Probate fees will increase to a single, flat rate of £273 for all applicants, regardless of the size of the estate, from 26th January 2022.
An Order published earlier this month amends the Non-Contentious Probate Fees Order 2004 (S.I. 2004/3120), increasing the fee payable on the application for a grant of probate to £273 for all applicants and, accordingly, also deletes the personal application fee.
Estates of less than £5,000 will continue to not attract a fee.
The Ministry of Justice announced proposals to increase and align fees earlier this year, in a bid to address an £85m deficit in the delivery of services in the family jurisdiction.
Statistics gathered at proposal stage suggest that from around 270,000 applications for probate every year that are eligible for a fee, approximately 60% of applications are from probate professionals, with the remaining 40% from individuals.
A full impact assessment of the effect that this instrument will have on the costs of business, the voluntary sector and the public sector is available from the Ministry of Justice and is published with an Explanatory Memorandum alongside the instrument on https://legislation.gov.uk.
For advice call our team on 0203 488 7503, 01992 236 110 or contact us by email at welcome@walshwestcca.com or via our website www.walshwestcca.com