Publication
Newspaper pricing is commercial rather than a statewide fee.
Kansas court costs
Kansas probate filing cost: $109.50
K.S.A. 59-104 sets a statewide docket fee of $109.50 for the probate of an estate or of a will. A temporary $22 non-judicial-personnel surcharge applied only 'On and after July 1, 2019, through June 30, 2025' and has expired, so $109.50 is the operative fee as of the review date.
$109.50 is the amount the statute states. Sources reviewed August 9, 2026. Latest primary-source re-fetch September 15, 2026.
What the statute charges
Kansas states one statewide amount rather than a schedule of components, so there is no line-by-line breakdown to compute. The figure above is that amount. It is a court charge only, and it is not an estimate of the total cost of settling an estate.
Kansas publishes no component breakdown for this cost.
The statute states one statewide amount rather than a schedule of parts, so there is nothing to itemise. The figure shown above is that amount, and the linked source is the text that sets it.
What the $109.50 is made of
Kansas’s $109.50 figure is a single statutory charge, not a total assembled from parts. It is shown here with its own provision named, and with the neighbouring charges the Kansas schedule prices separately — the ones a filer is most likely to add to it by mistake, or to be quoted alongside it.
- $109.50Docket fee for probate of an estate or will, K.S.A. 59-104
Added together, these come to $109.50 — 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 $109.50 figure leaves out
These amounts appear in or beside the same Kansas 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
- Treatment-of-mental-illness docket fee
- the $34.50 is the docket fee for a mental-illness treatment case, a different proceeding.
- Treatment-of-alcoholism/drug-abuse docket fee
- the second $34.50 is the docket fee for an alcoholism or drug-abuse treatment case, a different proceeding.
- Determination of descent of property docket fee
- the $49.50 is the docket fee for a determination-of-descent proceeding, a different proceeding.
- Life-estate/joint-tenancy/refusal/adoption/will-filing docket fees
- the five $48.50 docket fees (termination of life estate, termination of joint tenancy, refusal to grant letters of administration, adoption, and filing a will and affidavit under K.S.A. 59-618a) are each a different proceeding from probate of an estate or will.
- Certified probate proceedings docket fee, K.S.A. 59-213
- the $23.50 is the docket fee for certified probate proceedings under K.S.A. 59-213, a different proceeding.
- Decrees in probate from another state docket fee
- the $173.00 is the docket fee for filing probate decrees from another state, a different proceeding.
- Civil-commitment docket fee, K.S.A. 59-29a01
- the $33.50 is the docket fee for a civil-commitment proceeding under K.S.A. 59-29a01 et seq., a different proceeding.
A charge that has expired
- Non-judicial-personnel surcharge
- the supreme court could impose this "through June 30, 2025"; that window has closed, so the surcharge is no longer collectible.
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 $22 non-judicial-personnel docket surcharge under K.S.A. 59-104 expired June 30, 2025; the operative fee is $109.50. If revived by later legislation this must be rechecked.
- No Kansas Judiciary court-resource URL could be included because kscourts.gov and kjc.ks.gov return 403 to automated clients; the statewide small-estate form is the Kansas Judicial Council Decedent's Estate affidavit.
- Creditor framework now sourced to K.S.A. 59-2239 and 59-2236 (four months from first publication; 30 days from actual notice to a known creditor, later-of; estate must be opened within six months of death). The four-month and six-month periods are stated in months and are left as descriptions rather than fixed day counts.
- Kansas Simplified Estates Act (K.S.A. 59-3201 to 59-3206) added as a distinct administration route; it is procedure-based (K.S.A. 59-3202 court determination) rather than a dollar threshold, so no numeric cap is asserted for it.
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.
