What Does Probate Cost? A Fixed Fee of £1,880
No hourly rates and no surprise add-ons. Ade gives you one transparent probate fee before any work begins, across England and Wales.
One transparent probate fee before any work begins. No hourly rates, no surprise add-ons.
✓ £1,880 Fixed Fee ✓ Ade: 35 Years' Experience
✓ 1,000+ Families Helped
✓ £1,880 ✓ Ade: 35 Years
✓ 1,000+ Families
Prefer to talk now? Call 020 8669 1779
Your Free 30-Minute Probate Review with Ade
A no-obligation conversation with Ade.
How It Works
Three steps, no jargon, no surprises.
Request a callback from Ade
Submit your details and Ade calls you back personally.
Free 30-min review with a fixed-fee quote
Ade reviews your situation and gives you a single transparent fee. No surprises.
Application submitted
Then we handle HMRC, asset collection, debts, and final distribution.
What your fixed fee covers:
Most people searching probate costs have been quoted a percentage of the estate or an open-ended hourly rate. Ade does not work that way. You get a fixed fee, set against the size and complexity of the estate: £1,880 for full estate administration, or a fixed quote for the grant-only service. Either way you see the full figure before anything starts. No meter running, no bill that grows as the months pass.
Where the beneficiaries decide to redirect part of the estate, Ade prepares the deed as part of administering it; what a deed of variation costs sets out who has to sign and when it is worth doing.
- Grant of probate application from start to issue
- Inheritance tax forms and HMRC correspondence
- Asset identification, valuation, and collection
- Debt settlement from the estate
- Final estate accounts and distribution
- Letters of administration where there is no will
How Ade's Fixed Fee Compares
| Ade from £1,880 |
% of Estate | Hourly Rate | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Know the cost upfront | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Fee stays the same if it takes longer | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ |
| Fee is not a percentage of estate value | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ |
Choose Your Service
Two fixed-fee options, depending on how much you want Ade to handle.
Grant of Probate Only
For simpler estates where you want help with the legal application only.
Includes: grant of probate application from start to issue, IHT forms where required, supporting documentation, court fee handling, and registry submission.
Full Estate Administration - £1,880
The complete service, from grant application through final distribution.
Includes: everything in Grant-Only, plus asset valuations, full HMRC correspondence, asset collection, debt settlement, and final estate accounts.
Cost paid from the estate. No upfront payment required.
What probate actually costs in total
The professional fee is only one part of the bill. Three separate things leave the estate, and a quote that mentions only the first is not telling you the whole cost.
| What | Who charges it | How much |
|---|---|---|
| Professional fee | Your probate specialist or solicitor | £1,880 here for full estate administration. Solicitors more often charge 1% to 5% of the estate, or an hourly rate |
| Court application fee | HM Courts and Tribunals Service | £526 for estates over £5,000, and nothing at £5,000 or below |
| Disbursements | Third parties | Copies of the grant at £2 each with the application, bankruptcy searches, statutory notices, property valuations |
VAT at 20% applies to professional fees. It does not apply to the court fee.
On a £400,000 estate that means £1,880 plus VAT, the £526 court fee, and a handful of pounds for grant copies. A firm charging 2% of the same estate would bill £8,000 plus VAT, with the identical court fee and disbursements on top. The difference is £6,120 that stays with the beneficiaries.
For a fuller comparison of how solicitors price the same work, see how much a solicitor charges for probate.
What probate costs on a £200,000, £400,000 and £800,000 estate
Here are the same cost lines on three sizes of estate. The percentage column uses 2%, which sits in the middle of the 1% to 5% range solicitors commonly quote on, and both professional fees carry the 20% VAT set out above.
| £200,000 estate | £400,000 estate | £800,000 estate | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Court application fee (gov.uk) | £526 | £526 | £526 |
| Extra copies of the grant, at £2 each with the application | £6 (3 copies) | £8 (4 copies) | £12 (6 copies) |
| Ade, full estate administration | £1,880 | £1,880 | £1,880 |
| Ade's fee with VAT at 20% | £2,256 | £2,256 | £2,256 |
| Total on Ade's fixed fee | £2,788 | £2,790 | £2,794 |
| A 2% charge on the estate | £4,000 | £8,000 | £16,000 |
| That charge with VAT at 20% | £4,800 | £9,600 | £19,200 |
| Total on a 2% basis | £5,332 | £10,134 | £19,738 |
| Difference in professional fees, VAT included | £2,544 | £7,344 | £16,944 |
The court fee does not move with the estate once it is over £5,000, and neither does the work of applying for the grant. Only the percentage column moves, and what moves it is the number on the valuation rather than the hours anyone spent. The £6,120 further up this page is the same £400,000 comparison before VAT is added.
The copy counts are an estimate, based on how many organisations usually ask to see the grant. Order them with the application at £2 each; afterwards they cost £16 each.
Figures checked on 19 September 2026.
What changes the price
Six things account for almost all the variation between one estate and the next:
- Property. Whether there is a house to sell or transfer, and whether it sells easily. Conveyancing is a separate job from probate.
- Inheritance tax. Whether a full account has to go to HMRC. That is a substantial piece of work on its own and the single biggest driver of both cost and time.
- How many holdings. Four accounts and a pension is a different job from fourteen accounts, three pensions and a share portfolio.
- The will. A clear, current will is straightforward. An old one, an ambiguous one, or no will at all adds work.
- The beneficiaries. Where everyone agrees, administration is procedural. Where they do not, it stops being procedural.
- Anything overseas or in business. Foreign property and business interests both bring their own rules.
None of those move Ade's fee once it has been agreed. What they decide is whether the right service is the grant on its own or full administration, and that is what the first conversation is for.
Why Ade
Four reasons families pick Ade and recommend him.
35+ years experience
Ade has personally handled probate for over 1,000 families across England and Wales.
No call centres
You speak to Ade directly, from the first call to the final distribution.
Fixed fee, no surprises
Full estate administration is £1,880. The price we quote is the price you pay.
Regulated and insured
Full professional indemnity insurance. Estates handled to the highest standards.
Meet Ade, Your Probate Specialist
I'm Ade. For 35 years, I've helped families across England and Wales sort probate properly. Estate administration, grant applications, HMRC correspondence, asset collection, final distribution. I handle all of it.
No call centres, no case handlers, no handoffs. You deal with me directly, start to finish.
Every estate starts with a conversation. I listen, I review, I tell you exactly what is involved before any commitment.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about what probate costs.
How much does probate cost?
The fixed fee for full estate administration is £1,880, and grant-only work is quoted separately. The fee depends on the size and complexity of the estate, not the number of hours spent. You see the full quote before any work begins, with no hourly rates and no surprise add-ons.
Why do some probate quotes look cheaper at first?
Percentage-of-estate and hourly quotes often look small until the estate is valued or the hours add up. A fixed fee tells you the real cost on day one, so you can compare it properly against a quote that can move.
What makes the fee go up or down?
The size of the estate, the number and type of assets, whether inheritance tax applies, and whether there is a valid will. Ade reviews your situation when you speak and gives you the single figure for your case, with no obligation to proceed.
Book Your Free 30-Minute Review
Get a clear fixed-fee probate quote from Ade. No obligation, no hard sell.
Or call Ade direct: 020 8669 1779
Last updated 19 September 2026. Court fees and thresholds from gov.uk.