# Probate cost.



## TrotterDel

Hi all,I am currently processing my fathers will and everthing is going to my mother.I have delt with everything in joint names without going to a solicitor. I am been qouated about 1% plus vat for what needs to be processed through probate approx 250k seems reasonable to me that said I am interested in other peoples experience.


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## WizardDr

@TrooterDel - if for example these were all financial assets - you could take probabte out yourself. If its property then does this include the coveyance? If its a family home for example it may be in 'joint tenancy' which means it goes to survivor - and you could do nothing.


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## robbie00

Hi,

Did your father have a will? I also did probate on my fathers estate without a will and was able to do it myself with a bit of advice on here when needed. 

Depends on how complicated the estate is mine was straight forward. You could also get onto the probate office who will send you out the forms take a look at them and see what you think. You might think its straight forward enough to do yourself. If the house is in joint names this should be easy to transfer over into your mothers name.

You can see from previous posts I had on here before that anything I didnt know I was able to find out from asking on this site.


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## TrotterDel

Thanks for your replys. I decided to give it to a solicitor after as administration is not my forte.


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## seantheman

Thought i'd post here rather than start a new thread.
My FIL died in UK a few years back and he owned some land in Ireland.
Probate has been granted in UK and my wife has been in touch with a
solicitor to look after Irish side. He has asked for €500 to be held in A/C
before he does anything. Is this standard practice to ask for funds upfront?
My wife has already paid for and provided to solicitor digital land maps,copy
of death cert, valuation report for lands and copy letters of administration noting
her sister as legal personal representation


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## Vanilla

seantheman said:


> Thought i'd post here rather than start a new thread.
> My FIL died in UK a few years back and he owned some land in Ireland.
> Probate has been granted in UK and my wife has been in touch with a
> solicitor to look after Irish side. He has asked for €500 to be held in A/C
> before he does anything. Is this standard practice to ask for funds upfront?
> My wife has already paid for and provided to solicitor digital land maps,copy
> of death cert, valuation report for lands and copy letters of administration noting
> her sister as legal personal representation


 
It's not uncommon, even the probate office fees and the commissioner for oaths fees to take out an Irish grant will mount up ( depends on the value of the estate), and after that there will be PRAI fees to register. The solicitor won't want to be out of pocket before they are even paid themselves.


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## seantheman

Vanilla said:


> It's not uncommon, even the probate office fees and the commissioner for oaths fees to take out an Irish grant will mount up ( depends on the value of the estate), and after that there will be PRAI fees to register. The solicitor won't want to be out of pocket before they are even paid themselves.


 
Thanks Vanilla, are there any of these fees set or are they all based on land value? Would anyone with access to costs for probate office fees and commissioner of oaths fees please post what they might be?
I assume the PRAI fees will be a set amount for just one folio number?


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## Calico

It was always one of my big regrets that I didn't question the fees a lawyer charged me for probate when a close relative passed away a few years ago. I was charged 2% of the value of the estate, with this only coming to light at the end of the process. The estate only included cash and a modest property. If I knew then what I know now I would have done the work myself. 

My advice to anyone who has the responsibility of being an executor of a will is to shop around with different solicitors for the cost of probate. Don't just use the solicitor that the will was drawn up by. Make sure you find out how much it is going to costs BEFORE any work is done. And remember, if the will is straightforward there is nothing stopping you getting a grant of probate yourself.

And as an aside, I would like to post a shout out to Vanilla who has always been very generous with legal advice on AAM.


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## Vanilla

seantheman said:


> Thanks Vanilla, are there any of these fees set or are they all based on land value? Would anyone with access to costs for probate office fees and commissioner of oaths fees please post what they might be?
> I assume the PRAI fees will be a set amount for just one folio number?


 
Commissioner for oaths fees are 10Euro per signature, but there are usually a number of documents to be signed, it depends on the type of grant.

Probate office fees are scaled ( this is a form of Government stamp duty) and depend on the value of the estate. 

PRAI fees should be on a straight transmission of title- 130 euro, but if there are burdens on the title, there are further fees to take them off, and if you want a copy title with map on completion that's another 40.

Also don't forget the solicitor is using paper, postage, ink, time etc, so you can easily see how 500 will mount up without them ever getting a fee from it.

The solicitor, once they get the paperwork and can assess the estate value and work, should be able to give you an estimate.


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## seantheman

Thanks again guys, will ask OH to ring and ask for an estimate of costs.


