Fixed Fee Probate Quotation

You do not have to pay a percentage of the total value of the Estate when you use our Probate Complete Service. This could save you thousands of pounds.

With our Probate Complete Service we take full responsibility for getting the Grant of Probate and dealing with the Legal, Tax (excluding VAT), Property and Estate Administration affairs.

When you choose our Probate Complete Service we can:

• Pay all the costs of a Co-op Funeralcare funeral and reimburse any deposit paid, as soon as you have instructed us to represent you; providing that the Estate owns sufficient assets that can be sold in due course
• Price match the cost of any like for like written Probate quote.

There are no upfront costs to pay as our Probate fees are deferred and will be taken from the Estate once it is in funds.

When Co-op Legal Services has provided you with a written Fixed Fee Probate quote for the agreed work, that price will not change unless the original information we are given is shown to be incorrect or circumstances change.

For a free, no obligation, Fixed Fee Probate quote call our Probate Specialists on 03306069584 or contact us online and we will help you.

Probate can be complicated because it often involves legal, financial, tax and property matters, but the good news is that we can explain the Probate process to you avoiding legal jargon wherever possible.

In order to provide you with a written fixed cost Probate quote, we will need to know a variety of details about the deceased persons’ Estate. Please don't worry if you don't have all the details when you call us because we will help you.

Complete Probate and Estate Administration Service

Our Probate Complete Service is our full Probate and Estate Administration service for people who would rather instruct our Probate Lawyers and experts to deal with all the legal and financial work.

Benefits of our Probate Complete Service include:

• A local Probate Consultant can visit you at home or another location of your choice (in England or Wales).
• We can provide a loan for any Inheritance Tax due from the Estate*.
• No upfront fee is charged for our Complete Probate service. Our fixed fee can be paid from the Estate during the administration process*.
• We can settle the cost of a Co-op Funeralcare funeral* and reimburse any deposit paid, as soon as you have instructed us to represent you.
*Providing that the Estate owns assets that can be liquidated.

In order to carry out our Probate and Estate Management services more often than not we have to appoint third party organisations to provide specialist services. The costs of these services are disbursements of the Estate and will be charged in addition to the fixed fee. All fees and disbursement costs that are able to be identified will be detailed on the written quote that we provide before any work starts.

Once we have provided you with a written quote for the agreed work to be done, that price will not change unless the original information we are given is shown to be incorrect or circumstances change.

Authorised & Regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority

Probate Estate Administration in England and Wales is not a reserved legal activity which means that unregulated providers can offer Probate Estate Administration services regardless of whether they are insured, experienced or qualified to provide a full Probate service.

At Co-op Legal Services our Probate teams include more than 20 Specialist Probate Solicitors, Lawyers and Case Managers who only deal with Probate.

Co-op Legal Services is a trading name for Co-operative Legal Services Limited which is authorised and regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority, giving you peace of mind knowing that your Probate affairs are being dealt with by a regulated organisation and by a name you know and can trust.

The role of Executor of a Will or Administrator if there is no Will, and the Estate administration duties involved, can be very time-consuming and challenging as it involves legal, taxation and Estate administration work.

With our Complete Probate Service we provide full service taking responsibility for getting the Grant of Probate and dealing with the legal, tax (excluding VAT), property and Estate administration affairs.

Our Complete Probate Service includes a face to face conversation with one of our experienced Probate Consultants, who can meet you wherever is most convenient for you (in England or Wales). The Probate Consultant will talk you through the Probate and Estate Administration process, explaining each step without using legal jargon wherever possible.

For a free, no obligation, Fixed Fee Probate quote call our Probate Specialists on 03306069584 or contact us online and we will call you.

Our Probate Complete Service includes the following Legal, Tax, Estate Administration and Property matters:

Legal

• Preparing the necessary documentation for the Grant of Probate application.
• Carrying out all necessary checks to ensure the validity of any Will in existence.
• When there is no valid Will, applying the Rules of Intestacy to the Estate of the deceased to identify the Personal Representatives and beneficiaries and to establish the entitlement of the beneficiaries.
• Applying to the Probate Registry and obtaining the Grant of Probate.
• Ensuring the accurate distribution of the Estate.
• Assessing and dealing with any claims against the Estate.
• Placing all statutory adverts to manage claims against the Estate.
• Assessing variations to the distribution of the Estate.

Tax

• Completing the following tax forms for HMRC:
  - The Income Tax return from 6th April to the date of death.
  - The appropriate Inheritance Tax form, either an IHT 205 or IHT 400.
  - The Capital Gains Tax return, if required.
• Conducting all correspondence with HMRC relevant to completing the above tax forms.
• Taking any corrective action required by HMRC during the Estate administration process.
• Claiming any relevant tax reliefs or exemptions applicable to the Estate.
• Calculating any Inheritance Tax, Income Tax and Capital Gains Tax that is owed.
• Ensuring payment of any outstanding tax from the Estate.
• Calculating and arranging for the transfer of any Nil Rate Band allowance if available, in order to reduce Inheritance Tax.

Estate Administration

• Identifying and corresponding with the Personal Representatives and beneficiaries of the Estate throughout the Estate administration process.
• Identifying and corresponding with all financial institutions and organisations relevant to the Estate throughout the Estate administration process.
• Identifying, verifying and valuing all assets based in England and Wales.
• Gathering all the assets of the Estate.
• Transferring all jointly held assets into sole name, including property held as joint tenants.
• Paying any debts and liabilities from the Estate.
• Preparing the accounts of the Estate.
• Distributing the Estate to the beneficiaries.
• Setting up any Trusts relevant to the Estate.

Property

If there is a property in the Estate, our Probate Complete Service includes where necessary:

• Ensuring that the buildings and contents insurer is fully aware of the change in circumstances and making sure that appropriate insurance is in place.
• Appointing the Royal Mail to re-direct post to us during the period of administration in order to manage all the affairs of the Estate.

If there is a property to be transferred, our Probate Complete Service includes:

• Transferring ownership of registered property from the deceased to the beneficiaries.
• Appointing a specialist Conveyancer to register any unregistered land at HM Land Registry, if required.

If there is a property to be sold Probate Complete Service also includes:

• Appointing an Estate Agent for the marketing and sale of the property.
• Appointing and managing a specialist Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) provider in obtaining an EPC for the property where appropriate. An EPC is a legal requirement for the marketing and sale of a property.
• Appointing and managing a specialist Conveyancer for the transfer of ownership of the property.

For a free Fixed Fee Probate quote call our specialist Probate Specialists on 03306069584 or contact us online and we’ll be happy to help you.

Our Probate team includes more than 20 Probate Lawyers and 130 trained Probate Consultants, Case Handlers and Advisors who are trusted to deal with over £500 million in Estates every year.

Many of our Probate Lawyers and Probate Case Handlers are members of the Society of Trusts and Estate Practitioners (STEP). All STEP members are subject to an extensive Code of Professional Conduct, requiring them at all times to act with integrity and in a manner that inspires the confidence, respect and trust of their clients and of the wider community.

Probate Lawyers and Local Probate Consultants are available in England and Wales only for customers using our Probate Complete Service.

Co-op Legal Services has over 600 staff working in different businesses with offices in Manchester, Bristol, Stratford-upon-Avon, Sheffield and London.