Bank or solicitor for probate?
Last reviewed 18 August 2026
When a bank offers to act as executor it wears the reassuring face of the familiar — but its bill is calculated quite differently from a solicitor’s, and the gap can be startling.
How each charges
Banks and trust corporations acting as professional executor commonly charge a percentage of the estate — often 1–4%, sometimes more, occasionally with a minimum. A solicitor is more likely to offer a fixed fee for the same work, or an hourly rate. Because the percentage rises with the estate while the work does not, the bank’s charge on a large, straightforward estate can run to many times a solicitor’s fixed fee.
A worked comparison
On a £600,000 estate, a 2% executor charge is £12,000; a solicitor’s fixed fee for the same straightforward administration might be £3,000–£4,000 plus the £526 court fee. The convenience of a bank can be real, but it is worth pricing before you appoint one — and you can usually appoint a solicitor, or act yourself, instead.
Questions
Do banks charge more than solicitors for probate?+
Can I remove a bank named as executor?+
Sources. Provider pricing for professional executors (cited at build); SRA transparency rules.