Estate Administration Fee Calculator
Estate administration fees consume 3-7% of typical estate value before heirs receive anything. Executor commissions, attorney fees, court costs, appraisal, bond, and accounting fees are the major components. State law caps several of these by formula.
Where Estate Costs Come From
Five major buckets: executor commission (often statutory), attorney fees (statutory or reasonable depending on state), court filing fees, appraisal of real and personal property, and executor bond (often waived in will). Total typically 3-7% of gross estate value.
Probate Avoidance Strategies
Three highest-impact: revocable living trust (assets in trust skip probate entirely), beneficiary designations on retirement and life insurance (avoid probate by operation of law), and Transfer-on-Death (TOD) designations on brokerage and Payable-on-Death (POD) on bank accounts.
State Variation In Fee Calculations
California and New York have statutory sliding-scale fees both for executor and ordinary attorney services — same percentage, doubled total. Florida caps at 3% reasonable. Texas allows 5% executor. Reasonable-fee states (most others) use hours-based attorney billing with court approval.
Source: State probate codes (CA Probate Code §10800; NY SCPA §2307); ABA estate planning guides. Last updated: May 2026.