Not usually in full. In Scotland, a solicitor's conveyancing fee is normally settled at the end of the transaction, when the purchase or sale completes. Many firms do ask for a payment on account at the start to cover early outlays, and buyers must send the balance of the price, the tax and the fees to their solicitor before the date of entry.
This guide explains what you may be asked to pay at each stage, how payment works for buyers and sellers, whether fees can go on your mortgage, and how to pay safely.
Are conveyancing fees paid upfront in Scotland?
The legal fee itself is usually paid at or after settlement, not before the work starts. Your solicitor issues a statement of account before the date of entry, showing the price, the legal fee, VAT, outlays and any tax, and the payment is taken from the funds held for you.
What you may pay upfront depends on the firm. Some solicitors ask for a modest payment on account when you instruct them, to cover outlays they pay before settlement, such as searches on a sale or electronic identity checks. Others pay these outlays themselves and recover them at the end.
Whatever the arrangement, it should be written down. The Law Society of Scotland's rules on client communication require your solicitor to tell you in writing at the outset what the fee will be, or how it will be charged, including VAT and outlays. Your letter of engagement should also say when payment is due.
When do you pay each cost when buying?
| Stage | What you may need to pay |
|---|---|
| Instructing your solicitor | Possibly a payment on account, if the firm asks for one. Your identity and source of funds are checked at this stage. |
| Applying for a mortgage | Any lender arrangement, booking or valuation fee, and any broker fee, paid directly to them. |
| Before the date of entry | Your deposit and the balance of the price, LBTT, any Additional Dwelling Supplement, the legal fee, VAT and outlays, as shown on your statement of account. |
| Date of entry | Nothing new. Your solicitor pays the seller's solicitor, pays the LBTT to Revenue Scotland and applies to register your title. |
| After settlement | Usually nothing, unless an outlay changes. You receive a final fee note for your records. |
Your solicitor needs the funds in their client account before settlement, in cleared funds. If the money arrives late, settlement can be delayed, and if missives are concluded, a delay can mean you are in breach of contract. Your solicitor will tell you the deadline, which is often a few working days before the date of entry.
When is LBTT paid?
Land and Buildings Transaction Tax is paid at the same time as the purchase settles. Your solicitor submits the LBTT return and pays the tax to Revenue Scotland on your behalf. The return must be made, and the tax paid, within 30 days of the effective date of the transaction, which for most home purchases is the date of entry.
Because the tax is paid through your solicitor, you send the LBTT to them with the balance of the price. On a £200,000 purchase, for example, the LBTT is £1,100, or £500 if you are a first-time buyer. Our guide to LBTT for first-time buyers explains the relief.
How do sellers pay conveyancing fees?
Sellers rarely pay their solicitor upfront. At settlement, your solicitor receives the price from the buyer's solicitor, repays your mortgage, pays the estate agent if you ask them to, and deducts their fee, VAT and outlays. The balance is then sent to you.
There are some costs a seller may meet earlier in the process:
- The Home Report. This is paid to the surveyor before or when the property goes on the market, although some estate agents pay it and recover it from the sale.
- Searches. These cost about £200 and are ordered on your behalf during the sale. Some firms ask you to pay for them when they are ordered.
- Estate agency marketing fees. Some agents charge for photography, floor plans or advertising upfront.
Our guide to selling a house in Scotland walks through the full sale process.
Can conveyancing fees be added to your mortgage?
Usually not. Your lender releases the mortgage funds to your solicitor to pay towards the price of the property. The legal fee, VAT, outlays and LBTT normally have to come from your own money, alongside your deposit.
Some lenders allow their own arrangement or product fee to be added to the loan, and some mortgage products include a contribution towards legal costs on a remortgage. Your mortgage offer will say what applies. Our guide on how much deposit you need in Scotland explains how to plan these costs alongside the deposit.
What if the purchase or sale falls through?
If a transaction does not go ahead, you normally pay for the work done up to that point, plus any outlays already spent. Any payment on account is used towards those costs, and anything left over is returned to you. Our guide on paying solicitor fees when a sale falls through explains this in detail.
How to pay your solicitor safely
Property transactions involve large sums, so they are a target for email fraud. Criminals sometimes send emails that look as if they come from a solicitor, giving new bank details.
- Confirm your solicitor's bank details by phone, using a number you already know, before you send any money.
- Treat any message saying the bank details have changed as suspicious, and call your solicitor to check.
- Send a small test payment first if your solicitor suggests it, and confirm it has arrived.
- Allow time for your bank's limits and checks, especially for large transfers.
If you receive a message like this about a transaction with us, do not reply to it. Call us on 0141 471 9166 instead.
Planning your costs
Knowing the full figure early makes the final weeks much less stressful. Our quote calculator shows our fixed fee, every outlay and your LBTT in one breakdown, and our guide to the additional costs of buying a house in Scotland covers everything else to budget for.
Kirsty Docherty, Head of Residential Conveyancing
Kirsty leads our residential conveyancing team and has over a decade of experience in residential property law in Scotland. Last updated 2 November 2026. This guide is general information about Scots law, not legal advice for your situation.
