Two different bills

An estate pays a probate application fee to the Probate Registry and a professional fee to whoever does the work. They arrive together and are frequently discussed as one number, which is how an executor ends up surprised by a bill that was never in dispute.

Copies of the grant

Each asset holder that needs sight of the grant will usually want its own certified copy, and copies are charged individually. An estate with eight accounts, two pensions and a share holding needs more copies than an estate with a house and one bank.

Fixed fee or percentage

Both models are in use. A percentage of the estate is simple to quote and can be expensive on a large estate that is administratively simple. A fixed fee needs an accurate scope at the start, which is harder before anyone has seen the papers.

Ask which model is being quoted, what falls outside it, and what happens if a beneficiary cannot be traced. Those three answers separate most estimates.