The Eric Whitehead Partnership

Despite almost total opposition from the Legal Profession, the Government has decided to press ahead with its proposed hike in Probate Registry fees.

At present, the fee for applications for Grants from the Probate Registry, regardless of the value of the Estate, are set at £155 when the Grant is applied for by a Solicitor and £215 when the Grant is applied for by an individual.  Estates that require a Grant but which are worth less than £5,000 do not attract any fee at all.

From May 2017, the new fee structure will be as follows:

Value of Estate                   Proposed Fee

Up to £50,000                       £Nil

£50,001 – £300,000             £300

£300,001 – £500,000          £1,000

£500,001 – £1,000,000       £4,000

£1,000,001 – £1,600,000    £8,000

£1,600,001 – £2,000,000   £12,000

£2,000,001+                         £20,000

The Government believes that this new fee structure will raise an additional £250 million a year for its coffers.  Critics, however, consider the increases to represent nothing more than yet another death tax.