Professional executor fees

Last reviewed 18 August 2026

To name a bank or a solicitor as executor is to buy convenience, and convenience has a price that is worth knowing before it is written into the will.

How professional executors charge

A professional executor — a bank, trust corporation or solicitor named in the will — commonly charges a percentage of the estate’s value, often around 1–4%, and sometimes an hourly element on top. A “value element” of this kind can make the total substantially higher than a fixed fee for the same work, particularly on a large estate.

Whether to appoint one

A professional executor makes sense where there is no suitable family member, where the estate is complex, or where family friction is likely and neutrality is valued. Where an estate is large but straightforward, appointing a lay executor and instructing a solicitor by fixed fee for the difficult parts is usually cheaper. If a will already names a bank, the executor can often renounce or be replaced by agreement.

Sources. Professional-executor pricing (banks, trust corporations, solicitors) — percentage and value-element models; figures to be cited per provider at build.