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## seantheman

Ok, so my wife got an estimate from the solicitors as follows.
Professional fee for the administration of the estate approx €1500.00
Misc charges(fax,phone,postage,photocopying etc.)            €100.00
Commissioners for Oaths                                                   €50.00
VAT                                                                             €336.00
Probate office fees                                                         €100.00

It goes on to say an administration bond will also be required €300.00

Feedback welcomed as to the scale of fees, my wife has only got the one quote as they were her father's solicitors and felt it would be neater but.......


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## Vanilla

It's a good price, I'd have thought.


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## seantheman

Thanks for your imput again Vanilla. I'ts reassuring to get another professional's perspective on the fees.


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## Bronte

The fee sounds reasonable as does the request for a deposit.  Get the quote for fees in writing - just so everybody is straight from the get go.


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## noproblem

I hope this is being posted in the proper place, sorry if it's not. A neighbour of mine back home brought his elderly mother (92) to the solicitor the other day to make her will. She's in good health, with no problems medically or otherwise. Solicitor told her she would need a Dr's cert to say she is of sound mind, etc. Off we go to her Dr, who sees her on a regular basis, she's a medical card patient. Shock, horror, she will have to pay €200.00 for the "legal document". She didn't pay it, (I had to) got her "document" and she doesn't know I paid it, but Dr told me if payment wasn't given, neither would the document. Surely this is wrong, any thoughts anyone?


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## emeralds

She didn't attend him because she had a medical problem. I think he is entitled to charge for the document - as to whether it was worth paying €200, that's a different question..Do you think he should have done it for free?


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## noproblem

She is an old age pensioner, with nothing but an old run down house and a garden (once). To charge her all she gets in a week, for a 15 min visit, was in my mind wrong. By all means charge people, but in line with what they live off.


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## Guby

*Cost of solicitor to take out grant of probate*

Hi,  I am looking for advice. Sadly my father in law died recently. He left a will which is straightforward and fair and his children have no problem with it. His estate consists of savings and family home which will be sold.  His affairs are all up to date, taxes paid etc.   The solicitor he used to draw up his will has quoted €4K plus VAT plus outlays which is 1% of his valuation of the estate.  As everything is up to date and not contentious I think this is very steep. The costs of selling the house will be separate.   Should my husband dispute the cost.  He can look for a quote from another solicitor but as this guy already as a file we wonder should that not be cheaper than a new solicitor having to open a file.  In saying that we can supply all that is required, we have the deeds of the house and a copy of the will. Advice would be much appreciated.


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## Padraigb

It seems like situation where it might not be necessary to employ a solicitor. It depends on who is nominated as executor, and if that person is comfortable with a bit of form-filling and dealing with formal correspondence.

It is difficult to sell a house without the aid of a legal professional.


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## Eithneangela

I agree. Do-It-Yourself on the probate (i.e. the Executor) - if all is in order with the will and financial assets and property, then it will cost less than €650 to complete the probate process. I was executor for my mother's will recently, did the probate myself (the most arduous task is walking around the various State offices to get documents stamped etc.) - it took half a day. Then I employed a solicitor to sell the house - he charged €1,400. So, I think the quote given by the solicitor involved here is steep and I would think he does not have the right to look for a percentage of the house sale.


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## Guby

*probate cost*

Hi,

I posted a lengthly reply and then found out I was logged out.  Grrrr.  thanks so much for advice. following your posts I contacted probate office. got impression they supported lay people applying but at the same time they did say it took longer for lay person to get grant of probate (9 mths!!! just to get appointment following application) I asked how that compared with solicitor and the reply was it depended on how quickly the solicitor applied but if timely then it would be shorter 4 to 5 mths.  
I looked at process, well laid out on Courts Service website. it's not a walk in the park but doable imo.  Got a second quote today and was quoted €3500 + Vat + outlay.  Outlay may be approx €650 but not sure on that.


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## Sue Ellen

Guby said:


> Hi,
> 
> I posted a lengthly reply and then found out I was logged out.



You can still save it, any time that this has happened to me the post remained after logging in.


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## DK123

Owner died intestate leaving a licenced premises,very large modern house and 20 acres of land.Was wondering approx.what would solicitors fees be for probate/administration for his widow and could she do the probate herself as she has experience from doing her own mothers probate,filling CA24s PA 1 etc.Value of estate approx is 1.2 million euros.Also is she exempt from inheritance tax?.Many thanks.DK123


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