The figures on this page are general estimates. Laws, fees, thresholds, and prices differ by state and change often, and your own situation may change the result. Before you act, confirm the current numbers and rules for Alabama with a licensed professional — an attorney, tax advisor, or licensed agent as appropriate. Reading this page does not create a professional relationship.
This page is built to print. Use your browser's Print command and choose "Save as PDF" for a one-page Alabama reference. Every figure below is compiled from the statutes and state authorities listed at the bottom — the same sources cited on our Alabama probate pages.
Alabama probate fees
| Item | Alabama |
|---|---|
| Court filing fee | Set by each county's probate court, plus per-document and certification charges. No statewide schedule is published, and no county's schedule is cited here. |
| Attorney fees | Not statutory. |
| Executor / personal representative fees | Under Ala. Code §43-2-848 the personal representative's compensation is capped at up to 2.5% of property received and 2.5% of disbursements, plus possible extra pay for extraordinary services. Family executors often waive it. |
| Fee basis | reasonable |
| Appraisal / referee | Not used. Alabama does not appoint a state appraiser. The personal representative files an inventory unless the will or the heirs waive it (Ala. Code §43-2-311). |
Worked example
No worked figure is stated here, because the schedule it would rest on has not been read at a primary source. Ala. Code §43-2-848 could not be read at a primary source from this environment on 2026-09-27: the Alabama Legislature's code viewer at alison.legislature.state.al.us returns navigation markup with no statutory text. The percentages stated in the rule above are therefore unverified, and this page does not compute a ceiling from them.
Alabama thresholds and deadlines
| Item | Alabama |
|---|---|
| Small-estate threshold | Ala. Code §43-2-692 provides a summary distribution route without full administration where the estate's value falls at or below the combined homestead, exempt-property and family allowances. No dollar figure is stated here. The "roughly $47,000 for 2026" this note used to carry was an adjusted amount with no source on file, and Ala. Code §43-8-116, the section credited with adjusting it each March, has not been read at a primary source: the Alabama Legislature's code viewer returns navigation markup only. The allowances themselves are set by Ala. Code §§43-8-110 to 43-8-113. The estate generally cannot include real property. |
| Creditor claim period | No Alabama figure is stated in this field. The governing provision is §43-2-350. The figure previously stated here was never verified against a statute or an independent publisher: its only source was a commercial reproduction of the code, and Alabama law cannot be read at a primary source from the environment this page was checked in. It is recorded in data/withdrawn-figures.json as al-creditor-claim-period, so it cannot return to any page without failing the build. |
| Statutory floor (creditor period) | No Alabama figure is stated in this field. The governing provision is §43-2-350. The figure previously stated here was never verified against a statute or an independent publisher: its only source was a commercial reproduction of the code, and Alabama law cannot be read at a primary source from the environment this page was checked in. It is recorded in data/withdrawn-figures.json as al-creditor-claim-period, so it cannot return to any page without failing the build. |
| Transfer-on-death deed | Alabama does not currently authorize a transfer-on-death (beneficiary) deed for real estate. Real property owned solely by the decedent generally must pass through probate, a living trust, or joint ownership with survivorship. |
What passes outside Alabama probate
These transfers are not part of the estate the fees above are calculated on:
- Beneficiary designations — retirement accounts, life insurance, payable-on-death accounts.
- Joint ownership with right of survivorship.
- Transfer-on-death deed — Alabama does not currently authorize a transfer-on-death (beneficiary) deed for real estate. Real property owned solely by the decedent generally must pass through probate, a living trust, or joint ownership with survivorship.
- Assets titled into a funded living trust.
Sources for this sheet
- Statutes: Ala. Code §43-2-848; Ala. Code §43-2-350; Ala. Code §43-2-692; Ala. Code §43-2-311; Ala. Code §43-8-116
- State authority: Code of Alabama, Title 43 (Alabama Legislature)
Compiled August 15, 2026 from the sources listed above. Fee schedules, thresholds, and court costs are amended by legislatures and courts — confirm each figure against the cited statute or the Alabama court before relying on it.
The full Alabama guides
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How Much Does Probate Cost in Alabama? — the full cost breakdown.
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How Much Does an Executor Get Paid in Alabama? — the fee rule in detail.
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How Long Does Probate Take in Alabama? — the timeline and its statutory floor.
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How to Avoid Probate in Alabama — the transfers that pass outside it.
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How Much Does a Will Cost in Alabama? — execution requirements and pricing.
Fee sheets for other states
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This sheet sets out Alabama probate figures as published at the time of compilation. It is not legal advice. Figures and statutes change and their application depends on the specific estate. Confirm current figures with the Alabama courts or a licensed Alabama attorney.