Publication
Newspaper pricing is commercial rather than a statewide fee.
Iowa court costs
Iowa probate filing cost: $200
Iowa levies a statewide statutory probate court cost equal to two-tenths of one percent (0.2%) of the value of the probate assets listed in the report and inventory (Iowa Code 633.31(3)(a)), applied to estates administered under chapter 633 or chapter 635. Costs are not charged on non-probate assets (joint-tenancy property, lifetime transfers, life insurance/annuities/IRAs/retirement/TOD/POD payable to non-estate beneficiaries, and out-of-state real estate). Fixed clerk charges also apply (e.g., $15 probate of will without administration).
$200 is the statutory total at a $100,000 estate. 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.
Court costs in a decedent's estate (ch. 633 or ch. 635)
| Charge | $25,000 estate | $100,000 estate | $400,000 estate | $1,000,000 estate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Probate court costs | $50 | $200 | $800 | $2,000 |
| Total from this schedule | $50 | $200 | $800 | $2,000 |
Two-tenths of one percent (0.2%) of the value of the probate assets listed in the report and inventory (Iowa Code 633.31(3)(a)); excludes joint-tenancy property, lifetime transfers, non-estate-payable life insurance/annuities/IRAs/retirement/TOD/POD accounts, and real estate not located in Iowa. A remainder greater than half a unit is charged as a whole unit, which is how the statute’s “major fraction thereof” is applied here.
Not included in this total
- Publication, certified copies, bond premiums, and the separate fixed clerk charges listed in 633.31(2)
The 0.2% cost is assessed on probate assets in the report and inventory only; non-probate assets are expressly excluded by 633.31(3)(b).
Source: Iowa Code 633.31(3)(a) (2026), Iowa Legislature (Legislative Services Agency). Edition/currentness: Iowa Code 2026, Section 633.31. 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
- 633.31(3)(a) is a percentage of probate-inventory value, so the app must treat the Iowa filing/court cost as value-dependent (tiered/per-value), never as a flat fee.
- The 633.197 commission base is gross probate-inventory assets excluding non-estate-payable life insurance; do not apply the schedule to a net or all-asset figure.
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.
Iowa filing-cost map
Separate the Iowa filing charge from the estate budget
The Iowa 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 Iowa answer | Carry into the case |
|---|---|---|
| What route is being screened? | Administration of small estates (Iowa Code ch. 635) | 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 for this route. | Keep real property, liens, beneficiary transfers, and survivorship transfers classified separately. |
| What is the amount screen? | $200,000 | Use the counted property, not a bank-balance shortcut. |
| What is the time or deadline record? | No waiting-period number verified; Iowa's general nonclaim bar (Iowa Code 633.410(1)) runs to the later of two separately-triggered deadlines: four months after the date of the second publication of the notice to creditors, or one month after service of notice by ordinary mail to a reasonably ascertainable claimant. Medical-assistance (Medicaid estate-recovery) claims have a separate six-month bar from electronic notice (633.410(2)). Because the operative bar is the later of two triggers and cannot be reduced to one honest day count, it is left unknown and the triggers are itemized in deadlineFramework. | Keep the event that starts each clock with the date; do not combine separate periods into one number. |
| What does the cost record establish? | 1 published schedule; the proceeding and value basis control the total. | Ask the District Court (Probate) about local surcharges, copies, publication, bond, and later filings. |
| What does compensation use? | Iowa Code 633.197 sets a real statutory maximum-commission schedule on the gross assets of the estate listed in the probate inventory: 6% of the first $1,000, 4% of the overplus between $1,000 and $5,000, and 2% of all sums over $5,000, received as full compensation for all ordinary services. The court may allow only reasonable fees not in excess of these commissions. Gross assets for this section exclude life insurance proceeds unless payable to the decedent's estate. Extraordinary services may be separately allowed by the court. The relevant base is gross probate property. | Keep the will, task log, receipts, and accounting base together; extraordinary work is separate. |
Filing record
What the Iowa cost record can answer
Court costs in a decedent's estate (ch. 633 or ch. 635)
Basis: estate-value. Status: operative. The 0.2% cost is assessed on probate assets in the report and inventory only; non-probate assets are expressly excluded by 633.31(3)(b).
- Probate court costs per-1 value charge
Case-file context
Keep the Iowa 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 Iowa 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
Iowa administers small estates under chapter 635 when gross probate assets are within the statutory cap, in the District Court. Executor commissions and probate court costs are both fixed by statewide statute as percentages of the estate's gross value.
