Probate cost in New Jersey
In New Jersey, estates up to $50,000 can often skip full probate. For a $300,000 estate, the court fee is $100.
New Jersey's small estate limit is $50,000. Above it, the estate usually goes through probate.
- Court fee to open probate source$100
- Attorney feeNo legal schedule: set by agreement or the courtset by agreement
- Executor fee sourceSet by state law$13,500
Probate total$13,600+
The total leaves out the costs shown without a number.
- Quicken WillMaker & Trust Plus sourceOne-time price for one person$149
- Yearly feeoptional yearly renewal$40
- Moving a home into the trustSet by your county recordercounty recording fee
Trust total$149+
Assets left outside the trust can still need probate.
Probate cost by estate size
| Estate value | Court fee | Attorney (law) | Executor (law) | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $100,000 | $100 | not set by law | $5,000 | $5,100+ |
| $250,000 | $100 | not set by law | $11,750 | $11,850+ |
| $500,000 | $100 | not set by law | $20,500 | $20,600+ |
| $1,000,000 | $100 | not set by law | $38,000 | $38,100+ |
"Not set by law" means the fee is agreed with the lawyer or set by the court, so it is not in the total. Use your own numbers.
The rules in New Jersey
- Small estate limit: $50,000 (Affidavit of surviving spouse / domestic partner (N.J.S.A. 3B:10-3) or of next of kin (N.J.S.A. 3B:10-4), filed with the county Surrogate). Verified on the Monmouth County Surrogate fee page (fees under N.J.S.A. 22A:2-30): affidavits of surviving spouse or next of kin where the value of the real and personal assets of the estate does not exceed $50,000 or $20,000. So $50,000 for a spouse or domestic partner, $20,000 for next of kin. Surrogate fee for the affidavit: $5 per $100, total not more than $50. Whether the affidavit can transfer real estate is not stated on the page (changed to null); the statute text was not read. Source
- Court fee: $100 for a $300,000 estate. Verified on the Monmouth County Surrogate fee page, which quotes the statewide statute N.J.S.A. 22A:2-30: probate of a will of not more than two pages $100, each additional page $5, each codicil $25. Letters of administration (no will) $125. Short certificates $5 each (usually needed, count varies, not included). Fee does not depend on estate value. Source
- Attorney fee: No legal schedule: set by agreement or the court. No statutory attorney fee schedule known. Not verified against official text.
- Executor fee: Set by state law. N.J.S.A. 3B:18-14 as amended by P.L.2000, c.29 (collector read the Wayback copy of the official chapter law; not re-read in the verification pass). Add 1% of all corpus for each additional fiduciary, but no one fiduciary may get more than a sole fiduciary would. A separate income commission (N.J.S.A. 3B:18-13) applies; its rate was not verified. Source
Some New Jersey rules could not be checked on a current official page. Each rule links to the source we used. Confirm with the court or a lawyer before you rely on it.
General information from official state sources, not legal advice.