Kansas filing-cost map
Separate the Kansas filing charge from the estate budget
The Kansas 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 Kansas answer | Carry into the case |
|---|---|---|
| What route is being screened? | Small estate affidavit (K.S.A. 59-1507b); Kansas Simplified Estates Act administration (K.S.A. 59-3201 to 59-3206) | 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? | $75,000 | Use the counted property, not a bank-balance shortcut. |
| What is the time or deadline record? | No waiting-period number verified; Kansas keeps three separate claim clocks. Under K.S.A. 59-2239 a demand is forever barred unless presented within the LATER of (a) four months from the date of first publication of notice to creditors under K.S.A. 59-2236, or (b) where the creditor is known or reasonably ascertainable, 30 days after actual notice was given. Both run only if the estate is opened: no creditor has a claim unless a petition for probate or administration is filed within six months after the decedent's death. The four-month period is stated in months, so it is not reduced to a fixed number of days. | Keep the event that starts each clock with the date; do not combine separate periods into one number. |
| What does the cost record establish? | $109.50 is the recorded statewide amount. | Ask the District Court about local surcharges, copies, publication, bond, and later filings. |
| What does compensation use? | K.S.A. 59-1717 entitles a fiduciary to 'just and reasonable' compensation for services, plus necessary expenses; there is no statutory percentage schedule. The court reviews reasonableness, and a will provision on compensation is honored subject to the statute. 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 Kansas cost record can answer
Kansas has no single statewide schedule in the accepted record.
K.S.A. 59-104 sets a statewide docket fee of $109.50 for the probate of an estate or of a will. A temporary $22 non-judicial-personnel surcharge applied only 'On and after July 1, 2019, through June 30, 2025' and has expired, so $109.50 is the operative fee as of the review date. This page therefore names the local confirmation path instead of turning a base charge into a statewide estimate.
Case-file context
Keep the Kansas 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 Kansas 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
Kansas probate is handled by the District Court. Small estates up to $75,000 in personal property transfer by affidavit (K.S.A. 59-1507b), and the Kansas Simplified Estates Act (K.S.A. 59-3201 to 59-3206) offers a streamlined court administration in lieu of full supervision. The statewide probate docket fee is $109.50 (K.S.A. 59-104), and fiduciary compensation is 'just and reasonable' under K.S.A. 59-1717 with no statutory percentage schedule.
Kansas offers two abbreviated routes. (1) Small estate affidavit (K.S.A. 59-1507b): transfer a decedent's personal property by affidavit when the total assets of the estate subject to probate do not exceed $75,000 in value; the statute states no fixed post-death waiting period (threshold raised to $75,000 by L. 2024, ch. 35). (2) Kansas Simplified Estates Act (K.S.A. 59-3201 to 59-3206): a court-administered but streamlined alternative to full supervised administration. On the hearing of a petition for appointment of an administrator or for probate of a will where administration is sought under the Act, the court determines under K.S.A. 59-3202 whether the estate is administered as a simplified estate or a supervised estate, considering the size of the estate, the degree of kinship of the heirs and persons seeking appointment, the solvency of the estate, its nature, the wishes of the heirs and devisees, the probable cost of administration, and other pertinent matters. The Simplified Estates Act is a procedure, not a dollar-threshold shortcut, and coexists with the § 59-1507b affidavit.
Compensation context
K.S.A. 59-1717 entitles a fiduciary to 'just and reasonable' compensation for services, plus necessary expenses; there is no statutory percentage schedule. The court reviews reasonableness, and a will provision on compensation is honored subject to the statute.
K.S.A. 59-1717 entitles a fiduciary to 'just and reasonable' compensation for services, plus necessary expenses; there is no statutory percentage schedule. The court reviews reasonableness, and a will provision on compensation is honored subject to the statute. The relevant base is the estate accounting.
Deadline context
Kansas keeps three separate claim clocks. Under K.S.A. 59-2239 a demand is forever barred unless presented within the LATER of (a) four months from the date of first publication of notice to creditors under K.S.A. 59-2236, or (b) where the creditor is known or reasonably ascertainable, 30 days after actual notice was given. Both run only if the estate is opened: no creditor has a claim unless a petition for probate or administration is filed within six months after the decedent's death. The four-month period is stated in months, so it is not reduced to a fixed number of days.
