As of May 2024, there has been a material increase in the Probate court fee of 10%, this has resulted in the cost now rising from £273 to £300, with it remaining £1.50 for additional copies.
Do I need a Grant of Probate?
A grant of probate is usually required to deal with the administration of an estate if it includes property such as a flat or a house. Otherwise, you may not need probate or letters of administration if:
- The estate is just made up of physical cash (that is, banknotes and coins) and personal possessions such as a car, furniture, and jewellery
- The assets are held jointly
- There is a small cash balance
- You discover that the estate is insolvent, that is, there is not enough money in the estate to pay all the debts, taxes and expenses
- There are certain life insurance policies and pension benefits in the estate.
Each bank has its own thresholds for when they require probate so even when an estate is just bank accounts, if the sums are large, then they may still require a Grant of Probate or Letters of Administration to enable the collection of the assets.
Court of Protection fees
Another area where we have seen increased fees is surrounding court of protection applications they have risen from £371 to £408.
For more information surrounding deputyships please see our blog titled ‘Understanding Deputyships’.
If you would like any further information surrounding the topics discussed above, our Will Trusts and Probate department are happy to assist and help guide you down the right path.
The contents of this post do not constitute legal advice and are provided for general information purposes only.
The contents of this post do not constitute legal advice and are provided for general information purposes only ■
