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How much does probate cost in New Jersey?

Probating a will in New Jersey costs $100 at the county Surrogate's Court for a will of not more than two pages, plus $5 for each additional page, under N.J.S.A. 22A:2-30. Where there is no will, general administration costs $125 plus $5 per page for other documents. The $100 probate fee is deliberately all-in for its step: the Surrogate's published schedule says it covers preparation and execution of the complaint, filing proof of death, one witness's deposition, qualification of the executor, the surrogate's certificate, the judgment for probate, letters testamentary, a plain copy of the will, recording and the reports to the Division of Taxation and the Superior Court clerk.

New Jersey probate fees at a glance

All of these figures come from one place: the fee schedule of the Surrogate and Deputy Clerk of the Superior Court under N.J.S.A. 22A:2-30, published in full by county Surrogates such as Monmouth County, whose schedule this page follows line by line. Because the schedule is statutory and statewide, the same $100, $125 and $5 page charges apply in every county, even though each county has its own Surrogate. Two details in the schedule reward attention. First, one witness in the probate proceeding is included at no charge, and each additional witness is $5 — a relic of proving wills by witness deposition that still prices a real step. Second, a will can be probated without taking letters for $50 where no administration is needed, for example where the only purpose is to establish the will of record. The national comparison is on the probate court costs hub and the state picture is on the New Jersey court costs guide.

The Surrogate's Court is the front door

New Jersey routes ordinary probate through the Surrogate of the county where the deceased lived, acting as judge of the Surrogate's Court and deputy clerk of the Superior Court, Chancery Division, Probate Part. An uncontested will is proved, the executor qualifies, and letters testamentary issue from that office, usually without a courtroom hearing. The schedule prices the contested door differently: the first paper filed in an action in the Chancery Division, Probate Part costs $175, an answering paper $110, and a motion in that Part $15 — so a will contest moves the case, and its price, from the Surrogate's counter to the Superior Court. A caveat, the filing that blocks probate until a contest is heard, costs $25 to file or withdraw at the Surrogate. Timing matters too: letters cannot issue until ten days have passed after death, a waiting period that lets an interested party file that caveat first.

Administration, small estates and accountings

Where there is no will, the $125 general administration fee covers the complaint, bond and surety affidavits, recording, indexing, the tax-division report and the original letters, with other documents at $5 per page. Surviving-spouse and next-of-kin affidavits for small estates are priced on a sliding scale in the schedule — $5 for each $100 of assets above the first $100, capped at $50 in total, and waived entirely where the assets do not exceed $200. At the end of an estate, a formal accounting has its own price list: $175 to file the complaint and the first page of the accounting, then an auditing fee that scales with the estate, from no additional fee at $2,000 or less to 3/10 of 1% between $65,001 and $200,000 and 4/10 of 1% above that, plus $5 for each extra page. Most New Jersey estates never file a formal accounting — they close informally with refunding bonds and releases, which the schedule prices at $10 for a document of not more than two pages — but the accounting scale is the one place the Surrogate's fee grows with the estate.

How probate runs

1. Wait until ten days have passed after the death, and locate the original will and a certified death certificate
2. Take the will to the Surrogate of the county where the deceased lived and complete the probate papers
3. Pay the probate fee $100 for a will of two pages or fewer, plus $5 per additional page (or $125 plus page charges for administration without a will)
4. Qualify as executor or administrator, receive letters, and order the short certificates ($5 each) that banks and title companies will ask for
5. Administer the estate — inventory ($25 first page where filed), creditor notice, taxes and distribution — and close informally with refunding bonds and releases, or by formal accounting where required

What probate really costs beyond the Surrogate

The Surrogate's fees are the small, fixed part of a New Jersey estate. Publication of the notice to creditors is arranged directly with a newspaper — the Monmouth schedule notes the Surrogate's office no longer processes it — and the newspaper sets its price. A bond, where the will does not waive it, is priced by the surety. Executor commissions are set by statute on a percentage basis separate from the Surrogate's schedule, and attorney fees are market-priced; neither appears in 22A:2-30, so neither is estimated here. What this page can state exactly is the counter price of every Surrogate service an estate commonly uses, from the $100 probate and $5 short certificates to the $25 caveat that starts a contest. Compare per-page pricing with New York probate costs, and flat-fee systems with Oklahoma probate costs.

Can't afford the fee?

Surrogate fees are costs of the estate, payable from estate funds rather than the executor's own money in the ordinary course, and the schedule itself waives the small-estate affidavit fee where assets do not exceed $200. A petitioner who cannot advance the $100 should say so at the Surrogate's counter before filing: the office can explain what must be paid to open the matter and what the estate will reimburse once letters issue and accounts are accessible. Litigants in the Superior Court, Probate Part may also ask about in forma pauperis relief. The general mechanics are explained in the fee waiver guide.

Sources: Surrogate Fee Schedule under N.J.S.A. 22A:2-30, published by the Monmouth County Surrogate (visitmonmouth.com) and read directly at build time — probate $100 (two pages) + $5 per additional page; probate without letters $50; codicil $25; general administration $125 + $5 per page; short certificates $5; caveat $25; Probate Part first paper $175. Last verified: October 2026 — confirm current figures with your county Surrogate.