Louisiana estate administration

Louisiana probate: rules, process, costs, executor fees and deadlines

Small-estate limit: $200,000

This guide explains probate in Louisiana: Louisiana administers a succession in District Court. Its civil-law framework uses succession representatives, optional independent administration, and judgments of possession; the small-succession affidavit can avoid a judicial opening in defined cases.

Sources reviewed August 9, 2026. Latest primary-source re-fetch September 15, 2026.

Answer first

Louisiana simplified probate route

A small succession is generally $200,000 or less in gross value at death for a decedent domiciled in Louisiana ($125,000 for an ancillary succession of a non-domiciliary); a succession whose death occurred at least 20 years before the affidavit may qualify regardless of value. Judicial opening may be unnecessary for listed intestate cases and limited testate cases. Louisiana immovables may be described in an intestate affidavit, while the testate no-opening route requires no Louisiana immovable property and waiver of probate of the testament.

Small succession affidavit

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The calculation runs entirely in your browser, which is why nothing you enter is sent anywhere — and why it cannot run with scripting disabled. Every figure it would produce is also published as static text: the state comparison lists limits, waiting periods and court charges for all reviewed states, and each state’s cost page itemises the statutory fee schedule.

1. Where and when

StateLouisianaFixed to this page. Open the navigator to compare another state.Date of deathRequired. Without it no waiting period can be tested and the route stays undecided.

Private by design: entries stay in this browser.

2. What they left

Ownership determines whether an asset usually enters probate. Choose “Not sure” when title or beneficiary status has not been confirmed.

Asset 1

DescriptionValue$Not entered. A blank amount is not counted as zero.Enforceable liens or mortgage$Not entered. Enter 0 if there is no lien.OwnershipThis is real property

Asset 2

DescriptionValue$Not entered. A blank amount is not counted as zero.Enforceable liens or mortgage$Not entered. Enter 0 if there is no lien.OwnershipThis is real propertyWill it be sold during administration?Some court charges are assessed on sale proceeds and exclude real property that is kept, so this changes the amount.

amount of the inventory$Use the inventory amount stated by art. 3351; do not substitute gross assets, net estate, receipts, or distributions. Leaving it blank keeps the compensation undecided rather than assuming a number.

Your working estimate

Louisiana estate snapshot

Route check

More information is needed

Counted probate estate: not yet counted

A valid date of death is required before any waiting period can be tested.

Gross probate propertyNot yet counted

Court chargeSet locallyFor a judicial small succession, court costs are one-half of those in a comparable non-small succession. District-court clerk fees may be lower than statutory ceilings and depend on initialization, pages, exhibits, indexing, issuance, service, and parish-specific authority, so confirm the advance deposit with the parish clerk.

Scheduled executor compensationCase accounting neededEnter the compensable value above and this schedule is applied to it, band by band.Absent a testamentary provision or agreement with the surviving spouse and all competent heirs or legatees, an administrator or executor receives 2.5% of the amount of the inventory. The court may increase it on a proper showing that the usual commission is inadequate. A judicial small succession separately caps its succession representative at 5% of gross assets.

This route check is general information, not legal advice. It does not test every eligibility condition, creditor issue, will provision, local fee, or asset-title fact.

What the reviewed rules establish

Simplified route

$200,000

Eligibility and caveats

Court cost

Varies locally

For a judicial small succession, court costs are one-half of those in a comparable non-small succession. District-court clerk fees may be lower than statutory ceilings and depend on initialization, pages, exhibits, indexing, issuance, service, and parish-specific authority, so confirm the advance deposit with the parish clerk.

Filing-cost detail

Executor compensation

Statutory schedule

Absent a testamentary provision or agreement with the surviving spouse and all competent heirs or legatees, an administrator or executor receives 2.5% of the amount of the inventory. The court may increase it on a proper showing that the usual commission is inadequate. A judicial small succession separately caps its succession representative at 5% of gross assets.

Compensation detail

Creditor deadline

Multiple triggers

Louisiana uses ordinary prescription plus succession claim-presentation and suspension rules rather than a single common-law probate nonclaim period. Articles 3241, 3242, and 3245 do not establish one publication/appointment/outer deadline that can be reduced to days.

La. C.C.P. art. 3242 (Louisiana State Legislature; reviewed August 9, 2026)

Timeline and creditor details

Louisiana decision map

The four facts that change the Louisiana route

Use this map before opening a form or entering a number. It keeps the Louisiana amount test, time gate, court cost, and creditor record separate so one easy figure does not stand in for the whole administration.

Louisiana estate administration decision map
Question	Recorded Louisiana answer	Carry into the case
What route is being screened?	Small succession affidavit	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; Louisiana uses ordinary prescription plus succession claim-presentation and suspension rules rather than a single common-law probate nonclaim period. Articles 3241, 3242, and 3245 do not establish one publication/appointment/outer deadline that can be reduced to 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?	No single statewide amount is published here; confirm the receiving court's current schedule.	Ask the District Court about local surcharges, copies, publication, bond, and later filings.
What does compensation use?	Absent a testamentary provision or agreement with the surviving spouse and all competent heirs or legatees, an administrator or executor receives 2.5% of the amount of the inventory. The court may increase it on a proper showing that the usual commission is inadequate. A judicial small succession separately caps its succession representative at 5% of gross assets. The relevant base is the estate accounting.	Keep the will, task log, receipts, and accounting base together; extraordinary work is separate.

