Why Fixed Fee Probate?

When you’ve just lost a loved one, the idea of dealing with their estate yourself can be daunting. It isn’t something anyone should have to do, at a time when they’re grieving, but many people feel forced to deal with probate themselves because they are afraid that huge legal costs will eat up a huge part of the estate.

If legal costs are a worry for you, and you don’t want to deal with probate yourself then fixed fee probate is the perfect solution.

You won’t have to pay any money upfront when you opt to use a fixed fee service but you will be able to agree the total fee upfront, so there are no nasty surprises once the estate is settled.

What Is Included In a Fixed Fee Probate Service?

The service includes everything from applying for probate to begin with to distributing the proceeds of the estate. This means that after the initial consultation and agreement of the fixed fee, you won’t have to worry about a thing. Everything involved in sorting out your loved ones estate will be dealt with on your behalf including:

The Probate Application Dealing With Banks and Financial Institutions The Sale of Any Property Calculating Taxes and Dealing with HM Customs and Revenue Distributing Your Loved Ones Assets to the Benefactors of the Will.

How Does The Service Compare With Using a Solicitor?

A fixed fee probate service is extremely competitive in comparison with using a solicitor. If you use a solicitor to deal with probate, they usually charge in one of three ways. Sometimes they will take a percentage of the whole estate. This can be a bad deal, especially if the estate is large. And it is an unfair way to deal with probate. Why should a solicitor be entitled to a percentage of your loved ones life savings?

Some solicitors will also work on a per item rate, charging for every single phone call they make and letter that they write. Costs can soon mount up when you consider that they may be charging in the region of £100 per letter, or £50 per phone call.

The final way that a solicitor may charge for dealing with probate is by the hour. And considering some solicitors charge as much as £350 per hour for this service, you could quickly run up a huge bill, especially if dealing with the estate ends up being complicated and drawn out.

Whichever of the three methods a solicitor uses to charge for dealing with probate, the rates aren’t fixed. You will not know from the outset

what the total fee is going to be, so you will have the continuous worry of mounting fees until the estate is finally distributed.

Avoiding massive legal fees is an excellent reason to opt for a fixed fee probate service instead. Also consider that this type of service specializes in dealing with probate. Most solicitors deal with a variety of different jobs, so they are not used to dealing with probate on a daily basis.

IWC Estate Planning & Management Ltd. are a specialist Will Writing and Probate Company offering nationwide coverage. The company provides probate services; rates are agreed with clients in advance. Probate fees are based on the work that has to be carried out, rather than

the estate value or at an hourly rate.

IWC are regulated by the Society of Will Writers and Estate Planning Practitioners and registered at Companies House. Their head office is located in Croydon, Surrey, with satellite office coverage across most of England. Follow us on Twitter @IWCLtd