Conveyancing Fees Calculator: Estimate Your Solicitor and Legal Costs

Estimate your legal costs before you instruct a solicitor

Use the conveyancing fees calculator at the top of this page to get a quick, honest figure for the legal side of your move. Enter the property price, whether you're buying or selling, and the nation it sits in, and you'll see the likely total split into the solicitor's fee and the third-party costs they pass on. Treat it as a planning figure, then collect two or three written quotes to compare against it.

What conveyancing fees actually cover

Conveyancing is the legal work of transferring property ownership from one person to another. When you buy, your conveyancer checks the title, raises enquiries with the seller's side, runs searches, handles the mortgage paperwork, transfers the deposit and balance, and registers you as the new owner. When you sell, the work is lighter but still real: drafting the contract pack, answering the buyer's enquiries, and redeeming any existing mortgage.

The total you pay breaks into two distinct parts, and it matters that you understand both. Lumping them together is how people end up comparing a tempting headline price against a far higher real one.

Legal fees versus disbursements

The legal fee (sometimes called the professional fee) is the solicitor's own charge for their time and expertise. This is the part firms compete on, so it's where quotes vary most. Some charge a fixed fee, others scale it with the property price because higher-value transactions carry more risk and paperwork.

Disbursements are costs your conveyancer pays out to other organisations on your behalf and then bills back to you at cost. They aren't profit for the firm; they're pass-through charges. Typical buyer disbursements include local authority and environmental searches, the Land Registry registration fee, bank transfer fees, and an identity or anti-money-laundering check. If you're buying a leasehold flat there are usually extra fees from the freeholder or managing agent too.

A genuine quote shows both parts clearly. A suspiciously cheap one often advertises only the legal fee and leaves the disbursements for the small print, which is exactly the trap this calculator helps you avoid.

How the conveyancing fees calculator works

The method is deliberately simple and transparent. In plain words:

Total conveyancing cost = legal fee + disbursements (+ VAT on the legal fee and on any VATable disbursements)

VAT is charged at the standard rate of 20% on the solicitor's professional fee, so a fee quoted excluding VAT needs that added before you compare it with one quoted inclusive. Many search fees also carry VAT, while statutory charges such as the Land Registry fee do not. The arithmetic for VAT is straightforward: gross = net × 1.20. If you ever need to strip VAT back out of an inclusive figure, net = gross ÷ 1.20.

Because the legal fee often rises in steps as the price climbs, and because disbursements like the Land Registry fee sit in price-based bands, the calculator estimates each component from the price you enter rather than applying one flat percentage. Stamp duty is excluded on purpose. It's a tax, not a legal fee, and the amount depends heavily on your circumstances, whether you're a first-time buyer, buying an additional property, or purchasing in Scotland or Wales where the tax is different altogether. For that, use our dedicated stamp duty calculator, which applies the correct bands for your situation.

Worked example: a first-time buyer in England

Take Priya, a first-time buyer purchasing a £280,000 flat in Manchester with a mortgage. Seeing the legal costs land on top of the deposit and stamp duty is the part that stings, so let's lay it out clearly.

• Solicitor's legal fee (purchase, with mortgage): around £1,000 plus VAT. The 20% VAT adds £200, giving £1,200.
• Local authority, drainage and environmental searches: commonly £250 to £400 depending on the council; say £350.
• Land Registry registration fee: a banded statutory charge based on price; for a property in this range expect a figure in the low hundreds.
• Bank transfer (CHAPS) fee: typically £30 to £50.
• Identity and anti-money-laundering checks: usually £10 to £25 per person.

Adding the legal fee of £1,200 to the disbursements pushes Priya's all-in conveyancing cost to roughly £1,800 to £2,000. Note what is not in that figure: stamp duty. As a first-time buyer at £280,000 in England, Priya benefits from first-time buyer relief, which she can check on the first-time buyer stamp duty calculator. Keeping the two numbers separate is the only way to budget accurately.

Worked example: selling and buying at the same time

Now take Daniel and Sarah, who are selling their £320,000 house and buying a £450,000 one in the same chain. They pay legal fees on both transactions. The sale fee is usually lower than the purchase fee because there are no searches to run, but they'll still face a redemption fee to pay off their old mortgage and another bank transfer charge. As a rough guide, a sale at this level might cost £900 plus VAT (£1,080), while the purchase mirrors Priya's structure but at a higher price band, so closer to £1,400 plus VAT and slightly larger disbursements. Their combined legal spend across both moves could comfortably reach £2,800 to £3,200 once every disbursement is counted. People planning a same-time sale and purchase routinely forget they're paying twice, which is exactly the kind of gap this conveyancing fees calculator is meant to close.

