Sample closure pack (PDF, 42 KB, 14 pages, opens in a new tab)
What the estate file receives at closure: custody receipts, valuation, the executor instruction and settlement records, for a fictional estate.
Fees
One published fee schedule, itemised on every invoice.
What the estate pays, what an heir pays and what a selling dealer deducts, set out in full. Each fee is shown once, as the total charged. Firearmdesk is not registered for VAT, so no VAT is added to our fees.
On this page
First-matter offer
Your firm's first estate: no Firearmdesk compliance fee.
Your firm's first estate referred by 31 January 2027 carries no compliance fee (R2,242.50). The terms, in full. The offer is a waiver on the published schedule below; no fee on it changes.
- The offer applies to the first matter that each attorney firm or fiduciary refers to Firearmdesk, for matters referred by 31 January 2027.
- It waives Firearmdesk's compliance fee on that matter and nothing else: R2,242.50 on a custody matter, or R1,437.50 where a licensed heir keeps the firearms.
- Custody coordination, the licensed dealer's intake and storage at cost, written valuations, optional services, SAPS fees and a permitted transporter's charges all apply as set out in this schedule.
- There is nothing to claim. The platform applies the offer when the compliance fee is raised, and the matter and the invoice show "First estate offer: compliance fee waived". The fee is waived, not refunded later.
- We may close the offer to firms that have not yet referred by changing this page, with seven days' notice on it. A firm that has already referred keeps the waiver on that first matter.
Fee schedule version 4
Every fee, who pays it and when.
Choose the view for your role. Each fee is shown once, as the total charged. Firearmdesk is not registered for VAT, so no VAT is added to our fees.
Payer: the estate, care of the administering attorney or fiduciary, on two itemised invoices paid by EFT.
Invoice 1, at intake
Issued once the executor's authority is verified.
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Firearms Control Act compliance services to the executor, custody matterPer matter. The Regulation 103 inventory and notices, section 21 authorisation, the executor mandate, custody allocation, the evidence record and the closure pack. | R2,242.50 |
| Firearms Control Act compliance services to the executor, in-situ matterPer matter, where a licensed heir keeps the firearms and they do not come into custody. | R1,437.50 |
| Custody coordinationPer firearm received into custody, charged once and not by the month: allocation to a licensed dealer, booking the transporter for the estate, pre-advice, receipt evidence, the monthly statements and release coordination. | R632.50 |
Invoice 2, at release
Issued when the last firearm leaves custody. The dealer's intake and storage are invoiced here, after Firearmdesk has paid the dealer; the storage is reported on a monthly statement as it accrues.
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Licensed dealer intake, at costPer firearm: the dealer's own fee for receiving and recording it, passed on with no mark-up, plus the dealer's VAT where it is registered for VAT. Invoiced on the first invoice after Firearmdesk has paid the dealer, normally this one. | R200 |
| Licensed dealer storage, at costPer firearm per month from day 15 after receipt; the first 14 days are not charged. The dealer's own fee, passed on with no mark-up, plus the dealer's VAT where it is registered for VAT. | R110 |
| Written valuationThe first firearm in the matter, plus R172.50 for each additional firearm. Every firearm in custody is valued in writing within 20 business days of receipt, by someone other than the dealer holding it. | R402.50 |
| Surrender or destruction administrationPer firearm; waived in an insolvent estate. Not for transport: we book a permitted transporter, which invoices the estate on its quote. | R747.50 |
| Licensed dealer surrender preparation, at costPer surrender the dealer prepares on the executor's instruction; the dealer's own fee, passed on with no mark-up, plus the dealer's VAT where it is registered for VAT, and never for carrying the firearm. | R200 |
Firearmdesk never stores, carries or transports a firearm. A licensed dealer holds each firearm. We pay the dealer's intake and storage fees on the executor's behalf and pass them on at cost, with no mark-up. Where a licensed heir who will inherit already holds the firearms, they stay with that heir. Otherwise we book a permitted transporter for the estate: it invoices the estate, anything we pay it for the estate is passed on at cost, and we charge nothing for carriage.
Optional services, on invoice 2
Charged only where the executor asks for them.
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Ammunition and componentsPer matter. | R172.50 |
| DeactivationAdministration, plus the gunsmith at cost. | R517.50 |
| Change of custodianA release to the estate and a fresh receipt by the new custodian, never dealer to dealer. Charged only when the executor asks for the move in writing; the permitted transporter we book then invoices the estate. When the executor did not choose the move, we pay the transport and the new custodian's intake, and the estate pays only for transit cover the executor chooses, the extra for a farther custodian or dearer transporter the executor picks, and any charge the executor's own delay causes. | R402.50 |
| Withdrawal from salePer firearm. | R402.50 |
At sale, deducted by the selling dealer
10% of the sale price, minimum R400, plus VAT if the dealer is registered for VAT. The dealer pays the balance to the estate or the attorney's trust account.
