Small estate
For estates worth £36,000 or less.
£495
Fixed, including VAT
- Your step-by-step plan
- Letters to every bank
- Help with the sheriff clerk
- Email support
Pricing
One fixed price. Never a percentage.
Every pound you'd have paid in fees stays with the people they loved.
Complete
Most chosenFor most estates, with or without a will.
£1,450
Fixed, including VAT
- Everything in Small estate
- Confirmation papers prepared for you
- Who inherits, worked out
- Estate accounts and receipts
Complete + solicitor
For property, no will, or more moving parts.
£2,250
Fixed, including VAT
- Everything in Complete
- A named solicitor on your estate
- No-will petition and bond of caution
- Property transfer
Court fees and any tax are paid from the estate at cost. Prices may change before launch.
See what could stay with your family
If a solicitor charged a percentage
£5,750
could stay with your family
- A 2% fee, plus VAT
- £7,200
- A typical fixed fee, plus VAT
- £2,580
- Cairn Complete
- £1,450
How we work this out
Illustration only, not a quote. Percentage fees are shown with 20% VAT. The solicitor fixed fee uses the middle of a typical £1,300 to £3,000 range for Confirmation only, plus VAT. Cairn prices include VAT. Court fees, bond of caution premiums and any Inheritance Tax are extra in every case. Solicitors charge in different ways, and your saving will depend on the estate and the firm. The typical fixed fee covers Confirmation only.
How Cairn compares
| Compare | Cairn | Solicitor, 2% fee | Solicitor, fixed fee | On your own |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fee on a £300,000 estate | £1,450 | £7,200 | £2,580 | No fee |
| What's covered | Everything, start to finish | Usually everything | Usually Confirmation only | Whatever you can manage |
| Court fees and any tax | Extra, shown up front | Extra | Extra | Extra |
Fees include VAT. The fixed fee is the middle of a typical range for Confirmation alone. An illustration, not a quote.
Questions about pricing
You can start your plan for free. You only pay when you choose a plan, and the fee can usually be paid from the estate once Confirmation is granted.
Costs set by others, which you'd pay whoever settles the estate: the sheriff court fee, a surveyor's valuation if property needs one, a bond of caution premium where needed, and any Inheritance Tax. We show each one before it's due.
We compare our plan price with a fee charged as a percentage of the estate (plus VAT), and with the middle of a typical range of solicitor fixed fees for Confirmation only (plus VAT). They're illustrations, not quotes. Solicitors charge in different ways, so your own saving could be higher or lower.
Yes. If the estate turns out to be more involved, you can move up a plan and only pay the difference.
If something needs bespoke legal advice, such as a dispute, we'll tell you plainly and quote a fixed fee before any work starts.
Keep more of what they left
Start for free. Nothing moves forward without your approval.