- The $22 non-judicial-personnel docket surcharge under K.S.A. 59-104 expired June 30, 2025; the operative fee is $109.50. If revived by later legislation this must be rechecked.
- No Kansas Judiciary court-resource URL could be included because kscourts.gov and kjc.ks.gov return 403 to automated clients; the statewide small-estate form is the Kansas Judicial Council Decedent's Estate affidavit.
- Creditor framework now sourced to K.S.A. 59-2239 and 59-2236 (four months from first publication; 30 days from actual notice to a known creditor, later-of; estate must be opened within six months of death). The four-month and six-month periods are stated in months and are left as descriptions rather than fixed day counts.
- Kansas Simplified Estates Act (K.S.A. 59-3201 to 59-3206) added as a distinct administration route; it is procedure-based (K.S.A. 59-3202 court determination) rather than a dollar threshold, so no numeric cap is asserted for it.
Court-material note: Kansas probate is heard in the District Court of each county. The Kansas Judicial Council promulgates the statewide small-estate affidavit and decedent's-estate forms, but the Kansas Judiciary websites (kscourts.gov and the Judicial Council at kjc.ks.gov) return HTTP 403 to automated clients, so no court-resource URL could be verified as reachable for inclusion; the controlling forms live under the Kansas Judicial Council 'Decedent's Estate' probate forms.
Arithmetic illustration
See the Kansas amount screen without mistaking it for a result
The recorded Kansas ceiling is $75,000, and it is tested against personal probate property only, on a basis this site records as gross value for this route. Counted that way, $56,300 sits below the Kansas figure and $93,800 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 Kansas counts and how it values it are decided before the comparison is made.
| Illustrative counted amount | Comparison to the Kansas ceiling | What it does not decide |
|---|---|---|
| $56,300 | Below $75,000 | Title, liens, waiting period, appointment, or creditor duties |
| $93,800 | Above $75,000 | 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
Kansas publishes no court artifact in this registry. Kansas probate is heard in the District Court of each county. The Kansas Judicial Council promulgates the statewide small-estate affidavit and decedent's-estate forms, but the Kansas Judiciary websites (kscourts.gov and the Judicial Council at kjc.ks.gov) return HTTP 403 to automated clients, so no court-resource URL could be verified as reachable for inclusion; the controlling forms live under the Kansas Judicial Council 'Decedent's Estate' probate forms.
Kansas probate is heard in the District Court of each county. The Kansas Judicial Council promulgates the statewide small-estate affidavit and decedent's-estate forms, but the Kansas Judiciary websites (kscourts.gov and the Judicial Council at kjc.ks.gov) return HTTP 403 to automated clients, so no court-resource URL could be verified as reachable for inclusion; the controlling forms live under the Kansas Judicial Council 'Decedent's Estate' probate forms.
Source trail
Records used by this Kansas map
- K.S.A. 59-1507bK.S.A. 59-1507b Small estate affidavit; reviewed August 9, 2026
- K.S.A. 59-2239K.S.A. 59-2239 Claims against estate; time for filing; when barred; reviewed August 9, 2026
- K.S.A. 59-2236K.S.A. 59-2236 Notice to creditors; reviewed August 9, 2026
- K.S.A. 59-3201K.S.A. 59-3201 Citation of act (Kansas Simplified Estates Act); reviewed August 9, 2026
- K.S.A. 59-3202K.S.A. 59-3202 Administration as simplified estate or supervised estate; determination by court; reviewed August 9, 2026
- K.S.A. 59-1717K.S.A. 59-1717 Compensation and expenses of fiduciaries; reviewed August 9, 2026
- K.S.A. 59-104K.S.A. 59-104 Docket fee; 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.
K.S.A. 59-104
Reviewed source note: 59-213 , and amendments thereto 23.50 Decrees in probate from another state 173.00 Probate of an estate or of a will 109.50 Civil commitment under K.S.A.