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Dealer's sale commissionOf the sale price, charged by the selling dealer and deducted from the price, plus VAT if the dealer is registered for VAT (then 11.5%). | 10% |
The commission is the dealer's. The selling dealer's commission is 10% of the sale price, minimum R400, plus VAT if the dealer is registered for VAT, deducted from the price. Firearmdesk takes no share of it and charges nothing on a sale.
SAPS fees are recharged at cost, with no margin, to the party the application is for.
Payer: the heir, under a signed heir engagement. Never charged to the estate or paid through the estate account.
Heir engagement invoice
Invoiced to the heir when the transfer is instructed.
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Transfer administration to an heirPer firearm, from custody or in situ. Not refundable if the licence is refused. | R1,437.50 |
| Heir's licence renewalOptional, at the heir's request. | R1,092.50 |
SAPS fees are recharged at cost, with no margin, to the party the application is for.
Deducted by: the selling dealer, from the sale price. Sale proceeds never pass through Firearmdesk.
Sale commission
The dealer deducts the commission, plus VAT if it is registered for VAT, and pays the balance to the estate or the attorney's trust account.
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Dealer's sale commissionOf the sale price, charged by the selling dealer and deducted from the price, plus VAT if the dealer is registered for VAT (then 11.5%). | 10% |
| Minimum commissionPer firearm sold, plus VAT if the dealer is registered for VAT. | R400 |
The commission is the dealer's. The selling dealer's commission is 10% of the sale price, minimum R400, plus VAT if the dealer is registered for VAT, deducted from the price. Firearmdesk takes no share of it and charges nothing on a sale.
Where the valuation is under R3,500, the executor receives written advice on whether a sale is economic before instructing one.
Firearmdesk pays custody partners their intake and storage fees and recovers them from the estate at cost; on a sale the dealer's only document to the estate is its account sale. For licensed dealers
The rules that go with the schedule
How each fee applies.
- Schedule fixed for the matter
- The schedule in force when the executor signs the custody mandate applies to the whole matter (or, if a fee is raised before then, the schedule in force at that first fee). A later version applies only to matters fixed after it takes effect.
- The compliance fee
- Invoiced as "Firearms Control Act compliance services to the executor": the Regulation 103 inventory and notices, section 21 authorisation, the executor mandate, custody allocation, the evidence record and the closure pack. The custody coordination fee and the dealer's intake and storage apply only once a firearm enters custody.
- Custody coordination
- A one-off fee of R632.50 per firearm received into custody, however long the firearm stays. It covers allocation to a licensed dealer, booking the transporter for the estate, pre-advice, receipt evidence, the monthly statements and release coordination.
- The licensed dealer's fees, at cost
- The dealer charges intake of R200 (R230 if the dealer is registered for VAT) per firearm, storage of R110 (R126.50 if the dealer is registered for VAT) a firearm a month from day 15 after receipt, so the first 14 days are not charged, and R200 (R230 if the dealer is registered for VAT) for each surrender it prepares. Firearmdesk pays the dealer on the executor's behalf and recovers exactly that, with no mark-up, and only after paying it: the intake goes on the first invoice after Firearmdesk has paid the dealer, normally the release invoice. Storage is shown on a monthly statement, not an invoice, and is invoiced once, at release.
- Delivery to the dealer
- Firearmdesk never stores, carries or transports a firearm, and sells no collection or transport. Where a licensed heir who will inherit already holds the firearms, they stay with that heir under the executor's written consent. Otherwise we book a permitted transporter for the estate as part of custody coordination: it collects the firearms where they are kept and delivers them to the dealer, it contracts with and invoices the estate, and anything we pay it for the estate is recovered at cost. An executor named in the letters may also deliver in person.
- Economic reviews
- The executor receives a written economic review, setting the firearm's value against the charges so far, at months 6 and 12, and is asked for a disposition instruction at month 18. At 24 months the matter is reviewed with the executor; the dealer's storage continues at cost and is shown on every monthly statement.
- Insolvent estates
- The surrender administration fee is waived and the dealer's storage is recovered from the estate for no more than 6 months.
- Small estates under section 18(3)
- Estates dealt with under section 18(3) of the Administration of Estates Act are offered a flat package paid in advance: the compliance fee and the custody coordination fee. The dealer's intake and storage are not part of it; they are invoiced at cost as they are paid.
- Firms, trust companies and banks
- Institutions referring at least 10 matters a month, with a further tier at 25, qualify for a panel rate agreed with each institution, up to 10% below Firearmdesk's own fees in this schedule; the dealer's fees stay at cost. The panel rate appears on the estate's own invoice. There is no retainer, and no rebate is paid to any executor. Banks and trust companies.
- Waivers and corrections
- The first estate offer waives the compliance fee before invoicing; there is nothing to claim. Other waivers or discounts on an issued invoice are recorded by credit note. A credit note of R5,000 or more needs approval by a second person.
- Optional services and SAPS fees
- Optional services are charged only where the executor or the heir asks for them. SAPS fees are recharged at cost, with no margin. SAPS 350 handling and the destruction certificate are included in the custody coordination and surrender fees.
- VAT
- Firearmdesk is not registered for VAT, so no VAT is added to our fees. Every fee above is the price, shown once, and each invoice is headed "Invoice". The licensed dealer's fees are passed on at what the dealer charges, plus the dealer's VAT where it is registered for VAT.
