Expert Solicitors for Wills, Probate & Estate Planning

The standard inheritance tax threshold, known as the nil-rate band, is £325,000 per person. If you leave your home to your children or grandchildren, you may also qualify for the residence nil-rate band of £175,000, giving a potential threshold of £500,000. Married couples and civil partners can usually pass any unused allowance to each other, so a couple may be able to leave up to £1 million free of inheritance tax. Anything above the threshold is generally taxed at 40%. These thresholds are frozen until April 2031, and from April 2027 most unused pensions will also count towards your estate. Our private client solicitors can help you understand how inheritance tax may affect your estate and plan ahead.

If you die without a valid will, your estate is distributed according to strict legal rules known as the intestacy rules, which may not reflect your wishes. Unmarried partners have no automatic right to inherit, however long you’ve been together, and stepchildren are not usually included. Dying without a will can also cause delays, extra costs and family disputes. A professionally drafted will makes sure your estate goes to the people and causes you choose, and lets you appoint guardians for any children under 18.

A lasting power of attorney (LPA) is a legal document that lets you choose trusted people to make decisions on your behalf if you lose the capacity to make them yourself. There are two types: one for property and financial affairs, and one for health and welfare. You can only make an LPA while you still have mental capacity, and it must be registered with the Office of the Public Guardian before it can be used. Without one, your family may need to apply to the Court of Protection for a deputyship order, which is often a slower and more costly process. Our solicitors can prepare and register your LPAs, and support families with Court of Protection applications where needed.

Every estate is different, but a straightforward estate typically takes between six and twelve months to administer from start to finish. Complex estates, such as those involving property, investments, inheritance tax or disputes between beneficiaries, can take longer. Before the grant of probate can be issued, any inheritance tax reporting to HMRC usually needs to be completed. Inheritance tax is normally due within six months of the end of the month in which the person died. Our probate solicitors manage each stage efficiently and keep you updated throughout.

You don’t have to use a solicitor, but acting as an executor carries real legal responsibilities. Executors can be held personally liable for mistakes, such as underpaying inheritance tax or distributing the estate incorrectly. Professional support is especially valuable where the estate includes property, exceeds the inheritance tax threshold, or involves complex family circumstances. At Woodstock Legal Services, we can manage the full estate administration on your behalf or help with specific stages, such as applying for the grant of probate, depending on what you need.