Answers · UK 2025/26
How much does probate cost on a £500,000 estate?
Probate court fees themselves are a fixed £300 for estates over £5,000, regardless of size, so the fee on a £500,000 estate is still £300. However, total probate costs including solicitor or probate specialist fees for handling the full estate administration typically range from roughly £3,000 to £15,000 (often 1-5% of the estate value) if professional help is used, rather than the executor completing it themselves for free.
Full answer
It is important to separate two very different costs when asking how much probate costs on a £500,000 estate: the court application fee itself, and the cost of the wider estate administration if a solicitor or professional probate service is used. The Probate Registry court fee is a fixed amount — currently £300 for any estate valued over £5,000 (estates below that threshold pay no fee at all) — meaning the fee itself is exactly the same £300 whether the estate is worth £500,000 or £5 million; this fee does not scale with estate size. The much larger and more variable cost is for the professional work of administering the estate itself if the executor chooses not to do it personally: identifying and valuing all assets and debts, completing Inheritance Tax forms (IHT400 if the estate exceeds the nil-rate band thresholds, or IHT205/C5 equivalents for smaller estates), applying for the Grant of Probate, collecting in the estate's assets, settling debts and any Inheritance Tax due, and finally distributing the estate to beneficiaries. Solicitors and probate specialists commonly charge either a fixed fee (typically ranging from around £1,500 for a simple estate up to £5,000+ for a more complex one) or a percentage of the estate value (commonly 1-5%, meaning £5,000-£25,000 on a £500,000 estate), with percentage-based charging attracting particular scrutiny from consumer groups since the fee does not necessarily reflect the actual complexity or time involved, purely the estate's size. A £500,000 estate of only moderate complexity (a house, some savings, a straightforward will, no business assets or trusts) using a solicitor charging a percentage fee might reasonably expect a total professional cost somewhere in the £5,000-£15,000 range, though obtaining several comparative quotes is strongly advised given the wide range in the market. Executors are entitled to complete probate themselves without paying any professional fee at all beyond the £300 court fee (this is known as acting as a litigant in person for probate purposes), which is a realistic option for straightforward estates but can be time-consuming and carries personal liability risk if mistakes are made, particularly around Inheritance Tax reporting. Use the Inheritance Tax calculator to check whether any Inheritance Tax is due before finalising the probate application.
More answers
This answer is informational only and does not constitute financial, tax or legal advice. Figures are for the 2025/26 UK tax year. See our methodology and sources.