Probate Costs in the UK: A Full £450,000 Estate Broken Down Line by Line
The unavoidable cost of probate in England & Wales is small: a single £300 court application fee (waived if the estate is £5,000 or less), plus £16 for each official copy of the grant. Everything beyond that — solicitor fees of 1–5% of the estate, valuations, searches and insurance — is optional, and on a typical £450,000 estate the gap between doing it yourself (around £400) and instructing a solicitor on a percentage basis (£4,500–£22,500) is the single biggest financial decision an executor makes.
"How much does probate cost?" has two completely different answers, and confusing them is what leads families to overpay by thousands. There is the court fee — a fixed government charge that is the same whether the estate is worth £450,000 or £4.5 million. And there is the professional fee — what a solicitor or probate company charges to do the work for you, which is entirely discretionary and ranges enormously. This guide separates the two and prices a real £450,000 estate line by line.
The fixed costs: court fee and grant copies
These are the only charges every estate that needs probate must pay, and they are set by HM Courts & Tribunals Service, not by any solicitor:
| Fixed cost | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Probate application fee | £300 | Charged once, for estates worth more than £5,000 |
| Application fee (estate £5,000 or less) | £0 | No fee at all below the threshold |
| Official copy of the grant | £16 each | You order as many as you need; one per asset-holder speeds things up |
| Second / further application | £21 | If you later need to apply again on the same estate |
The flat £300 fee, the £5,000 exemption threshold, the £16 copy price and the £21 second-application fee are all confirmed on the official GOV.UK "Applying for probate: Fees" page. The fee does not scale with the size of the estate — a deliberate 2019 reform that scrapped the proposed sliding-scale "probate tax". Low-income executors may qualify for help with the fee through the court's fee-remission scheme (this does not cover the £16 copies).
Each bank, pension provider, share registrar and the Land Registry will usually want to see an official copy of the grant — not a photocopy — before they release funds or transfer property. Ordering them with the application at £16 each is far faster than sending one original copy round in sequence. For our £450,000 estate with five asset-holders, that is five copies — £80 — bought up front.
The worked example: meet the Whitmore estate
The estate: Margaret Whitmore, a widow, dies in Reading leaving a valid will naming her son James as sole executor and her two children as equal beneficiaries. Her estate totals £450,000:
- House (sole name): £330,000
- Cash across two banks and an ISA: £95,000
- A share portfolio with one registrar: £22,000
- Car and personal possessions: £3,000
The Inheritance Tax position first. Because Margaret's husband died years earlier leaving everything to her, James can claim Margaret's own nil-rate band plus her late husband's transferred unused band, and the residence nil-rate band for leaving the home to direct descendants. The standard nil-rate band is £325,000 and the residence nil-rate band is £175,000 (both confirmed on GOV.UK rates & allowances; the £325,000 band is frozen until 5 April 2031 and the £175,000 residence band until 5 April 2030). With transferable bands in play, the available allowances comfortably exceed £450,000, so no Inheritance Tax is due and the estate is reported as an "excepted estate" rather than via the full IHT400. The 40% IHT rate, charged on value above the threshold, simply never bites here.
So the entire cost question is: what does it cost James to get the grant and administer this estate?
Route A — James does it himself (DIY probate)
James applies online through GOV.UK, valuing the assets himself and dealing directly with the banks. His costs:
| Line item | Cost |
|---|---|
| Probate application fee (estate over £5,000) | £300 |
| 5 × official copies of the grant @ £16 | £80 |
| RICS valuation of the house (optional but sensible) | £250 |
| Bankruptcy (Land Charges) search on 2 beneficiaries @ £6 | £12 |
| Statutory creditor notices (London Gazette + local paper) | ~£270 |
| Total DIY cost | ~£912 |
Strip out the genuinely optional items — the formal RICS valuation and the Gazette notices — and the irreducible DIY cost is around £400 (£300 fee + £80 copies + a small valuation/search spend). That is the figure most "DIY probate costs about £400" headlines refer to: the bare court-and-copies cost plus a couple of sensible disbursements.
Route B — James instructs a solicitor on a percentage fee
A traditional high-street firm quotes "1–5% of the gross estate value, plus VAT and disbursements". On a £450,000 estate that headline percentage alone is:
| Percentage charged | Fee on £450,000 | + 20% VAT | Total professional cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1% | £4,500 | £900 | £5,400 |
| 2% | £9,000 | £1,800 | £10,800 |
| 3% | £13,500 | £2,700 | £16,200 |
| 5% | £22,500 | £4,500 | £27,000 |
On top of these, James still pays the same £300 court fee, £80 in copies and the search/notice disbursements — those are passed straight through. So a 3% firm could see this estate cost the beneficiaries north of £16,500 all-in, versus roughly £900 doing the same work himself. The work involved is identical; the price is not.
Percentage fees vs fixed fees: how to compare
The percentage model dates from an era when estate value was a rough proxy for complexity. It rarely is. A £450,000 estate that is one house and three bank accounts is simpler than a £180,000 estate with a small business, missing beneficiaries and a contested will — yet the percentage model charges the bigger, simpler estate far more.