Iowa Code 635.1 permits small-estate administration when the gross value of the probate assets of a decedent subject to Iowa jurisdiction does not exceed two hundred thousand dollars ($200,000). The clerk issues letters of appointment to the proposed personal representative; chapter 633 applies except as chapter 635 provides. Section 635.7 measures the cap on the gross value of probate assets and auto-converts the estate to full chapter 633 administration if that value exceeds the 635.1 cap. The count is gross probate assets (real and personal), not net of debts.
Compensation context
Iowa Code 633.197 sets a real statutory maximum-commission schedule on the gross assets of the estate listed in the probate inventory: 6% of the first $1,000, 4% of the overplus between $1,000 and $5,000, and 2% of all sums over $5,000, received as full compensation for all ordinary services. The court may allow only reasonable fees not in excess of these commissions. Gross assets for this section exclude life insurance proceeds unless payable to the decedent's estate. Extraordinary services may be separately allowed by the court.
Iowa Code 633.197 sets a real statutory maximum-commission schedule on the gross assets of the estate listed in the probate inventory: 6% of the first $1,000, 4% of the overplus between $1,000 and $5,000, and 2% of all sums over $5,000, received as full compensation for all ordinary services. The court may allow only reasonable fees not in excess of these commissions. Gross assets for this section exclude life insurance proceeds unless payable to the decedent's estate. Extraordinary services may be separately allowed by the court. The relevant base is gross probate property.
Deadline context
Iowa's general nonclaim bar (Iowa Code 633.410(1)) runs to the later of two separately-triggered deadlines: four months after the date of the second publication of the notice to creditors, or one month after service of notice by ordinary mail to a reasonably ascertainable claimant. Medical-assistance (Medicaid estate-recovery) claims have a separate six-month bar from electronic notice (633.410(2)). Because the operative bar is the later of two triggers and cannot be reduced to one honest day count, it is left unknown and the triggers are itemized in deadlineFramework.
- 633.31(3)(a) is a percentage of probate-inventory value, so the app must treat the Iowa filing/court cost as value-dependent (tiered/per-value), never as a flat fee.
- The 633.197 commission base is gross probate-inventory assets excluding non-estate-payable life insurance; do not apply the schedule to a net or all-asset figure.
Court-material note: Iowa probate is handled in the District Court; there is no separate probate court. Iowa court costs are a statewide statutory percentage (0.2%) rather than a county-set flat fee - unusually uniform across the state.
Arithmetic illustration
See the Iowa amount screen without mistaking it for a result
The recorded Iowa ceiling is $200,000, and it is tested against probate property within the rule's stated scope, on a basis this site records as gross value for this route. Counted that way, $150,000 sits below the Iowa figure and $250,000 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 Iowa counts and how it values it are decided before the comparison is made.
| Illustrative counted amount | Comparison to the Iowa ceiling | What it does not decide |
|---|---|---|
| $150,000 | Below $200,000 | Title, liens, waiting period, appointment, or creditor duties |
| $250,000 | Above $200,000 | 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
- Iowa Judicial Branch - Court FormsIowa Judicial Branch
- Iowa Judicial Branch - Representing YourselfIowa Judicial Branch
Iowa probate is handled in the District Court; there is no separate probate court.
Iowa court costs are a statewide statutory percentage (0.2%) rather than a county-set flat fee - unusually uniform across the state.
Source trail
Records used by this Iowa map
- Iowa Code 635.1 (2026)Iowa Code 635.1 - When applicable (small-estate threshold); reviewed August 9, 2026
- Iowa Code 635.7 (2026)Iowa Code 635.7 - Report and inventory; value and conversion; reviewed August 9, 2026
- Iowa Code 633.197 (2026)Iowa Code 633.197 - Compensation; schedule of fees; reviewed August 9, 2026
- Iowa Code 633.31(3)(a) (2026)Iowa Code 633.31 - Calendar; court costs in probate; reviewed August 9, 2026
- Iowa Code 633.410 (2026)Iowa Code 633.410 - Limitation on filing claims against decedent's estate; reviewed August 9, 2026
- Iowa Code 635.13 (2026)Iowa Code 635.13 - Notice; claims (small estates); 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.
Iowa Code 633.31(3)(a) (2026)
Reviewed source note: two-tenthsofonepercent of the value of the probate assets listed in the report and inventory.
What this means: Statewide probate court-cost formula (0.2% of probate-inventory value). Non-probate assets are expressly excluded by 633.31(3)(b). 2025 Acts ch 148 amended the fixed short-form charge in subsection 2, not the 0.2% formula.