Probate cost for a £1,500,000 estate

What probate costs on a £1,500,000 estate in 2026 — the fixed government fee and the typical professional fees, three ways. England & Wales.

✓ Fees verified against GOV.UK 3 Sept 2026

Three ways to pay · cheapest first

Do it yourself

£532

Government fee £526 + 3 sealed copies at £2. No legal requirement to use a solicitor.

Grant-only help

£3,800

A professional gets the grant, you administer the rest. Typically £2,500 – £5,000 + VAT.

Full administration

£8,000+

A professional handles everything. Typically £8,000+ + VAT for a complex estate.

The fixed part is the same whatever the estate is worth: £526 to apply (estates over £5,000) plus £2 per sealed copy. The variable part is whether you pay for professional help. An estate this size usually crosses the inheritance-tax threshold and involves property, investments and several institutions — so it tends to sit in the higher-complexity band, where professional administration costs more. A £1,500,000 estate is very likely to need a full Inheritance Tax account (IHT400).

Open the full calculator with £1,500,000 loaded→

Add the property, accounts, beneficiaries and whether IHT is likely to get a figure tuned to your estate.

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What changes the cost on a £1,500,000 estate

Whether inheritance tax is due.

If the estate needs a full IHT400 account, there's far more work — which pushes professional fees toward the higher band.

Property.

A house to value, insure and sell or transfer adds time and cost; multiple properties add more.

How many institutions hold money.

Each bank, pension or investment provider is a separate set of forms and a separate wait.

The will and the beneficiaries.

A clear will and a few adult beneficiaries is simple; no will, trusts, or minors and missing heirs is not.

Whether you do it yourself.

For a complex estate, doing it yourself for the £532 government cost is realistic for an organised executor.

FAQ

Questions about a £1,500,000 estate

For a £1,500,000 estate in England & Wales (2026) the fixed government cost is £526 to apply, plus £2 for each sealed copy of the grant — so doing it yourself costs roughly £532.

If you use a professional, grant-only help typically runs £2,500 – £5,000 + VAT and full estate administration typically runs £8,000+ + VAT, because an estate this size is very likely to need a full Inheritance Tax account (IHT400).

Yes. The probate registry application fee is a flat £526 for any estate worth more than £5,000 (estates of £5,000 or less pay nothing).

It does not scale with the value of the estate. Sealed copies of the grant are £2 each.

No — there is no legal requirement to use a solicitor. You can apply for probate yourself for just the government fee.

Professional help is a choice, usually made when the estate is complex, when inheritance tax is due, or when the executors simply don't have the time. An estate this size usually crosses the inheritance-tax threshold and involves property, investments and several institutions — so it tends to sit in the higher-complexity band, where professional administration costs more.

Probate cost for other estate sizes

£100,000 estate £250,000 estate £350,000 estate £500,000 estate £600,000 estate £750,000 estate £800,000 estate £1,000,000 estate £2,000,000 estate

Back to the full Probate Cost Calculator

Related reading

What is probate?

The full grant process, start to finish

Inheritance tax calculator

Check the tax position for this estate

Selling a house during probate

What you can do before the grant arrives

Deed of variation

Redirect an inheritance within 2 years

Executor's First Hour · £179

The full sequence, timed

Government fees are current for 2026 (England & Wales) and verified against GOV.UK on 3 Sept 2026. Professional fees are typical market ranges scaled to a complex estate, not a quote — actual costs depend on the estate's specifics. This is informational only and not legal advice.

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