The disbursements people forget to budget for

The legal fee is easy to quote and easy to compare. It's the disbursements that creep up, especially on leasehold purchases. Watch for:

• Searches: the local authority search, drainage and water search, and an environmental search are standard on most purchases. A mortgage lender will usually insist on them.
• Land Registry fee: a statutory charge that scales in price bands. It's unavoidable and the same whichever firm you use, so it shouldn't sway your choice of solicitor.
• Leasehold fees: a leasehold property pack from the freeholder or managing agent, plus notice of transfer and notice of charge fees once you complete. These can add several hundred pounds and aren't always flagged early.
• Help to Buy or shared ownership supplements: extra legal work means an extra fee, often £200 to £300 plus VAT.
• Telegraphic transfer fees: each CHAPS payment your solicitor makes carries a small charge.

None of these are the firm padding the bill. They're real third-party costs. The point of separating them is so you can compare the bit that's genuinely competitive, the legal fee, on a like-for-like basis.

How to compare conveyancing quotes properly

A meaningful comparison only works when you put the quotes on the same footing. Before you choose, do four things:

• Insist on a full written quote that lists every disbursement, not just the legal fee. The phrase to look for is "no hidden costs" backed by an itemised list.
• Check whether the legal fee is quoted inclusive or exclusive of VAT. A £900 fee "plus VAT" is £1,080, which can beat a £1,000 "inclusive" fee. Mixing the two is the single most common comparison error.
• Ask about "no completion, no fee" cover. If the purchase falls through, do you still owe the legal fee, or only the disbursements already incurred? In a fragile chain this matters.
• Factor in your mortgage and deposit together. Your legal costs sit alongside the deposit and any tax, so plan them as one budget using our house deposit calculator and mortgage calculator to see the full cash you need on completion.

Cheapest is not always best. A firm that responds slowly can cost you a mortgage offer or a place in the chain, which is far more expensive than the few hundred pounds you saved on the fee.

Regional differences across the UK

Conveyancing happens UK-wide, but the property tax bolted onto your move is not the same in every nation, and you should never assume England's rules apply everywhere. In England and Northern Ireland it's Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT). In Scotland it's Land and Buildings Transaction Tax (LBTT), with an Additional Dwelling Supplement on second homes. In Wales it's Land Transaction Tax (LTT), which, importantly, has no first-time buyer relief. The legal fees themselves are broadly similar across the UK, but Scottish conveyancing has its own quirks: solicitors are more involved in the offer and "missives" stage than in England, where estate agents handle more of the negotiation. Whatever nation you're in, the tax is calculated separately from these legal fees, so use the right tax tool for your property's location.

Common mistakes when budgeting for conveyancing

• Confusing the legal fee with the total. The advertised fee is only part of the bill. Always add disbursements and VAT before you decide what you can afford.
• Forgetting VAT on the legal fee. At 20%, VAT turns a £950 fee into £1,140. A quote that looks cheaper because it's stated excluding VAT often isn't.
• Treating stamp duty as a conveyancing cost. It's a tax. Your solicitor collects and pays it for you, but it's not their fee and it follows your nation's rules, not a flat rate.
• Missing leasehold extras. Buying a flat usually means freeholder and managing agent fees on top of the standard purchase costs. Ask up front.
• Ignoring abortive-transaction risk. If a chain collapses, you can still owe disbursements already paid. "No completion, no fee" only protects the legal fee, not money already spent on searches.
• Comparing inclusive against exclusive quotes. Get every quote on the same VAT basis or the comparison is meaningless.

What to do next

Start with the calculator above to fix a realistic legal-costs budget, then get two or three itemised written quotes and check each one against it. Separately, work out the tax and the cash you need to complete. Our stamp duty calculator handles the tax for your nation, while the mortgage calculator shows what your repayments will look like. Together they give you the full picture of moving costs, not just one slice of it.

For an independent overview of typical fees and what to ask a conveyancer, MoneyHelper's guide to conveyancing fees is a useful, impartial reference.

These figures are estimates for general guidance only and are not personal tax, legal or financial advice. Always obtain a formal written quote from a regulated conveyancer or solicitor before committing.