Full estate administration

Dealing with a lost or missing will

In order to obtain a grant of probate, the deceased’s original will must be lodged at the Probate Registry alongside the probate application. There are occasions when the original will is not available which adds an additional layer of complexity.

Efficient Estate Planning

Nicola advised two clients, following the sale of their business, in relation to efficiently planning their estates, in a matter valued at £25 million.

Inheritance tax and the pension transfer window

When a member has passed away, trustees and pension scheme administrators can usually exercise discretion over the distribution of death benefits due from a pension scheme.  More often than not when a trustee has exercised this discretion, the benefits fall outside of the estate for Inheritance Tax (IHT) purposes. 

Making use of the Residence Nil Rate Band

The Residence Nil Rate Band (RNRB) has been recently introduced and is only able to be claimed on estates where the deceased has died on or after 6 April 2017. The RNRB increases the amount which can pass free of Inheritance Tax on the death.

Independent administrator service

Independent administration is a service solicitors and families can use when there are recalcitrant executors, intractable differences of opinion or contested wills combined with a need to protect an element or the whole of a deceased’s estate.

Will and estate planning services