When someone dies, the paperwork doesn't wait. We're licensed by ICAEW to carry out probate and estate administration, which means the inheritance tax, the grant application and the estate accounts can all stay with one firm.
No obligation, no upfront cost for an initial conversation.
Probate is the general term for dealing with the estate of someone who has died. The people legally entitled to deal with it are the personal representatives — executors where there's a will, administrators where there isn't.
The process makes sure the right taxes are calculated and paid, money owed to and by the estate is settled, and what's left reaches the beneficiaries, either under the will or under the intestacy rules.
It is a lot of obligation to absorb at a point when most people have very little capacity for it. That's the part we take on.
Valuing the estate, working out whether inheritance tax is due, dealing with income tax and capital gains for the period of administration, preparing estate accounts — that's the substance of the work, and it's what we do every day.
Where we already act for you, we know the assets, the structures and the history. That shortens the fact-finding stage considerably and usually reduces the fee.
We're a chartered accountancy and tax practice licensed by ICAEW for non-contentious probate. You get the tax specialism and the reserved legal activity from the same firm, rather than a solicitor for the grant and an accountant for the tax.
We'll tell you honestly which one your situation needs.
Everything in grant only, plus:
We do not act in contentious probate — disputes over the validity of a will, or claims against an estate. If that arises we'll tell you early and refer you to a solicitor.
Indicative only. Every estate differs, and HMRC and Probate Registry processing times move.
Reviewing assets, liabilities and complexity. Gathering the will, death certificate and financial records. Establishing whether a grant is needed and which inheritance tax account applies.
Calculating the liability, applying exemptions and reliefs, preparing the IHT400 and schedules — or confirming the estate qualifies as an excepted estate.
HMRC processing times vary from a few weeks to a few months.
Preparing and submitting the application, including the court fee.
Grant of probate where there's a will, letters of administration where there isn't.
Collecting assets, settling debts, paying legacies and distributing the residue. Sometimes longer.
In short: for a straightforward estate, allow around six months from instruction to distribution. For an estate with property, business interests, assets abroad or a complicated beneficiary position, allow twelve.
We publish this because ICAEW requires us to, and because you should not have to ask three times what something costs.
Our fees are based on the time the work genuinely requires, at the charge-out rate of the people doing it. Before we start, we give you a written estimate and agree it with you. If circumstances change materially, we tell you before the cost changes, not after.
The estimate covers the time needed to verify the personal representatives and run the probate application; establish the value of the estate and the inheritance tax position; where required, advise on income tax, capital gains tax and options for mitigating inheritance tax; and meet any other requirements the personal representatives have.
The rate depends on the seniority of the person required — straightforward administration sits at the lower end, complex inheritance tax and valuation work at the upper.
| Situation | Our fee | Including VAT at 20% |
|---|---|---|
| Grant only, straightforward estate | £1,200 | £1,440 |
| Straightforward estate under £325,000 | £2,250 – £3,750 | £2,700 – £4,500 |
| Typical range across most estates | £3,250 – £8,500 | £3,900 – £10,200 |
Disbursements are additional in all cases. There is no such thing as a typical probate, so treat these as indications rather than quotes — your written estimate is the number that counts.
Costs payable to third parties. We agree these with you in advance and pass them on at cost.
| Disbursement | Amount |
|---|---|
| Probate application fee (estates of £5,000 or over) | £526 |
| Estates under £5,000 | No fee |
| Official copies of the grant, ordered with the application | £2 each |
| Bankruptcy search, per beneficiary (UK) | £2 |
| Statutory notice in The Gazette | £116 |
| Statutory notice in local press | Varies by title |
| Professional valuations — property, chattels, shares | Quoted separately |
The probate application fee rose from £300 to £526 on 13 July 2026. Official copies ordered alongside the application fell from £16 to £2 at the same time.
Where we are instructed on full estate administration and the estate has assets that can be realised, our fees can be settled from the estate as the administration progresses rather than upfront.
Where we hold money belonging to an estate, it is held in a designated client account in accordance with ICAEW's Clients' Money Regulations, separately from the firm's own money.
Waqas qualified at a top-tier practice and is a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales and the Chartered Institute of Taxation, and an affiliate of the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners.
His core specialism is inheritance tax and trust planning, and he is the individual licensed to undertake probate work at the firm.
