Publication
Newspaper pricing is commercial rather than a statewide fee.
Florida court costs
Florida probate filing cost: $344–$399
Summary administration is $230 below $1,000 and $340 at $1,000 or more, and formal administration is $395. Section 28.2401(3) adds a mandatory $4 service charge to each of these petitions.
$344–$399 is the range of statutory totals at a $100,000 estate, because the proceedings below are priced differently. Sources reviewed August 7, 2026. Latest primary-source re-fetch September 15, 2026.
What the statute charges
Every line below is computed from the statutory schedule quoted at the end of this page. These are court charges only. They are not an estimate of the total cost of settling an estate.
Summary administration
Published value bands
These are the fee bands stated in the source. The worked examples below apply them to sample values; they do not replace the published thresholds.
Clerk filing charge, summary administration
| Value band | Published fee |
|---|---|
| Up to $999.99 | $230 |
| More than $999.99 | $340 |
| Charge | $25,000 estate | $100,000 estate | $400,000 estate | $1,000,000 estate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clerk filing charge, summary administration | $340 | $340 | $340 | $340 |
| Statutory service charge, subsection (3) | $4 | $4 | $4 | $4 |
| Total from this schedule | $344 | $344 | $344 | $344 |
Not included in this total
- Certified copies
- Publication of notice
- Recording charges
Section 28.2401 sets the charge the clerk collects for this proceeding. Counties may collect additional statutory service charges.
Source: Fla. Stat. § 28.2401(1), Florida Legislature. Edition/currentness: The 2026 Florida Statutes. Verified September 15, 2026.
Formal administration
| Charge | $25,000 estate | $100,000 estate | $400,000 estate | $1,000,000 estate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clerk filing charge, formal administration | $395 | $395 | $395 | $395 |
| Statutory service charge, subsection (3) | $4 | $4 | $4 | $4 |
| Total from this schedule | $399 | $399 | $399 | $399 |
Not included in this total
- Certified copies
- Publication of notice
- Recording charges
Formal administration is a single stated charge and does not vary with estate value.
Source: Fla. Stat. § 28.2401(1), Florida Legislature. Edition/currentness: The 2026 Florida Statutes. Verified September 15, 2026.
Costs no statute prices
These are the costs executors most often meet after the filing fee. None of them has a statewide statutory amount, so this site does not estimate them.
Bond
Premiums depend on the bond amount, the estate, and the applicant.
Copies and local charges
Certified copies, recording, inventory, accounting, and county surcharges are billed separately.
Professional fees
Attorney, accountant, and appraiser fees are negotiated or court-reviewed.
State-specific limits
- The $150,000 limit comes from Chapter 2026-57, section 7, Laws of Florida, effective July 1, 2026. The Legislature's codified page for section 735.201 now carries that figure in the 2026 edition, so the codified statute and the session law agree.
- Section 735.201(1) adds a condition this screen does not evaluate: in a testate estate the will must not direct administration as required by chapter 733. A will can therefore rule out summary administration regardless of value.
- Exempt property is excluded from the threshold, and this tool does not value exempt property, so a result near the limit is provisional.
- The two-year route is separate from the $150,000 route.
- The clerk charges are maximums the statute permits, and a court may increase them in an individual matter on a showing of extraordinary circumstances.
Use this as a starting point.
This is general information, not legal, tax, or financial advice, and it does not create an attorney-client relationship. Probate law varies by state and county and changes over time. Verify the current rule with the court or a licensed attorney in the relevant state.
How to verify the amount for this case
Name the proceeding before asking for a total. A small-estate affidavit, an application for letters, formal administration, a later inventory or account, and a certified copy can each carry a different charge. Asking only “what does probate cost?” invites an answer for the wrong filing.
- Identify the county where the proceeding will be filed.
- Identify the exact route or petition you expect to use.
- State the value basis the schedule uses; it is not always the gross estate value.
- Ask the clerk to separate the opening fee, mandatory surcharges, copies, publication, bond, and later filings.
- Record the schedule date or rule cited.
- Record whether payment is due at filing.
Keep that clerk quote with the estate record and compare it with the itemised statutory lines above. For the broader budget, use the probate cost-line guide; court filing is only one category.
Florida filing-cost map
Separate the Florida filing charge from the estate budget
The Florida filing record prices a proceeding, not every cost of settling an estate. This map connects the published amount or schedule to its value basis and identifies the local items that still need a clerk or court schedule.
| Question | Recorded Florida answer | Carry into the case |
|---|---|---|
| What route is being screened? | Summary administration | Confirm that the will, prior appointment, family facts, and asset titles fit this route. |
| What property and basis count? | probate property within the rule's stated scope; gross value with statutory exemptions not classified by this worksheet. | Keep real property, liens, beneficiary transfers, and survivorship transfers classified separately. |
| What is the amount screen? | $150,000 | Use the counted property, not a bank-balance shortcut. |
| What is the time or deadline record? | No universal waiting period stated; No deadline is recorded here: The creditor-notice and claim-bar deadlines have not been verified to this site's primary-source standard, so no number is published. | Keep the event that starts each clock with the date; do not combine separate periods into one number. |
| What does the cost record establish? | 2 published schedules; the proceeding and value basis control the total. | Ask the Circuit Court about local surcharges, copies, publication, bond, and later filings. |
| What does compensation use? | Florida presumes a percentage schedule is reasonable. The base is the compensable value of the estate, meaning the inventory value of the probate assets plus income the estate earned during administration, so it is not the same as the gross probate estate. A court may adjust compensation, and extraordinary services are paid separately. The relevant base is the estate accounting. | Keep the will, task log, receipts, and accounting base together; extraordinary work is separate. |
Filing record
What the Florida cost record can answer
Summary administration
Basis: estate-value. Status: operative. Section 28.2401 sets the charge the clerk collects for this proceeding. Counties may collect additional statutory service charges.
