Probate and Estate services for our clients

We take the time to guide your executors through the administration of your estate – from a free initial meeting with family members to plan the way forward and explain the process, all the way to finalising estate accounts to evidence the distribution of the estate.

We offer a service to hold your Will and letter of wishes (once executed) in safe keeping for you and there is no on-going charge for this.

Our probate services include a number of aspects that can be tailored to the particular circumstances:

• Free initial meeting with family and other executors to plan the way forward and explain the process
• Protecting your assets whilst your estate is being administered, for example, by making sure property continues to be insured, notifying banks so that any sole accounts are frozen, cancelling your passport and driving licence, securing any chattels
• Ascertaining and valuing your assets and liabilities as at the date of death
• Submitting an account of these to HMRC, claiming any reliefs and exemptions and paying any inheritance tax due on your estate
• Preparation of papers needed to obtain a grant of probate
• Collecting in assets, which involves opening a separate bank account and transferring legal ownership of assets to the executors
• Paying debts and liabilities
• Distributing your estate in accordance with the terms of your Will, which can entail making decisions as to which assets should be sold and/or distributed in specie to your beneficiaries
• Providing tax advice to beneficiaries of the estate
• Working in collaboration with law firms, as necessary to complete the legal aspects of settling an estate
• Preparation of estate accounts for the administration period including accounting to HMRC for any income or Capital Gains Tax payable