Simplified route
$40,000
Settlement of small estates (affidavit in lieu of administration); usable 30 days after a copy of the affidavit is sent to the Department of Administrative Services.
Eligibility and caveatsConnecticut estate administration
Connecticut probate: rules, process, costs, executor fees and deadlines
Small-estate limit: $40,000
In Connecticut, estates up to $40,000 can use the small-estate route and executor pay is whatever the court finds reasonable (Conn. Probate Court Rules of Procedure, Rule 39). Connecticut settles decedents' estates in the Court of Probate. Small estates up to $40,000 in solely owned personal property use an affidavit (§ 45a-273). Probate fees follow the statewide graduated § 45a-107 schedule (min $25/$150, max $40,000). Fiduciary compensation is 'reasonable' under Probate Court Rule 39; there is no statutory percentage schedule.
Sources reviewed August 9, 2026. Sources rechecked October 3, 2026. This page last revised .
Answer first
Connecticut simplified probate route
Up to $40,000; usable 30 days after a copy of the affidavit is sent to the Department of Administrative Services. Source: C.G.S. § 45a-273.
Settlement of small estates (affidavit in lieu of administration)No combined Connecticut probate total
The Probate Court filing charge is statewide: priced by estate value (C.G.S. § 45a-107). Executor pay is reasonable compensation (Conn. Probate Court Rules of Procedure, Rule 39), not a rate. Each side in full: Connecticut probate filing cost and Connecticut executor fees.
Screen a specific Connecticut estate with the calculators on the small-estate page and the executor-fee page, or compare states in the full estate navigator.
What the reviewed rules establish
Court cost
Tiered
1 published schedule, itemised on the filing-cost page.
Filing-cost detailExecutor compensation
Court-reviewed
No percentage schedule; the court decides what is reasonable. Source: Conn. Probate Court Rules of Procedure, Rule 39.
Compensation detailCreditor deadline
Not published
Timeline and creditor detailsStatutes read in full for Connecticut
Read on the enacting state’s own site, with the date each was read.
| Citation | What reading it established | Read on |
|---|---|---|
| C.G.S. § 45a-273 | Connecticut’s small-estate clock starts at the Probate Court, not at the death — creditor deadline note | 2026-10-03 |
Connecticut decision map
The four facts that change the Connecticut route
Each Connecticut answer below links to the page that sets out its source.
| Question | Recorded Connecticut answer |
|---|---|
| What route is being screened? | Settlement of small estates (affidavit in lieu of administration) |
| What property and basis count? | personal probate property only; gross value for this route. |
| What is the amount screen? | $40,000 |
| What is the time or deadline record? | 30 days after a copy of the affidavit is sent to the Department of Administrative Services; creditor deadlines: not published here |
| What does the cost record establish? | 1 published schedule; the proceeding and value basis control the total. |
| What does compensation use? | Reasonable compensation set by the court, measured on the estate accounting. |
Limits and unresolved costs
- The decedent must also have left no real property in Connecticut in their sole name.
- Connecticut's probate fee under § 45a-107 is each band's base amount plus a stated percentage of the value above the band's floor. Using the base amount alone as a flat fee would understate the fee for larger estates.
- Connecticut's statutes set no percentage for executor or administrator pay; Probate Court Rule 39 governs fiduciary fees, which must be reasonable. The court publishes its rules as a scanned PDF, so the rule's full text is not quoted here; read Rule 39 there or ask the probate court.
Continue
What Connecticut courts publish
Each link goes to the court’s own page and is checked before every release.
- Official formPC-212 Affidavit in Lieu of Administration or Probate of Will (Small Estate) (PDF)Connecticut Probate Court
- Fee scheduleFees, Expenses & CalculatorsConnecticut Probate Court
- Court resourceConnecticut Probate CourtsConnecticut Probate Court
Limits on court material
- Connecticut probate is heard in the Court of Probate (Probate Court). Form PC-212 is the statewide small-estate affidavit; the ctprobate.gov Fees & Calculators page implements the § 45a-107 schedule.
Connecticut primary sources
Each rule on the Connecticut pages comes from one of these 3 sources; the citation opens the publisher’s own text. All were last rechecked October 3, 2026.
Simplified-procedure rule
C.G.S. § 45a-273, C.G.S. Chapter 802b, Sec. 45a-273 Settlement of small estates.
Court cost rule
C.G.S. § 45a-107, C.G.S. Chapter 801b, Sec. 45a-107 Fees and expenses for settlement of decedent's estate.
Executor compensation rule
Conn. Probate Court Rules of Procedure, Rule 39, Connecticut Probate Court Rules of Procedure, Rule 39 Fiduciary and Attorney's Fees.
- Connecticut’s probate code sets no percentage schedule for an executor or administrator. On the fiduciary’s motion, the Probate Court may approve a proposed fee arrangement for the fiduciary or the fiduciary’s attorney before the work is done, or a proposed fee for work already done.
Sources rechecked October 3, 2026: Connecticut source list · how sources are checked · report a correction