Publication
Newspaper pricing is commercial rather than a statewide fee.
Hawaii court costs
Hawaii probate filing cost: $150
HRS § 607-5, the circuit-court cost schedule, imposes two mandatory charges on a probate filing. Item (c)(14) fixes the fee for "Probate, administration, domiciliary foreign personal representative, or ancillary administration"; item (c)(32) adds a separate administrative cost levied on "all civil filings except those brought by the State or any of the various counties or political subdivisions of the State". A circuit-court probate filing is a civil filing, so both apply. The two statutory components combine to an opening total of $150, itemized in the fee schedule below, and each component is pinned to its own primary-source assertion. The § 607-5 preamble excludes small estates whose amount is fixed by another statute; items (14) and (32) themselves fix these charges.
$150 is the amount the statute states. Sources reviewed August 9, 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.
Opening a decedent's estate (probate/administration) in Circuit Court
| Charge | $25,000 estate | $100,000 estate | $400,000 estate | $1,000,000 estate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Probate/administration filing fee (HRS § 607-5(c)(14)) | $100 | $100 | $100 | $100 |
| Administrative cost on all civil filings (HRS § 607-5(c)(32)) | $50 | $50 | $50 | $50 |
| Total from this schedule | $150 | $150 | $150 | $150 |
Not included in this total
- Certified copies
- Publication of notice to creditors
- Later account and distribution fees
The $150 total is the sum of the two mandatory § 607-5 components ((c)(14) $100 + (c)(32) $50); it does not include per-copy, publication, or later-filing charges.
Source: Haw. Rev. Stat. § 607-5(c)(14), Hawaii State Legislature. Edition/currentness: am L 2025, c 298, §23. Verified September 15, 2026.
What the $150 is made of
Hawaii’s $150 figure is not a single line. It is the sum of the separate charges below, each set by its own part of the Hawaii fee provision. Every one is a permanent, statewide charge on opening this kind of case, which is why they combine into one number a filer can check rather than take on trust.
- $100Probate, administration or ancillary administration, item (c)(14)
- $50Administrative cost on all civil filings, item (c)(32)
Added together, these come to $150 — the figure this page headlines. If any component changed in the source, the sum would no longer match, and the build withholds the total rather than publishing a number whose parts no longer add up.
Charges the $150 figure leaves out
These amounts appear in or beside the same Hawaii schedule, so a reader can easily mistake one for part of the fee. Each is held out of the figure above for the specific reason given, which is the difference between an honest total and an inflated one.
A fee for a different filing
- Family court and mechanic's-lien proceedings, items (20) and (29)
- the $15 items are a residual family-court proceeding and a mechanic's-lien filing, both different proceedings.
- Demand for jury trial, item (21)
- the $200 is the jury-trial demand fee, a different proceeding.
- Search of records and exemplification, items (24) and (27)
- the $2 items are a record search and an exemplification, distinct clerk services, not the filing fee.
- Certification of copy under seal, item (26)
- the $1 is a per-document certification service, not the filing fee.
- Notice of completion and other-paper filings, items (28) and (30)
- the $3 items are a notice-of-completion filing and a miscellaneous paper filing, different proceedings.
- Matrimonial, adoption and parent-child determinations, items (15), (16) and (19)
- three separate $100 family-court filings (matrimonial action, adoption, and determination of parent-child relationship), each a different proceeding from the decedent-estate probate.
- Filing of notice of appeal, item (23)
- the $100 is the fee for filing a notice of appeal, a different proceeding from the probate filing.
- Remand to district court on jury demand, item (22)
- the second $50 is the fee to remand a case to district court when a jury trial is waived, a different proceeding from the administrative-cost fee counted under item (32).
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
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.
Hawaii filing-cost map
Separate the Hawaii filing charge from the estate budget
The Hawaii 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 Hawaii answer | Carry into the case |
|---|---|---|
| What route is being screened? | Collection of personal property by affidavit (HRS § 560:3-1201) | Confirm that the will, prior appointment, family facts, and asset titles fit this route. |
| What property and basis count? | personal probate property only; gross value for this route. | Keep real property, liens, beneficiary transfers, and survivorship transfers classified separately. |
| What is the amount screen? | $100,000 | Use the counted property, not a bank-balance shortcut. |
| What is the time or deadline record? | No universal waiting period stated; Hawaii runs multiple independently-triggered claim deadlines that cannot honestly collapse into one number: a four-month bar running from first publication of the notice to creditors (§ 560:3-801(a), published once a week for two successive weeks); a sixty-day actual-notice period for creditors served written notice (§ 560:3-801(b)); and an outer nonclaim bar of eighteen months after death where no notice to creditors has been published or served (§ 560:3-803(a)(2)). Publishing a single figure would mislead. | Keep the event that starts each clock with the date; do not combine separate periods into one number. |
| What does the cost record establish? | $150 is the recorded statewide amount. | Ask the Circuit Court about local surcharges, copies, publication, bond, and later filings. |
| What does compensation use? | HRS § 560:3-719 entitles a personal representative to "reasonable compensation for the personal representative's services." There is no statutory percentage schedule. A will may fix compensation, but the personal representative may renounce that provision before qualifying and take reasonable compensation instead. 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 Hawaii cost record can answer
Opening a decedent's estate (probate/administration) in Circuit Court
Basis: estate-value. Status: operative. The $150 total is the sum of the two mandatory § 607-5 components ((c)(14) $100 + (c)(32) $50); it does not include per-copy, publication, or later-filing charges.