Many modern firms and probate specialists now quote a fixed fee for "grant only" (they prepare the application; you do the legwork) or a fixed fee for full administration. Comparing the two models on our estate:
| Fee model | Typical cost on £450,000 | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| DIY | ~£400–£900 | You do everything; lowest cost, most effort |
| Fixed "grant only" | ~£900–£1,800 + VAT | Solicitor obtains the grant; you collect & distribute |
| Fixed "full administration" | ~£2,500–£6,000 + VAT | Whole estate handled end to end for a set price |
| Percentage (1–5%) | £4,500–£22,500 + VAT | Same full service, priced on estate size not work done |
Always ask any firm quoting a percentage: "What would your fixed fee be for the same work?" Reputable firms publish both. The Solicitors Regulation Authority now requires firms to publish their probate pricing, so you can compare quotes before instructing anyone. If a percentage quote is more than roughly double the fixed-fee quote for the same scope, you are paying for the size of the house, not the work.
The other costs nobody warns you about
Whether DIY or solicitor-led, certain "disbursements" are paid to third parties and are the same either way. Budget for these on most estates:
- Property valuation — a formal RICS "Red Book" valuation runs roughly £150–£500. For a non-taxable estate an estate agent's free written market appraisal is often acceptable; for a taxable estate, HMRC expects a proper open-market valuation.
- Estate agent / sale costs — if the house is sold, agent fees are typically 1–2% of the sale price plus VAT, paid from the proceeds. On a £330,000 house that is roughly £4,000–£7,000.
- Bankruptcy (Land Charges) searches — before paying out a beneficiary, a prudent executor checks they are not bankrupt. An official search costs £6 per name via the HM Land Registry portal, or £7 per name by post (see GOV.UK Land Charges fees).
- Statutory creditor notices — placing notices in the London Gazette and a local newspaper (under s.27 Trustee Act 1925) protects the executor from unknown creditors. Combined cost is usually around £250–£300.
- Missing-beneficiary / executor indemnity insurance — a one-off premium (often £100–£500+ depending on cover) that protects the executor if a creditor or beneficiary surfaces after distribution. Optional, but cheap peace of mind on estates with any uncertainty.
Who actually pays — and how the executor gets reimbursed
This is the question that worries most executors: am I personally out of pocket?
The answer is no. In law, these costs are liabilities of the estate, not of the executor personally. The estate pays for its own administration. In practice the timeline works like this:
- The executor often pays the £300 court fee and early disbursements out of their own pocket at the start, because there is no money available until the grant is issued.
- Many banks will release funds before the grant specifically to cover the probate fee and the funeral — ask; most have a dedicated process.
- Once the grant is issued and the estate's bank accounts are accessible, the executor reimburses themselves in full for every properly incurred expense (court fee, copies, valuations, searches, notices, insurance) before distributing what is left to the beneficiaries.
- Solicitor fees, where instructed, are likewise paid from estate funds — usually deducted from the estate account, not invoiced to the executor personally.
James fronts the £300 court fee and £80 copies (£380) from his own account in month one. By month three the grant is issued, he closes Margaret's bank accounts into an executor's account, and immediately repays himself the £380 plus the £12 search fee and £270 in notices. Only after all estate costs and any tax are settled does he split the remaining balance equally between himself and his sibling. He was temporarily out of pocket by under £700 for about ten weeks; he was never permanently liable.
- The only unavoidable probate cost in England & Wales is the £300 court fee (free under £5,000) plus £16 per official copy of the grant.
- On a £450,000 estate, DIY probate costs roughly £400–£900; a solicitor charging 1–5% costs £4,500–£22,500 plus VAT for the same work.
- Always ask for a fixed-fee quote to compare against any percentage quote — fixed full-administration fees of £2,500–£6,000 are common and often far cheaper.
- Budget separately for valuations, estate-agent sale fees, £6-per-name bankruptcy searches, ~£270 of statutory notices and optional indemnity insurance.
- All costs are paid by the estate, not the executor personally; the executor reimburses themselves from estate funds before distributing to beneficiaries.
Frequently asked questions
Does the £300 probate fee go up for a bigger estate?
No. Since 2019 the application fee is a flat £300 for any estate worth more than £5,000, whether it is £450,000 or several million. Estates of £5,000 or less pay nothing. This is confirmed on the official GOV.UK probate fees page.
How many copies of the grant should I order?
Order one official copy (£16 each) for each organisation that holds an asset — typically each bank, pension provider, share registrar and the Land Registry — plus one spare. For most estates that is three to six copies. Ordering them up front lets you contact all asset-holders in parallel instead of posting one copy round in sequence.
Is a solicitor's percentage fee ever worth it?
Sometimes — for genuinely complex estates (business assets, foreign property, disputes, missing beneficiaries, or a full IHT400 with tax to pay) the work justifies a higher fee. But for a straightforward estate the percentage model often charges for the size of the house rather than the work done. Always ask the same firm for a fixed-fee quote and compare; the gap can be many thousands of pounds.
Do I have to pay anything before I can access the estate's money?
Usually the executor pays the £300 court fee and early disbursements personally at the start, because estate funds are frozen until the grant is issued. However, most banks will release money before the grant specifically to cover the probate fee and funeral costs — ask the bank about its process. You reimburse yourself from estate funds once the grant arrives.
What is a bankruptcy search and do I need one?
It is an official Land Charges search confirming a beneficiary is not bankrupt — if they are, their share may have to go to their trustee in bankruptcy rather than to them. A prudent executor runs one on each adult beneficiary before paying out. It costs £6 per name via the HM Land Registry portal (£7 by post), per GOV.UK.
Am I personally liable for the costs if the estate runs short?
Properly incurred administration costs are liabilities of the estate, not of you personally. You front some costs early and reimburse yourself from estate funds. You only risk personal liability if you distribute the estate carelessly — for example paying out beneficiaries before settling known debts or tax. Statutory creditor notices and indemnity insurance exist precisely to protect you against later claims.
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