Probate & Estate Administration

The probate process shouldn't add to your grief. At Sam Rogoff & Co, we ease your burden with an understanding and professional approach to finalising the deceased’s estate as quickly as possible.

Our fees start from as little as £750+VAT, and we can undertake as much or as little of the probate process as you want us to.

Please scroll down for more information about our probate and estate administration service and examples of our fees.

Free, no obligation, probate consultation

To book a free consultation with Daniel Moxom, head of our probate team, please complete and submit the following form:

How can we help?

From our office in Great Portland Street, which is on the border of Marylebone and Fitzrovia, we can help assist you with the following:

• Identifying the assets and liabilities of an estate
• Valuing the assets of an estate
• IHT calculations, preparation, and submission of the relevant IHT forms to HMRC
• Obtaining the grant of probate
• Estate accounts preparation
• Estate income tax returns
• Deed of variation

Timescales

To collate the information on assets, liabilities, valuations, and to prepare draft inheritance tax forms and schedules we would estimate three to six weeks following appointment. In cases where form IHT205 is required, this is likely to take around three weeks to prepare the draft forms for review, and where an IHT400 is required this is likely to take around five to six weeks.

Following submission of the inheritance tax paperwork to HMRC we will then prepare the paperwork for the probate office. There is a requirement to wait 20 working days from submission of the IHT forms before the probate application has been submitted and we aim to have all the probate documents ready for submission on the 21st day. It is then dependent on the processing timescales at the probate office as to how long the grant of probate will take before it is issued.

For the preparation of the estate accounts and tax return we would estimate a preparation period of two to four weeks.

Due to the nature and variety of the work involved in the administration of the estate timescales can vary significantly, we can provide a more accurate estimate after an initial review of the estate.

Why choose Sam Rogoff to carry out your probate work?

• We are one of only a few qualified accountancy firms in the country who are licensed to carry out probate work. This, combined with our expertise in all areas of accounts, tax and estate administration means you can have total confidence in us handling the whole process for you.
• If the deceased was a client of ours, we are likely to have all the necessary financial information and background details to make the probate process as smooth as possible. If they were not a client, we can still deal with the probate application should their existing accountant not be licensed to do this work.
• As accountancy and tax specialists we’re used to gathering and calculating financial and tax related information. In doing so, we can reduce the amount of time it takes to compile the necessary information, thereby speeding up the process and helping to keep costs down.
• Whilst solicitors and banks can also carry out probate work, they tend to charge a fixed percentage based on the value of the estate, which could be as high as 4% even for simple estates. We feel that we are very competitively priced compared to other probate specialists and we’re happy to give you a quote based on the volume and complexity of the work which needs to be carried out. We are confident that our approach to gathering the relevant information, calculating what tax is due and administering the estate is quicker and more succinct, therefore keeping costs to a minimum.
• Whilst carrying out any probate work we are always sensitive to your needs and emotions during this time. You can be sure that we will treat your legal and financial affairs discreetly and in the strictest confidence and take the administrative burden away from you wherever possible.

Fees

Our fees are based on the time involved, not the value of an estate. This means we are able to offer a competitively priced probate and estate administration service.

Fees will vary depending upon the level of work involved and complexity of the Estate, however, a rough guide to our fees can be found below.

We would strongly advise you to contact us as we will be able to provide you with a more accurate estimate at the initial meeting once we have further details of the estate:

Services required	Estimated cost (exc. VAT)
Grant of probate where IHT205 form is required	£1,500 – £3,000
Grant of probate where IHT400 is required	£3,000 - £10,000
After the grant has been obtained:
Estate administration, preparation of the estate accounts and tax return (due to the nature and variety of this work, fees will be based on time spent at the relevant charge our rate)	Head of legal practice: £360 per hour Probate practitioner: £200 per hour

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Details of our Probate Accreditation can be viewed at (www.icaew.com under Reference Number: C002545445)

As part of our licence to provide Probate and Estate Administration services, staff within the firm are requested to complete the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW) anonymous annual diversity survey. To view Sam Rogoff & Co Ltd Diversity Questionnaire Summary results please click here.

For details of our complaints procedure and the probate compensation scheme please click here.