Probate when there is no will
Without a will the estate passes under the intestacy rules, and the paperwork is a grant of letters of administration rather than probate.
What firms charge
68 firms publish a fixed fee for no will (intestacy), from £400 to £8,000. Half charge between £800 and £2,000, and the median is £1,500.
Excludes VAT unless the firm said otherwise, and excludes court fees. Every firm, with its source.
What this covers
The intestacy rules decide who inherits and in what order, and they do not follow what the family expects. An unmarried partner inherits nothing, however long the relationship.
The work is broadly the same as probate with a will, plus one thing: establishing who is entitled to apply and who is entitled to inherit. A complicated family tree is what adds the cost.
Common questions
- Who can apply when there is no will?
- The closest surviving relative in the statutory order, starting with a spouse or civil partner, then children, then parents, then siblings. Only one of them needs to apply, and up to four can apply together.
- Does an unmarried partner inherit?
- Not under the intestacy rules. They may have a claim under the Inheritance (Provision for Family and Dependants) Act 1975, which is a separate legal process with its own cost.
What would this cost for your estate?
Tell us what you are dealing with once, and firms that publish a price for this work come back with one for your estate. It costs nothing and commits you to nothing.
Related
Part of probate and estate administration. Every figure on this site comes from the published fee dataset.