The Estate Planning Guide Est. 2026

Pennsylvania Probate Fee Sheet (Printable)

By The Estate Planning Guide Editorial Team Researched against primary sources

Published August 15, 2026 Updated September 23, 2026 6 min read

Quick answer

Pennsylvania does not set probate fees by statute. Attorney and executor fees must be 'reasonable,' and Orphans' Court judges commonly measure 'reasonable' against the Johnson Estate schedule, a graduated table from a 1983 Orphans' Court opinion; we have not read that opinion, so its percentages are not reproduced here. We found no published source for what probate costs in total in Pennsylvania as of September 2026; the ranges that are published come from law firms and from sites paid to refer customers to them. The bigger cost driver is usually Pennsylvania's inheritance tax, which is due 9 months after death with a 5% discount if paid within 3 months. Pennsylvania's inheritance tax rate turns on the beneficiary's relationship, not on the size of the estate, and there is no general dollar exemption: 0% to a surviving spouse for deaths on or after January 1, 1995 (72 P.S. §9116(a)(1.1)(ii)); 0% on a transfer from a child aged 21 or younger to a natural, adoptive or stepparent (§9116(a)(1.2)); 4.5% to lineal beneficiaries — grandparents, parents, lineal descendants and the spouse of a child (§9116(a)(1)); 12% to a sibling, meaning someone with at least one parent in common by blood or adoption (§9116(a)(1.3), §9102); and 15% to everyone else. Section 9111 exempts qualifying family farmland and small family-owned businesses on continuing conditions, which still have to be reported on a timely return.

⚠️ Educational information only — not legal, tax, or financial advice.

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 Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania reference. Every figure below is compiled from the statutes and state authorities listed at the bottom — the same sources cited on our Pennsylvania probate pages.

Pennsylvania probate fees

Item Pennsylvania
Court filing fee Set by each county Register of Wills and tiered by estate value. The opening fee, the charge per short certificate and the charges for certified copies and will filings are each set by the county Register of Wills on its own published schedule; we found no statewide figure as of September 2026. Larger estates and urban counties (Philadelphia, Allegheny) sit at the higher end.
Attorney fees Pennsylvania does not set attorney fees by statute; fees must be 'reasonable' under the circumstances, and there is no mandatory schedule. The graduated percentage schedule attached to Johnson Estate, 4 Fid. Rep. 2d 6 (O.C. Del. 1983) is commonly referred to as a benchmark; we have not read that opinion, so its percentages are not reproduced here, and no source was read for how often courts apply it. Attorneys may also charge flat fees or hourly rates.
Executor / personal representative fees Pennsylvania sets no percentage schedule for executor compensation by statute. Compensation is governed by 20 Pa. C.S. §3537, which applies a reasonableness standard rather than a table. The section’s text was NOT read at the primary source for this page — the Pennsylvania General Assembly’s statute site returns HTTP 403 from the environment this page was checked in — so §3537 is not quoted here; the wording previously shown in quotation marks came from a law firm’s article rather than from the statute. The Johnson Estate schedule (4 Fid. Rep. 2d 6, Pa. O.C. 1983), a graduated table from a 1983 Orphans’ Court opinion, is commonly cited as a benchmark; we have not read that opinion, so its figures are not reproduced here.
Fee basis reasonable (customary schedule)
Appraisal / referee Pennsylvania does not use a state-appointed probate referee or appraiser. The personal representative values assets (typically using date-of-death appraisals for real estate and unique personal property), and those values are reported on the inheritance tax return (REV-1500), which the PA Department of Revenue reviews.

Worked example

Pennsylvania sets no binding statutory schedule for an executor's commission; the amount must be "reasonable" under 20 Pa.C.S. §3537 and depends on the work involved, and it can be challenged by beneficiaries. The Johnson Estate schedule is commonly referred to as a benchmark, but we have not read the 1983 opinion, so its percentages are not applied here.

Pennsylvania thresholds and deadlines

Item Pennsylvania
Small-estate threshold No Pennsylvania figure is stated in this field. The governing provision is §3101, §3102,. 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 Pennsylvania 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 pa-small-estate-note, so it cannot return to any page without failing the build.
Creditor claim period Pennsylvania sets no date on which a creditor's claim is extinguished — it has no nonclaim bar. Under 20 Pa.C.S. §3532(a), one year from the first complete advertisement of the grant of letters (advertised under §3162) is the point after which the personal representative may distribute without being at risk for a claim not then known, and under §3532(b)(1) a claimant generally has no claim against distributed personal property unless the claim was known to the personal representative within that year, or after it but before the distribution. Under §3532(b.1) the personal representative may demand written notice of a claim within 60 days from the mailing or delivery of the demand or within one year from the first complete advertisement, whichever is later, and a person who does not respond loses the rights that subsection gives. Section 3384 is a different rule: written notice of a claim given to the personal representative or the attorney of record before the claim is barred tolls the statute of limitations. It does not set the one-year period.
Statutory floor (creditor period) Pennsylvania sets no date on which a creditor's claim is extinguished — it has no nonclaim bar. Under 20 Pa.C.S. §3532(a), one year from the first complete advertisement of the grant of letters (advertised under §3162) is the point after which the personal representative may distribute without being at risk for a claim not then known, and under §3532(b)(1) a claimant generally has no claim against distributed personal property unless the claim was known to the personal representative within that year, or after it but before the distribution. Under §3532(b.1) the personal representative may demand written notice of a claim within 60 days from the mailing or delivery of the demand or within one year from the first complete advertisement, whichever is later, and a person who does not respond loses the rights that subsection gives. Section 3384 is a different rule: written notice of a claim given to the personal representative or the attorney of record before the claim is barred tolls the statute of limitations. It does not set the one-year period.
Transfer-on-death deed Pennsylvania does NOT have a statutory transfer-on-death deed for real estate. PA residents who want to pass real estate outside probate typically use a revocable living trust or joint ownership.
Note on the creditor-claim clock. The period above does not start on the same event in every state — depending on the statute it can run from the date of death, from the date letters are issued to the personal representative, or from first publication of notice. The Pennsylvania trigger is stated in the row above, as written in the statute.

What passes outside Pennsylvania 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 — Pennsylvania does NOT have a statutory transfer-on-death deed for real estate. PA residents who want to pass real estate outside probate typically use a revocable living trust or joint ownership.
  • Assets titled into a funded living trust.

Sources for this sheet

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 Pennsylvania court before relying on it.

The full Pennsylvania guides

Fee sheets for other states

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This sheet sets out Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania courts or a licensed Pennsylvania attorney.

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