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aj-financial.co.uk
aj-financial.co.uk
Financial Services

  • Accounts and tax

    At the core of our offering is taking care of your accounts and tax

  • Crunching the Numbers

    We can help you understand your numbers, with advance notice of your tax bill, or a more detailed and personalised analysis with our management accounts service
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Probate Services

Adrian Landon provides estate and inheritance tax planning, probate services, estate management and inheritance tax services though our sister company, AJ Probate Services Ltd. 

I can support exeuctors and family members through the complexities of inheritance tax and probate (the process of transferring assets to the beneficiaries of the will, or if no will, to the relatives of the deceased). 

I will be a single point of contact for you, available on the phone when you need to talk, and will provide an expert, tailored, and personal service. We can provide a broad range of services, starting from advice and support, where families want to manage the inheritance tax and probate process themselves, to a full estate management and asset distribution service. Call Adrian on 01823 746380 (direct dial) for a friendly, no obligation discussion.


Following the death of a loved one, some of the things that you might was us to assist with are outlined below. Please do feel free to call and arrange a no-obligation discussion, to determine how much help you feel that you need, and how much of the process you feel comfortable managing yourself.

Initial advice and scoping
Helping executors, administrators and families understand their legal responsibilities, the probate process in England and Wales, and the options for handling the estate. This often includes an initial review of the will (if any), the family situation and the likely complexity of the estate. We would typically ask for documents a day or two in advance of a 30-60 minute discussion, in person or via a video call.

Grant‑only applications
Preparing and submitting the inheritance tax forms and probate application where the family wishes to deal with the estate administration themselves once the grant is issued. This includes checking asset and liability information, completing the relevant HMCTS and HMRC paperwork and guiding you through signing the legal statements. This is a more detailed engagement; the time and cost depends very much on the size and complexity of the estate. We would expect to work closely with executors and/or family members and would need to review financial records, and have at least one visit to the family home for a face-face meeting. Inheritance tax forms should be submitted within 6 months of the death, if possible.

Full estate administration
Carrying out the complete administration of an estate from start to finish on behalf of the executors or administrators. This typically includes securing assets, paying debts and expenses, dealing with tax and distributing the estate to beneficiaries with estate accounts at the end.

Valuation and information gathering
Identifying and collecting information about the deceased’s assets and liabilities, including property, bank accounts, investments, pensions and debts. This may involve liaising with financial institutions, valuers and other advisers to obtain probate valuations and confirmation of balances.

Inheritance tax and income tax compliance
Advising on and completing inheritance tax returns, claiming available reliefs or exemptions, and arranging payment of any tax due. Where required, this can extend to finalising the deceased’s income tax position to the date of death and dealing with any tax during the administration period.

Property and home‑related matters
Dealing with the deceased’s home and other real property, including liaising with estate agents and conveyancers, handling vacant property issues and arranging insurance or clearance where needed. This can also include advice on joint ownership, transfers of title and sale proceeds.

Estate accounts and reporting to beneficiaries
Preparing clear estate accounts showing assets, liabilities, income, expenses and distributions, and providing updates to executors and beneficiaries. Beneficiaries are entitled to understand how the estate has been handled, and properly prepared accounts help provide that transparency.

Support where there is no will (intestacy)
Advising families where there is no valid will on who is entitled to administer and inherit the estate under the intestacy rules. This includes helping to identify the correct administrators, explain entitlements and apply for the appropriate grant of letters of administration.

Advice on executors’ duties and risk
Advising executors and administrators on their legal duties, time limits and potential personal liabilities in managing the estate. This may include guidance on when to advertise for creditors, how to handle disputes between beneficiaries and when it is appropriate to seek additional specialist support.

Bespoke assistance for specific tasks
Providing tailored help with particular aspects of an estate, for example dealing with a business interest, a portfolio of investments, foreign assets, or complex family arrangements. This can be offered as one‑off support or as part of a wider administration service, depending on the client’s needs.

Fees

The ICAEW became a regulator of non-contentious Probate Services in 2014. The objective was to broaden the availablity, allowing accountants to compete with solicitors to provide this reserved legal activity. AJ Probate Services Ltd has been an authorised firm since 2024. Our mission is to provide expert advice, while keeping a personal connection with our clients, who will typically be exeuctors or family members dealing with the recent death of a loved one. This section provides examples of our fees - as a sole practitioner, we have low overheads and hope that you will find us competitively priced compared to established legal firms.


When you work with me, I will provide a tailored quotation once we have a detailed picture of the size and complexity of the estate, and we have discussed and agreed the amount of support you require. This will always be in advance, and in writing. Where fees might be variable or uncertain at the outset, this will also be explained.


Our fees for probate services are not subject to VAT.

Examples of typical costs

Advice only - e.g. jointly owned assets, surviving spouse inherits, no probate required

 - initial meeting with the family

 - Review of estate assets and liabilities

 - £150

"Excepted" Estate (no inhertance tax to pay)

 - initial meeting with the family

 - Review of estate assets and liabilities

 - Produce IHT205 

 - Apply for Grant of Probate

 - £750

"Simple" Estate (residing in own property, cash and investments, estate has no income such as rental income)

 - Initial meeting with the family

 - Review of estate assets and liabilities

 - Produce IHT400 (Inheritance tax form), liaise with executors to settle Inheritance Tax

 - Apply for Grant of Probate

 - £1,350

Examples of typical costs

"Estate Management" Service, where the estate has ongoing income (below £10,000 pa)

 - Initial and ongoing meetings with the family, and/or executors

 - Review of estate assets and liabilities

 - Produce IHT400

 - Liaison with letting agents, HMRC, trust income tax return (SA800), distribution of estate income to beneficiaries

 - Apply for Grant of Probate

 - £5,000

Examples of typical costs

"Complex" Estate (overseas assets, multiple income streams)

 - As "Estate Management" above but with additional time or complexity

 - tracing of beneficiaries

 - £10,000+


    Regulatory Information

Our Probate Services are regulated by the ICAEW, the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales, and probate services are provided by  Adrian Landon. I will be your 1:1 point of contact throughout your engagement with our business. This section provides the regulatory details that are required by the ICAEW

AJ probate Services Ltd currently has one director/employee, Adrian Landon. We provide a diversity report each year to the ICAEW. The Company, and it's sister company AJ Business Accountng Ltd, are committed to fair and equal treatment for all staff, customers, and everybody that we interact with.


Probate Diversity Statement

AJ Probate Services Ltd is committed to promoting diversity and inclusion in our probate practice. We strive to provide a respectful and equitable service to all clients, staff, and other stakeholders regardless of background, including protected characteristics, socio-economic background, and other diversity factors.

We aim to:

  • Treat all staff and clients fairly and with dignity.
  • Provide clear and accessible communication.
  • Make reasonable adjustments for staff and clients with disabilities.
  • Continuously learn and improve our understanding of diversity and inclusion best practices.

Compensation Arrangements
The ICAEW maintains a compensation fund, which is available for clients to draw on in the event that a claim is made against AJ Probate Services Ltd, which cannot be resolved by us or our professional indemnity insurers. More details can be found here.

Professional Indemnity Insurance (PII)
AJ Probate Services Limited and AJ Business Accounting Limited are jointly covered by a PII policy issued by Tokyo Marine (as at March 2026)

Complaints
For details about our complaints procedures, please ask us. The procedure will be outlined in our letter of engagement, including our internal process, with details about recourse that you might have to our regulator, the ICAEW, and how to contact them.


AJ Probate Services Ltd is authorised by the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales to carry out the reserved legal activity of non-contentious Probate Services in England and Wales

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