No. If everything was held jointly and passes automatically to the survivor, or the estate is small and the asset holders will release funds without a grant, you may not need one. Each bank and provider sets its own threshold. Where there is property in the deceased's sole name, you will almost always need a grant. We'll tell you at the first conversation, at no cost.
For a straightforward estate, around six months from instruction to distribution. Complex estates run to twelve months or more. The stages and typical timings are set out above.
The estate passes under the intestacy rules, which set a fixed order of who inherits and in what proportions — and it often isn't what people assume, particularly for unmarried partners, who take nothing. Instead of executors, the entitled person applies for letters of administration. We handle both routes.
The estate does, not you personally. Where the estate has realisable assets, our fees and the disbursements are settled from it during the administration.
Not for non-contentious probate. We're licensed by ICAEW to carry out the same reserved legal activity, with the tax expertise attached. If a dispute arises — a challenge to the will, or a claim against the estate — that is contentious work, and we'll refer you to a solicitor.
Yes. A good share of our probate work comes from families with no prior relationship with the firm.
We'll deal with the valuation for inheritance tax, advise on whether the residence nil rate band is available, and handle the capital gains position if the property is sold during the administration. We're not estate agents or conveyancers, but we'll coordinate with whoever you appoint.
Yes, and for a simple estate with no inheritance tax and a small number of assets, that is often the sensible choice. It's worth taking advice where inheritance tax is in play, where there's property or a business, where there's no will, or where you'd rather not carry the personal liability that comes with being a personal representative.
You can renounce, provided you haven't already started dealing with the estate, or reserve your power so another executor acts instead. We can advise on which applies.
W Advisory Ltd is licensed by the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales to carry out the reserved legal activity of non-contentious probate in England and Wales.
Details of the firm's probate registration can be viewed at icaew.com/probate under the firm's reference number C008825610.
Head of Legal Practice: Waqas Iqbal BSc ACA CTA.
We hold professional indemnity insurance meeting ICAEW's requirements, with a minimum limit of indemnity of £500,000 for any one claim in respect of probate and estate administration.
The scheme exists to protect clients where an accredited probate firm has acted dishonestly in the course of authorised work, or has failed to account for money received during that work. It is separate from, and additional to, our professional indemnity insurance.
Grants from the scheme are wholly at the discretion of ICAEW's Probate Committee and are subject to a limit of £500,000 per estate. Applicants normally need to apply within 12 months of the loss first coming to their attention, and must show they have exhausted other available remedies.
ICAEW requires all firms accredited for probate to monitor the diversity of their principals and employees using ICAEW's standard survey, and to publish a summary of the results.
We completed our most recent survey in 2025. The firm comprises four people, including the principal.
The firm is small. Publishing a category-by-category breakdown of the responses would identify individuals and disclose personal information about them, including information one respondent had asked not to disclose. ICAEW's guidance recognises this and expects firms in our position to publish only data that does not compromise individual anonymity.
We can confirm that, of those who responded, half were male and half were female, and all were from an ethnic minority background.
The full survey data is retained by the firm and is available to ICAEW on request. We will publish an updated summary following our next survey.
We aim to provide service and advice of the highest quality. If at any point you are dissatisfied with any aspect of our work, please tell us.
We operate a formal system for investigating complaints carefully and promptly, taking appropriate action to resolve the matter and discussing the position fully with you.
Please raise any concern with Waqas Iqbal, Managing Director and Head of Legal Practice, at waqas@wadvisory.co.uk or 0208 194 8220.
We will acknowledge your complaint within five business days of receipt and aim to resolve it within eight weeks.
The Legal Ombudsman can consider complaints about the service you've received. If we haven't resolved your complaint within eight weeks, or you're unhappy with our response, you can refer it to them, if you refer it:
Legal Ombudsman, PO Box 6806, Wolverhampton WV1 9WJ
0300 555 0333 · enquiries@legalombudsman.org.uk · legalombudsman.org.uk
ICAEW can also consider complaints about our conduct as a firm accredited for probate, including complaints about breaches of ICAEW's regulations. Details of how to complain are at icaew.com/complaints.
A first conversation costs nothing and carries no obligation. We'll tell you whether you need a grant, what the likely fee is, and how long it should take.