- Probate/administration filing fee (HRS § 607-5(c)(14)) $100
- Administrative cost on all civil filings (HRS § 607-5(c)(32)) $50
Case-file context
Keep the Hawaii 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 Hawaii 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
Hawaii is a Uniform Probate Code state. Personal property of a decedent whose gross Hawaii estate does not exceed $100,000 can be collected by affidavit under HRS § 560:3-1201, presented with a death certificate and with no statutory waiting period. Probate proceedings are filed in the Circuit Court, where the statewide opening fee is $150 under HRS § 607-5 (the (c)(14) probate fee of $100 plus the (c)(32) civil-filing administrative cost of $50). Personal representatives receive reasonable compensation under § 560:3-719.
Hawaii allows collection of a decedent's personal property by affidavit under HRS § 560:3-1201 when "the gross value of the decedent's estate in this State does not exceed $100,000" and no application or petition for appointment of a personal representative is pending or has been granted in Hawaii. The affidavit is presented with a death certificate; the statute states no waiting period, and motor vehicles registered to the decedent may transfer regardless of value.
Compensation context
HRS § 560:3-719 entitles a personal representative to "reasonable compensation for the personal representative's services." There is no statutory percentage schedule. A will may fix compensation, but the personal representative may renounce that provision before qualifying and take reasonable compensation instead.
HRS § 560:3-719 entitles a personal representative to "reasonable compensation for the personal representative's services." There is no statutory percentage schedule. A will may fix compensation, but the personal representative may renounce that provision before qualifying and take reasonable compensation instead. The relevant base is the estate accounting.
Deadline context
Hawaii runs multiple independently-triggered claim deadlines that cannot honestly collapse into one number: a four-month bar running from first publication of the notice to creditors (§ 560:3-801(a), published once a week for two successive weeks); a sixty-day actual-notice period for creditors served written notice (§ 560:3-801(b)); and an outer nonclaim bar of eighteen months after death where no notice to creditors has been published or served (§ 560:3-803(a)(2)). Publishing a single figure would mislead.
Court-material note: Probate in Hawaii is handled by the Circuit Court of each judicial circuit. The Judiciary publishes statewide court forms and self-help resources. The $150 probate opening fee is fixed statewide by HRS § 607-5 — item (c)(14) ($100) plus the item (c)(32) administrative cost on all civil filings ($50); the § 560:3-1201 affidavit is a private demand instrument presented with a death certificate, not a court filing.
Arithmetic illustration
See the Hawaii amount screen without mistaking it for a result
The recorded Hawaii ceiling is $100,000, and it is tested against personal probate property only, on a basis this site records as gross value for this route. Counted that way, $75,000 sits below the Hawaii figure and $125,000 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 Hawaii counts and how it values it are decided before the comparison is made.
| Illustrative counted amount | Comparison to the Hawaii ceiling | What it does not decide |
|---|---|---|
| $75,000 | Below $100,000 | Title, liens, waiting period, appointment, or creditor duties |
| $125,000 | Above $100,000 | 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
- Hawaii State Judiciary — Self-HelpHawaii State Judiciary
- Hawaii State Judiciary — Court FormsHawaii State Judiciary
- Hawaii State Judiciary — Access to Justice Rooms / Self-Help CentersHawaii State Judiciary
Probate in Hawaii is handled by the Circuit Court of each judicial circuit. The Judiciary publishes statewide court forms and self-help resources. The $150 probate opening fee is fixed statewide by HRS § 607-5 — item (c)(14) ($100) plus the item (c)(32) administrative cost on all civil filings ($50); the § 560:3-1201 affidavit is a private demand instrument presented with a death certificate, not a court filing.
Source trail
Records used by this Hawaii map
- Haw. Rev. Stat. § 560:3-1201HRS § 560:3-1201 — Collection of personal property by affidavit; reviewed August 9, 2026
- Haw. Rev. Stat. § 560:3-719HRS § 560:3-719 — Compensation of personal representative; reviewed August 9, 2026
- Haw. Rev. Stat. § 607-5(c)(14)HRS § 607-5 — Costs; circuit courts; reviewed August 9, 2026
- Haw. Rev. Stat. § 560:3-801HRS § 560:3-801 — Notice to creditors; reviewed August 9, 2026
- Haw. Rev. Stat. § 560:3-803(a)(2)HRS § 560:3-803 — Limitations on presentation of claims; reviewed August 9, 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.
Haw. Rev. Stat. § 607-5(c)(14) (HRS 607-5(c)(14))
Reviewed source note: (14) Probate, administration, domiciliary foreign personal representative, or ancillary administration, this fee to be paid once only for each decedent's estate ...... $100
What this means: The § 607-5 preamble excludes small estates whose amount is fixed by another statute, but schedule item (14) is itself the statute fixing the $100 probate/administration filing fee. Item (32) separately levies a $50 administrative cost on all civil filings except those brought by the State or its subdivisions; a probate filing is a civil filing, so the mandatory opening total is $150.