to be more complicated, and who will actually do the work. The solicitor prices guide has a template email you can adapt.
See whether a firm publishes what the rules expect
You can run a free SRA website check on any firm you are considering: our scanner reads the public pages and reports whether it found price information, the clickable SRA badge and complaints information. The transparency statistics show how firm websites across England and Wales compare.
This guide is general information for England and Wales, not legal advice. Fee figures are typical market ranges, not quotes. Website findings are automated, come from public pages only, and are not a legal opinion.