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How much does probate cost in court fees?

Probate court costs — the filing fees an estate pays the court — are the smallest part of most estates' expenses, and the only part published on a fee schedule. Verified filing fees run from a $70 application in Montana to value-tiered schedules like Vermont's and Oregon's, which rise with the size of the estate.

Scope note: this guide covers the probate court process — filing fees for opening an estate, appointing a personal representative, and probating a will. The cost of creating estate-planning documents (wills, trusts, powers of attorney) is a different topic that belongs to a future guide, and attorney fees for administering an estate are set by the attorney, not the court.

The cost layers of an estate

The opening filing fee — the table below, from the schedule we read for each state.
Value-based charges where they apply: North Carolina adds $0.40 per $100 of gross estate on top of its $120 base (capped at $6,000 cumulative); Wisconsin charges an inventory fee of 0.2% of value over $10,000 instead of a flat probate fee.
Publication of notice to creditors, where the state's probate code requires it — priced by the newspaper.
Certified copies of letters testamentary or of administration, which banks and title companies will ask for repeatedly.

Verified probate filing fees

State	Probate filing fee (from the official schedule read)
Alaska	$250 — probate cases carry the same $250 filing fee on the Alaska Court System schedule.
Arizona	Informal probate is Class C: $176 state base fee; the Maricopa County total is $306.
Arkansas	$165 to open an estate administration, and $165 for probate of a will, on the Pulaski County schedule.
California	$435 — first petition for letters testamentary or administration on the statewide schedule.
Hawaii	$100, charged once per estate (H.R.S. §607-5, Part I(14)).
Illinois	County-set. Example: McHenry County charges $364 for administration of a decedent's estate.
Indiana	$177 Total Probate Filing Fee (IC §33-37-4-7, $120 plus add-ons); $205 with sheriff service.
Kansas	$109.50 for probate of an estate or will (K.S.A. §59-104(a)(1)); guardianship $69.50; determination of descent $49.50.
Louisiana	Parish-set. Example (Tangipahoa Parish successions): $310.50 completed for 1–5 pages; $410.50 for 6–25 pages; small successions $235.50/$335.50.
Massachusetts	Probate and Family Court schedule: formal probate, informal probate, and supervised administration petitions $375 + $15 surcharge; a Voluntary Administration Statement is $100 + $15.
Minnesota	$323 first paper for estates, trusts, guardianships, and conservatorships; depositing a will for safekeeping is $27.
Mississippi	$135 — 'estate of deceased' is expressly listed in §25-7-9(2), so an estate filing carries the same $85 + $10 + $40 statutory total.
Missouri	Jackson County (16th Circuit): decedent's estates — testate $190.50 ($155.50 if the will was previously admitted), intestate $155.50.
Montana	$70 — filing an application for informal, formal, or supervised probate, or for appointment of a personal representative (includes filing a will for probate).
Nevada	Nye County probate/letters tiers by estate value: $2,500 or less — no fee; over $2,500 and under $20,000 — $159; over $20,000 and under $300,000 — $258; $300,000 or more — $511.
New York	Surrogate's Court fees vary by proceeding and estate size (SCPA 2402) — there is no flat figure to print.
North Carolina	$120 base (G.S. §7A-307) plus $0.40 per $100 of gross estate (minimum $15 per filing, maximum cumulative $6,000). Probate of a will without qualification is $30.
North Dakota	$160 — the official fee list includes informal and formal probate at the same fee.
Oklahoma	$135 under §152.1 (plus the same add-ons).
Oregon	Personal-representative appointment tiers by estate value (ORS 21.170): $278 (under $50,000) · $591 ($50,000–under $1M) · $882 ($1M–under $10M) · $1,176 ($10M+).
Pennsylvania	County-set through the Register of Wills. Philadelphia tiers by estate value: $189.25 ($0–$250) rising to $1,330.25 at $1,000,000, plus $75 per additional $100,000 (Register of Wills schedule, 11/18/2024).
South Carolina	County Probate Court. Verified example (Beaufort County): $150 for formal testacy / appointment of a personal representative (per §8-21-770, the same as civil actions in Circuit Court).
South Dakota	$122 total — $75 + $40 automation + $7 law library.
Vermont	Tiered by estate value: $50 (to $10,000) · $110 ($10,001–$50,000) · $265 ($50,001–$150,000) · $500 ($150,001–$500,000) · $1,000 ($500,001–$1M) · $1,750 ($1M–$5M) · $2,500 ($5M–$10M) · $3,250 (over $10M).
Washington	$290 — the $200 base at RCW 36.18.020(2)(f) plus the same surcharges.
Wisconsin	No flat fee — an inventory fee applies under §814.66(1)(a)2: $20 minimum, or 0.2% of the value over $10,000, payable at inventory filing.
Wyoming	$160 initial filing (excluding variable inventory fees under W.S. §2-2-401).

States not in the table set probate fees at county level (often through a register of wills) or on schedules we could not read in full — the state guide says which, and we print no figure rather than guess one.