- Clerk filing charge, summary administration 2 value bands
- Statutory service charge, subsection (3) $4
Formal administration
Basis: estate-value. Status: operative. Formal administration is a single stated charge and does not vary with estate value.
- Clerk filing charge, formal administration $395
- Statutory service charge, subsection (3) $4
Case-file context
Keep the Florida answer with its neighboring conditions
A route answer is easier to use when the facts that can change it stay in the same record. These are the reviewed Florida descriptions adjacent to this page\'s main question; they are not a substitute for the source quotations or the receiving court\'s instructions.
Route context
Florida uses summary administration for qualifying estates. The route can depend on both estate value and how long ago the person died.
The probate estate, after exempt property, may qualify at $150,000 or less. An estate may also qualify regardless of value when the decedent has been dead for more than two years.
Compensation context
Florida presumes a percentage schedule is reasonable. The base is the compensable value of the estate, meaning the inventory value of the probate assets plus income the estate earned during administration, so it is not the same as the gross probate estate. A court may adjust compensation, and extraordinary services are paid separately.
Florida presumes a percentage schedule is reasonable. The base is the compensable value of the estate, meaning the inventory value of the probate assets plus income the estate earned during administration, so it is not the same as the gross probate estate. A court may adjust compensation, and extraordinary services are paid separately. The relevant base is the estate accounting.
Deadline context
No deadline is recorded here: The creditor-notice and claim-bar deadlines have not been verified to this site's primary-source standard, so no number is published.
- The $150,000 limit comes from Chapter 2026-57, section 7, Laws of Florida, effective July 1, 2026. The Legislature's codified page for section 735.201 now carries that figure in the 2026 edition, so the codified statute and the session law agree.
- Section 735.201(1) adds a condition this screen does not evaluate: in a testate estate the will must not direct administration as required by chapter 733. A will can therefore rule out summary administration regardless of value.
- Exempt property is excluded from the threshold, and this tool does not value exempt property, so a result near the limit is provisional.
- The two-year route is separate from the $150,000 route.
- The clerk charges are maximums the statute permits, and a court may increase them in an individual matter on a showing of extraordinary circumstances.
Court-material note: Florida publishes no statewide summary-administration form. The petition is prepared for the circuit court in the county where the decedent lived, and requirements differ by circuit. The statewide court system publishes one probate page; county clerk sites carry the operative local instructions.
Arithmetic illustration
See the Florida amount screen without mistaking it for a result
The recorded Florida ceiling is $150,000, and it is tested against probate property within the rule's stated scope, on a basis this site records as gross value with statutory exemptions not classified by this worksheet. Counted that way, $112,500 sits below the Florida figure and $187,500 sits above it. Both are comparisons to a published number rather than legal outcomes: two estates holding the same total can land on opposite sides of this line, because what Florida counts and how it values it are decided before the comparison is made.
| Illustrative counted amount | Comparison to the Florida ceiling | What it does not decide |
|---|---|---|
| $112,500 | Below $150,000 | Title, liens, waiting period, appointment, or creditor duties |
| $187,500 | Above $150,000 | Whether another statutory route or court process applies |
Next evidence to collect
Name the proceeding and ask for mandatory surcharges, copies, publication, and later filings separately.
- Record the date of death, the county, and the exact proceeding or affidavit being considered.
- Classify each asset by title, beneficiary, trust, real-property status, and the value basis shown above.
- Open the official court material below and keep its form or schedule with the estate record.
- Do not distribute property until the route, creditor position, and required approvals are resolved.
Official material
- Florida Courts probate resource pageFlorida State Courts System
Florida publishes no statewide summary-administration form. The petition is prepared for the circuit court in the county where the decedent lived, and requirements differ by circuit.
The statewide court system publishes one probate page; county clerk sites carry the operative local instructions.
Source trail
Records used by this Florida map
- Fla. Stat. § 735.201Florida Statutes, Summary Administration; reviewed August 7, 2026
- Ch. 2026-57, § 7, Laws of Fla. (amending Fla. Stat. § 735.201(2))Chapter 2026-57, Laws of Florida (CS/HB 1337, enrolled), amending the summary administration limit; reviewed August 7, 2026
- Fla. Stat. § 28.2401(1)Florida Statutes, Probate Filing Charges; reviewed August 7, 2026
- Fla. Stat. § 733.617Florida Statutes, Personal Representative Compensation; reviewed August 7, 2026
Filing-cost source
Each legal input links to the government source reviewed for this page. Source text can change; confirm the current rule before acting.
Fla. Stat. § 28.2401(1) (F.S. 28.2401(1))
Reviewed source note: (e) Fee for summary administration - estates valued at $1,000 or more .......... $340 (f) Fee for summary administration - estates valued at less than $1,000 .......... $230 (g) Fee for formal administration, guardianship, ancillary, curatorship, or conservatorship proceedings .......... $395