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 Iowa 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 Iowa reference. Every figure below is compiled from the statutes and state authorities listed at the bottom — the same sources cited on our Iowa probate pages.
Iowa probate fees
| Item | Iowa |
|---|---|
| Court filing fee | Iowa charges clerk's filing costs and, separately, court costs tied to the size of the estate. No published schedule for either is cited here. |
| Attorney fees | Iowa Code §633.198 allows the personal representative's attorney, as part of the costs of administration, "such reasonable fee as may be determined by the court, for services rendered, but not in excess of the schedule of fees provided in this part for personal representatives" — so the §633.197 schedule is the ceiling for both. On the first $5,000 that schedule comes to $220 (6% of the first $1,000 = $60, plus 4% of the next $4,000 = $160), and 2% applies above $5,000. Last amended 2021 Acts, ch. 80, §361. |
| Executor / personal representative fees | Iowa Code §633.197 allows a personal representative such reasonable fees as the court determines, but not in excess of 6% of the first $1,000, 4% of the overplus between $1,000 and $5,000, and 2% of all sums over $5,000. The base is "the gross assets of the estate listed in the probate inventory", and §633.197(2) excludes life insurance proceeds from those gross assets unless payable to the decedent's estate. Last amended 2013 Acts, ch. 30, §190. |
| Fee basis | statutory |
| Appraisal / referee | Not used. Iowa does not appoint a state appraiser. The executor files a probate inventory and may hire appraisers for assets that need valuation. |
Worked example
On a $500,000 Iowa estate the ceiling in the Iowa Code §633.197 schedule is $10,120: 6% of the first $1,000 = $60, plus 4% of the overplus to $5,000 = $160, plus 2% of the remaining $495,000 = $9,900. Iowa Code §633.198 caps the estate attorney at that same §633.197 schedule separately, so the two ceilings together come to $20,240. Each is a ceiling on a fee the court determines, not an entitlement.
Iowa thresholds and deadlines
| Item | Iowa |
|---|---|
| Small-estate threshold | Iowa Code §635.1 measures its threshold on "the gross value of the probate assets of a decedent subject to the jurisdiction of this state" and sets it at two hundred thousand dollars, above which the simplified administration of chapter 635 is unavailable. Separately, §633.356 allows distribution by affidavit where the gross value of the decedent's personal property that would otherwise be distributed by will or intestate succession is fifty thousand dollars or less, there is no real property, and forty days have elapsed since the death. |
| Creditor claim period | Claims are barred unless filed within the later of four months after the second publication of the notice to creditors or one month after mailed notice to a known creditor, under Iowa Code §633.410. |
| Statutory floor (creditor period) | Claims are barred unless filed within the later of four months after the second publication of the notice to creditors or one month after mailed notice to a known creditor, under Iowa Code §633.410. |
| Transfer-on-death deed | No transfer-on-death deed statute for real property was found in the Iowa Code, and no source publishing one is cited here. The Iowa Code could not be read at the primary source for this page: legis.iowa.gov serves code sections only as PDF (per-section, at /docs/code/<chapter>.<section>.pdf) and the environment this page was checked in has no PDF text extractor or renderer. The claim previously made here that the legislature has "never passed one" despite repeated bills is a claim about legislative history whose only source was a content-farm page, and it has been removed rather than restated. |
What passes outside Iowa 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 — No transfer-on-death deed statute for real property was found in the Iowa Code, and no source publishing one is cited here. The Iowa Code could not be read at the primary source for this page: legis.iowa.gov serves code sections only as PDF (per-section, at /docs/code/<chapter>.<section>.pdf) and the environment this page was checked in has no PDF text extractor or renderer. The claim previously made here that the legislature has "never passed one" despite repeated bills is a claim about legislative history whose only source was a content-farm page, and it has been removed rather than restated.
- Assets titled into a funded living trust.
Sources for this sheet
- Statutes: Iowa Code §633.197; Iowa Code §633.198; Iowa Code §633.356; Iowa Code §633.410; Iowa Code Ch. 635
- State authority: Iowa Legislature (Iowa Probate Code, Chapter 633)
- Attorney fees: https://www.legis.iowa.gov/docs/code/633.197.pdf
- Creditor claim period: https://www.legis.iowa.gov/docs/code/633.410.pdf
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 Iowa court before relying on it.
The full Iowa guides
- How Much Does Probate Cost in Iowa? — the full cost breakdown.
- How Much Does an Executor Get Paid in Iowa? — the fee rule in detail.
- How Long Does Probate Take in Iowa? — the timeline and its statutory floor.
- Executor Deadlines in Iowa — inventory deadline, creditor-claim period and outer bar, each quoted from the statute.
- How to Avoid Probate in Iowa — the transfers that pass outside it.
- How Much Does a Will Cost in Iowa? — execution requirements and pricing.
Fee sheets for other states
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This sheet sets out Iowa 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 Iowa courts or a licensed Iowa attorney.