Here at Charter Tax, we are licenced to carry out probate and estate administration work, and, as our team includes both chartered accountants and chartered tax advisers, clients can be confident that we have the specialist knowledge – as well as the compassion and understanding - required to handle the tax affairs of the deceased and their estate.
An added advantage is that, as a chartered accountancy firm, Charter Tax is also able to advise on a client’s future tax position and assist with any tax planning and tax compliance that may be required.
Our Probate team includes Janet Pierce, Emma Cheeseman, Kristina Mathieson, and Karen Cahalin.
Janet Pierce
“Since I started Charter Tax over 12 years ago, I have continually developed the firm to become a first class full service Chartered Accountancy firm, able support our clients with all their tax and accounting needs,” says Janet Pierce, Founder and Principal at Charter Tax. “For me, it was logical that we should expand our practice to be able to offer Probate services to our clients as part of this service.”
Janet left the position she held for nearly 5 years as the partner responsible for international tax and VAT at a mid sized Tunbridge Wells based accountancy in 2009 to become a founder of the then boutique tax firm, Charter Tax, providing bespoke planning advice, particularly around private wealth & estate planning and tax planning for the OMB, international tax issues, corporate transactions.
“Our clients often find themselves having to think about the implications of their death, and we spend a significant time with clients helping them to structure their affairs to be not only tax efficient, but also to ensure their goals in terms of how they support their families are met,” she says “Having built up this understanding, we are well placed to act as an Executor or Trustee of any Trust created by their Will, as clients can be assured that we will act to ensure their final wishes are met. Providing Probate and Estate Administration services felt like a natural progression for the firm.”
In addition to having built up an expert team of professionals at Charter Tax, the firm has also recently joined forces with Ludlow UK Trust Group, to further deepen its commitment to being a premier firm, focussing on private clients and their businesses. As a trust corporation, recently created to take on the Coutts, Natwest and RBS Trust businesses, Ludlow is able to now work with our clients to provide trustee and executorship services, with the level of expertise and diligence that you would expect from a service offering with such a banking pedigree. We are likewise delighted to be able to be a key service offering for the Ludlow Trust group in providing probate, tax and accounting services to their clients
Emma Cheeseman
“As accountants and tax advisors, we build close relationships with our clients, and a deep understanding of their financial affairs,” says Emma Cheeseman, Associate Director at Charter Tax. “This puts us at an advantage when it comes to carrying out Probate and Estate Administration, as we can deal with the entire process quickly and efficiently. In addition, we have often also built a relationship with the next generation, enabling us to not only provide a technical service but also support those who have lost loved ones, and taking some of the administrative burden off their plate.”
Emma joined the team at Charter Tax in March 2021. A Chartered Accountant and Chartered Tax Advisor, she began her career working with a firm of private client accountants and tax advisers in London, where she spent 10 year acting primarily for high net worth families and landed estates.
“When I joined Charter Tax, the Probate business was starting to grow,” she says. “Probate and estate administration has a lot of different aspects, from preparing estate accounts to calculating both inheritance tax and income tax liabilities. As a firm of accountants and tax advisors, we are able to carry out all these aspects in house. This can often provide a more cost-effective solution for clients.”
Kristina Mathieson
“We understand that losing a loved one is a very emotional and stressful time and the practicalities of dealing with the associated administration can be overwhelming” says Kristina Mathieson, Senior Private Client & Probate Manager at Charter Tax. “You can be confident that we will provide a compassionate, confidential and personal service, taking as much of the administrative burden away from you as possible.”
Kristina, a Chartered Accountant and Chartered Tax Advisor, has worked locally for larger firms of accountants and solicitors for many years, and therefore had developed a broad understanding of Probate and Estate Administration before joining the team at Charter Tax in October 2021. In addition to Probate, she also advises high net worth individuals and UK trustees on UK IHT and CGT planning, as well as managing a portfolio of tax compliance cases.
“Probate provides another way for us to help the families who come to us for advice,” she says. “In that situation, people not surprisingly can feel out of their depth and if we can set their minds at ease by dealing with the Probate and Estate Administration, we take some of the worry away. With our sister company also being able to provide Will drafting services, our clients can be re-assured that their affairs are all being dealt with under one roof .”
Karen Cahalin
“Although I’ve been working within the team at Charter Tax for a while, I didn’t really appreciate the relief of passing over the Probate process to our team, until my father-in-law passed away and Charter Tax looked after the Probate process for our family,” says Karen Cahalin. Executive Assistant at Charter Tax. “When somebody dies is probably the worst time to try to deal with something as complex as Probate. Therefore, it just made a really stressful and emotional time a little easier for us all and it gave my husband and his sister, who lives abroad, peace of mind that it was being dealt with efficiently and professionally.”
Karen Cahalin joined Charter Tax as a PA in 2012 and became an Executive Assistant in 2017. In addition to being part of the Probate team, Karen’s role is fairly diverse. She looks after family office and trust clients, while working alongside the senior management team to drive the marketing. In addition, after passing the STEP Certificate in Anti-Money Laundering in 2017, Karen is involved in overseeing compliance.
“Charter Tax knows each of its clients so well and offers a very personal service - and I like being a part of that,” she says.
Charter Tax offers an initial discussion regarding Probate, at no cost, about how it can help. Please contact advice@charter-tax.com or call our office number.