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 Arizona 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 Arizona reference. Every figure below is compiled from the statutes and state authorities listed at the bottom — the same sources cited on our Arizona probate pages.
Arizona probate fees
| Item | Arizona |
|---|---|
| Court filing fee | A.R.S. §12-284(A) sets the Superior Court fee for an application for informal probate or informal appointment at $149. On top of that, the presiding judge of a superior court may add up to $15 for document and digital evidence storage (A.R.S. §12-284.01(C)), and the Arizona Supreme Court may raise the §12-284(A) fees by the annual change in the consumer price index (A.R.S. §12-284(L)). What a county clerk actually charges therefore varies by county and by the Supreme Court's current adjusted schedule; $149 is the statewide statutory base. Add publication of the notice to creditors and certified copies. |
| Attorney fees | Not statutory. Arizona is a Uniform Probate Code state, so there is no fixed percentage. Attorneys charge an hourly rate or a flat fee for routine work, and the fee must be 'reasonable.' A.R.S. §14-3721 lets any interested person ask the court to review the reasonableness of the personal representative's or attorney's compensation, and A.R.S. §14-3720 allows reasonable attorney fees and expenses for a representative who prosecutes or defends a proceeding in good faith. |
| Executor / personal representative fees | Not statutory. Under A.R.S. §14-3719, the personal representative is entitled to 'reasonable compensation' for services — Arizona has no California-style percentage schedule. Reasonableness is judged on the size and complexity of the estate and the time and skill involved; family representatives often waive the fee. |
| Fee basis | reasonable |
Worked example
Arizona courts do not apply a fixed percentage of the estate; a professional fiduciary bills its hourly rate. No published source is cited here for what a reasonable fee works out to on an estate of a given size.
Arizona thresholds and deadlines
| Item | Arizona |
|---|---|
| Small-estate threshold | Effective September 26, 2025 (HB 2116), the small-estate affidavit limits under A.R.S. §14-3971 are $200,000 for personal property, collectible by affidavit thirty days after death under §14-3971(B), and $300,000 for the decedent's interest in real property, by affidavit of succession not sooner than six months after death under §14-3971(E). §14-3971(E) measures that interest from the full cash value shown on the assessment rolls for the year of death, less liens and encumbrances against the real property — not from the owner's equity. The prior limits were $75,000 and $100,000. |
| Creditor claim period | Four months after the first publication of notice to creditors (or 60 days after mailed notice to a known creditor, whichever is later), under A.R.S. §14-3801 and §14-3803. |
| Statutory floor (creditor period) | Four months after the first publication of notice to creditors (or 60 days after mailed notice to a known creditor, whichever is later), under A.R.S. §14-3801 and §14-3803. |
| Simplified real-property transfer | The decedent's interest in real property of $300,000 or less can transfer outside formal probate by affidavit of succession under A.R.S. §14-3971(E), filed not sooner than six months after death. The $300,000 is measured on the full cash value shown on the assessment rolls for the year of death, less liens and encumbrances against the real property. |
| Transfer-on-death deed | Arizona allows a beneficiary deed (its form of transfer-on-death deed) for real estate under A.R.S. §33-405. The owner records a deed naming a grantee beneficiary before death; the owner keeps full control and can revoke it any time, and the property passes to the beneficiary at death outside probate. |
What passes outside Arizona 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 — Arizona allows a beneficiary deed (its form of transfer-on-death deed) for real estate under A.R.S. §33-405. The owner records a deed naming a grantee beneficiary before death; the owner keeps full control and can revoke it any time, and the property passes to the beneficiary at death outside probate.
- Assets titled into a funded living trust.
Sources for this sheet
- Statutes: A.R.S. §14-3719; A.R.S. §14-3720; A.R.S. §14-3721; A.R.S. §14-3971; A.R.S. §14-3801; A.R.S. §14-3803; A.R.S. §33-405
- State authority: Arizona Revised Statutes, Title 14 (Arizona State Legislature)
- Executor fees: https://www.azleg.gov/ars/14/03719.htm
- Small-estate procedure: https://www.azleg.gov/ars/14/03971.htm
- Creditor claim period: https://www.azleg.gov/ars/14/03801.htm
- Transfer-on-death deed: https://www.azleg.gov/ars/33/00405.htm
- Court filing fees: https://www.azleg.gov/ars/12/00284.htm
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 Arizona court before relying on it.
The full Arizona guides
- How Much Does Probate Cost in Arizona? — the full cost breakdown.
- How Much Does an Executor Get Paid in Arizona? — the fee rule in detail.
- How Long Does Probate Take in Arizona? — the timeline and its statutory floor.
- Executor Deadlines in Arizona — inventory deadline, creditor-claim period and outer bar, each quoted from the statute.
- How to Avoid Probate in Arizona — the transfers that pass outside it.
- How Much Does a Will Cost in Arizona? — execution requirements and pricing.
Fee sheets for other states
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This sheet sets out Arizona 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 Arizona courts or a licensed Arizona attorney.