- Payment
- By EFT to the company's bank account, with the invoice number as the reference; no card payments are taken. Payment status never affects whether a firearm is released.
Example before transport and SAPS fees
One rifle, start to finish.
The commonest estate: one rifle, valued at about R8,500, held for 3 months and sold through the licensed dealer at that price. The example includes our fees and the dealer's intake, storage and commission. Transport and SAPS fees are additional: a permitted transporter quotes and invoices the estate where the rifle must move, and SAPS fees are recharged at cost. It assumes the dealer is registered for VAT; if it is not, no dealer VAT is added to those lines. We confirm the route and costs for your estate before you instruct us. Firearmdesk is not registered for VAT, so no VAT is added to our fees.
| Line | Standard schedule | With the first-matter offer |
|---|---|---|
| Invoice 1, at intake: compliance services to the executor (waived on a qualifying first estate) | R2,242.50 | R0.00 |
| Invoice 1: custody coordination, once for the rifle | R632.50 | R632.50 |
| Invoice 2, at release: licensed dealer intake, at cost, with the dealer's VAT | R230.00 | R230.00 |
| Invoice 2: written valuation | R402.50 | R402.50 |
| Invoice 2: licensed dealer storage, at cost, 3 months at R110 with the dealer's VAT | R379.50 | R379.50 |
| The estate pays Firearmdesk (two invoices) | R3,887.00 | R1,644.50 |
| Deducted by the selling dealer: commission at 10% of R8,500.00 | R850.00 | R850.00 |
| Deducted by the selling dealer: the dealer's VAT on the commission | R127.50 | R127.50 |
| Sale costs before transport and SAPS fees | R4,864.50 | R2,622.00 |
| Balance of the R8,500.00 sale price before transport and SAPS fees | R3,635.50 | R5,878.00 |
The offer column applies to the first matter your firm refers. Applies to the first matter your firm refers, for matters referred by 31 January 2027. The licensed dealer's fees at cost, custody coordination and valuations still apply. Terms in full above.
Worked example
One estate, two firearms.
A custody matter. The permitted transporter we book for the estate invoices the estate directly, so transport is not on these invoices. Both firearms are receipted on the same day. Firearm A is transferred to a licensed heir after 5 months; firearm B is sold for R8,000 after 7 months, so the executor also receives the month 6 economic review for it. The example counts whole months of dealer storage from day 15 after receipt and leaves out SAPS fees, which are recharged at cost. It assumes the licensed dealer is registered for VAT, so the dealer's fees and commission carry the dealer's own VAT; Firearmdesk's own fees carry none.
| Party | Amount | Made up of |
|---|---|---|
| The estate pays Firearmdesk | R6,060.50 | Invoice 1 R3,507.50 and invoice 2 R2,553.00, of which R1,978.00 is the dealer's intake and storage at cost, with the dealer's VAT |
| The heir pays Firearmdesk | R1,437.50 | Transfer administration for firearm A |
| The selling dealer deducts | R920.00 | Commission of R800.00 plus the dealer's VAT of R120.00, from the R8,000.00 sale price |
| The estate receives from the dealer | R7,080.00 | The sale price less the dealer's deduction, paid to the estate or the attorney's trust account |
Every invoice line in the example
Invoice 1, at intake
To the estate, care of the administering attorney
| Line | Amount |
|---|---|
| Firearms Control Act compliance services to the executor, custody matter | R2,242.50 |
| Custody coordination, 2 firearms at R632.50 | R1,265.00 |
| Total | R3,507.50 |
Invoice 2, at release
To the estate, care of the administering attorney
| Line | Amount |
|---|---|
| Licensed dealer intake, at cost, 2 firearms at R200 plus the dealer's VAT | R460.00 |
| Written valuation, firearm A | R402.50 |
| Written valuation, firearm B | R172.50 |
| Licensed dealer storage, at cost, firearm A, 5 months at R110 plus the dealer's VAT | R632.50 |
| Licensed dealer storage, at cost, firearm B, 7 months at R110 plus the dealer's VAT | R885.50 |
| Total | R2,553.00 |
Heir engagement invoice
To the heir; never through the estate account
| Line | Amount |
|---|---|
| Transfer administration to an heir, firearm A | R1,437.50 |
| Total | R1,437.50 |
Sale of firearm B
Settled by the selling dealer; the proceeds never pass through Firearmdesk
| Line | Amount |
|---|---|
| Sale price | R8,000.00 |
| Commission at 10% (above the R400 minimum) | R800.00 |
| The dealer's VAT on the commission | R120.00 |
| Deducted by the dealer | R920.00 |
| Paid to the estate or the attorney's trust account | R7,080.00 |
Proof
The same estate, as the file receives it.
The sample closure pack follows this example: the invoices, the dealer's settlement statement, custody receipts and the executor's instruction, for a fictional estate.
Questions about a fee? Ask us first.
Or refer the matter now: the schedule in force when the executor signs the custody mandate applies to the whole matter.