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How much does probate cost in North Carolina?

Opening an estate in North Carolina costs a $120 filing total at the Clerk of Superior Court — $106 General Court of Justice fee, $10 facilities fee and $4 telecommunications fee under G.S. 7A-307 — plus a value-based charge of $0.40 per $100 of the gross estate, capped at $6,000. North Carolina is therefore a two-part system: a $100,000 gross estate pays $120 + $400 = $520 in court costs, a $300,000 estate pays $120 + $1,200 = $1,320, and no estate pays more than $6,120 in total under this schedule. Every figure on this page comes from the North Carolina Judicial Branch's own Court Costs and Fees Chart for Estates.

North Carolina probate fees at a glance

The Judicial Branch chart is precise about how the value-based charge works, and the details save estates money when they are understood. Gross estate means the value of all personal property when received, plus the proceeds of any sale of real estate that comes into the personal representative's hands — it does not include the fair market value of real estate that is not sold, so a house that passes directly to heirs without a sale does not inflate the fee. The charge is computed from the inventory and later accountings, is assessed per filing with a $15 minimum, and the cumulative maximum is $6,000; all of it must be paid before the final account is approved, even though it is no longer necessarily collected at each filing. The $120 opening total itself is the sum of three statutory pieces ($106 + $10 + $4), which is why older North Carolina pages that quote a single older total can be a few dollars out. The national comparison is on the probate court costs hub and the state picture is on the North Carolina court costs guide.

Estates are clerk's-court cases in North Carolina

North Carolina is unusual in who decides probate: the Clerk of Superior Court in the county where the deceased lived sits as judge of probate, with original jurisdiction over estate proceedings under Chapter 28A. The main opening form is the Application for Probate and Letters (AOC-E-201), supported by the oath or affirmation (AOC-E-400). The clerk qualifies the personal representative and issues letters testamentary or of administration. Because the clerk both adjudicates and collects, the costs chart the Judicial Branch publishes for estates is a complete price list for the forum — including the small lines families actually meet, such as $1 for each set of fiduciary letters beyond five, $15 per day for a safe-deposit-box inventory, $10 for taking a deposition, and $1 for the first page ($0.25 each additional page) of filing and indexing a will without probate.

The cheaper doors: affidavit collection and probate without qualification

Two alternatives in the same chart deserve attention before an estate pays for full administration. Where only a will needs to be proved and no personal representative must qualify, probate of a will without qualification costs $30 in total ($20 General Court of Justice fee + $10 facilities fee). Where a small estate qualifies to be collected by affidavit, the collection-by-affidavit total is the same $120 as a new administration, plus the same value-based charge on what is actually collected — and the chart notes a complete waiver of 7A-307 fees on written request where the amount collected is $5,000 or less and the sole source of the assets is the state's Escheat Fund. A year's-allowance hearing for a surviving spouse is priced at $20, an application for administration by the clerk at $20, and reopening an estate charges only the value-based fee on new property coming in, with no fresh $120.

How probate runs

1. Confirm the county where the deceased lived and locate the will, if any
2. Complete the Application for Probate and Letters (AOC-E-201) and the oath (AOC-E-400)
3. File with the Clerk of Superior Court and pay the opening total $120
4. Qualify, receive letters, publish notice to creditors, and file the inventory — the inventory starts the value-based charge of $0.40 per $100
5. Administer the estate, pay the $20 motion/hearing fee only where a noticed motion is filed, and close with the final account after all gross-estate fees are paid

What probate really costs beyond the clerk

North Carolina allows a personal representative compensation of up to 5% of the estate's receipts and disbursements under G.S. 28A-23-3 where the clerk allows it, plus attorney and accounting fees where they are reasonable and necessary — professional charges that sit on top of the court costs and are not set by the Judicial Branch chart, so this page does not fold them into its totals. Creditor-notice publication is paid to the newspaper. A bond, where the will does not waive it and the clerk requires it, is priced by the surety, with the amount commonly set by reference to the estate's personal property. The court-cost part, though, is fully knowable in advance from the formula on this page: $120 to open, forty cents per hundred on the gross estate as defined above, $6,000 at the very top. Compare the flat-fee systems in Oklahoma probate costs and Washington probate costs, and the percentage system in Florida probate costs.

Can't afford the fee?

Estate costs are administration expenses, normally paid from the estate itself rather than the applicant's own funds, and the value-based portion is not due in full until the final account. A family opening an estate with no liquid assets should tell the clerk at filing: the chart itself contains fee relief in defined cases, such as the Escheat Fund affidavit waiver described above, and the clerk can explain what must be paid to qualify and what can wait for estate funds. The general mechanics of court fee waivers are explained in the fee waiver guide.

Sources: North Carolina Judicial Branch, Court Costs and Fees Chart — Estates (nccourts.gov), in effect January 1, 2026, read directly at build time — new administrations $120 ($106 + $10 + $4) under G.S. 7A-307(a); value-based charge $0.40 per $100 of gross estate, $15 minimum per filing, $6,000 maximum; probate without qualification $30; caveat $200; motion/hearing $20; sheriff service $30. Last verified: October 2026 — confirm current figures with the Clerk of Superior Court.