As of May 2017, probate fees will be changing. As it stands there is currently a set probate registry fee: £215 if probate is applied for by a family member or friend and £155 if done so by a solicitor.
The fee will now be calculated based on a proportion of the estate’s worth. Fees start at £300, nearly double what you would have paid before, and estates worth millions could now cost the executors £20,000.
However, for estates worth less than £50,000 – and sources state that 58% of estates in the UK fall into this bracket – there will be no probate fee at all.
The table below sets out what the fees for probate will be as of May 2017:
| Value of estate: | Fee required: |
| 0-£50,000 | Nil |
| £50,001-£300,000 | £300 |
| £300,001-£500,000 | £1000 |
| £500,001-£1,000,000 | £4000 |
| £1,000,001-£1,600,000 | £8000 |
| £1,600,001-£2,000,000 | £12,000 |
| £2,000,001 or more | £20,000 |