Arithmetic illustration

See the Louisiana amount screen without mistaking it for a result

The recorded Louisiana 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 Louisiana 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 Louisiana counts and how it values it are decided before the comparison is made.

Illustrative counted amount	Comparison to the Louisiana 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

Start with the row that is still unknown, then take that question to the named court or source.

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

Louisiana court structureLouisiana Supreme Court
Louisiana district courtsLouisiana Supreme Court

No statewide small-succession affidavit or statewide probate opening-fee total was located on the Louisiana Supreme Court site; parish clerks provide filing requirements and advance-cost deposits.

Louisiana terminology is succession, succession representative, testament, independent administration, and judgment of possession—not a forced common-law executor/probate model.

Source trail

Records used by this Louisiana map

La. C.C.P. art. 3421Louisiana Code of Civil Procedure, Small Successions Defined; reviewed August 9, 2026
La. C.C.P. art. 3431Louisiana Code of Civil Procedure, Judicial Opening Unnecessary; reviewed August 9, 2026
La. C.C.P. art. 3432Louisiana Code of Civil Procedure, Small Succession Affidavit Contents; reviewed August 9, 2026
La. C.C.P. art. 3422Louisiana Code of Civil Procedure, Small Succession Costs and Compensation; reviewed August 9, 2026
La. C.C.P. art. 3351Louisiana Code of Civil Procedure, Succession Representative Compensation; reviewed August 9, 2026
La. R.S. 13:841Louisiana Revised Statutes, District Court Clerk Fees; reviewed August 9, 2026
La. C.C.P. art. 3242Louisiana Code of Civil Procedure, Response to Submitted Claim; reviewed August 9, 2026
La. C.C.P. art. 3241Louisiana Code of Civil Procedure, Presenting Claim Against Succession; reviewed August 9, 2026
La. C.C.P. art. 3245Louisiana Code of Civil Procedure, Formal Proof and Prescription; reviewed August 9, 2026
La. C.C.P. art. 3396Louisiana Code of Civil Procedure, Independent Administration Definitions; reviewed August 9, 2026

Limits and unresolved costs

No single statewide filing total exists; parish clerk advance deposits and document counts control.
No common-law-style creditor nonclaim deadline was inferred from the succession claim articles.
No independent verifier has re-derived the civil-law characterization.
Attorney fees, bond premiums, publication, certified copies, tax work, and asset-sale costs are not included unless expressly shown.
Asset title, beneficiary designations, creditor claims, and will terms can change the route.

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.

Continue

What Louisiana courts publish

The statutes on this page state the rule. These are the documents the court itself publishes. Every link is probed before release, and any link that stops resolving fails the build rather than staying on the page.

Self-help centreLouisiana court structureLouisiana Supreme Court
Court resourceLouisiana district courtsLouisiana Supreme Court

Limits on court material

No statewide small-succession affidavit or statewide probate opening-fee total was located on the Louisiana Supreme Court site; parish clerks provide filing requirements and advance-cost deposits.
Louisiana terminology is succession, succession representative, testament, independent administration, and judgment of possession—not a forced common-law executor/probate model.

Primary sources

Each legal input links to the government source reviewed for this page. Source text can change; confirm the current rule before acting.

Statute

La. C.C.P. art. 3421

Reviewed source note: Art. 3421. Small successions defined A small succession, within the meaning of this Title, is any of the following: (1) The succession of a person who died domiciled in Louisiana and who died leaving property with a gross value of two hundred thousand dollars or less valued as of the date of death. (2) The ancillary succession of a person who died domiciled outside of Louisiana and who died leaving property in Louisiana with a gross value of one hundred twenty-five thousand dollars or less valued as of the date of death. (3) The succession of a person whose date of death occurred at least twenty years prior to the execution of a small succession affidavit and who died leaving property in Louisiana of any value. Amended by Acts 1976, No. 187, §1, eff. Jan. 1, 1977; Acts 1979, No. 71, §1, eff. Jan. 1, 1980; Acts 1980, No. 582, §1; Acts 2009, No. 81, §1, eff.

What this means: Acts 2026, No. 293 raised the art. 3421(1) ceiling for a decedent domiciled in Louisiana from $125,000 to $200,000. Re-verified against the live text on 2026-08-11: the ancillary ceiling in (2) remains $125,000 and the twenty-year route in (3) is unchanged. The prior assertion matched clause (2)'s unchanged figure, so the text check passed while the published number had gone stale; it is now pinned to clause (1) by its domiciliary wording.

Louisiana State Legislature · Edition/currentness: Acts 2026, No. 293, §1. · Verified September 15, 2026

Statute

La. C.C.P. art. 3431

Reviewed source note: Art. 3431. Small successions; judicial opening unnecessary A. It shall not be necessary to open judicially the small succession of any of the following persons: (1) A person domiciled in Louisiana who died intestate. (2) A person domiciled in Louisiana who died testate leaving no immovable property in Louisiana, if the surviving spouse, all persons who would inherit under the testament, and all other persons who would inherit in the absence of a testament agree to waive probate of the testament. (3) A person domiciled outside of Louisiana who died intestate or whose testament has been probated by court order of another state. B.

Louisiana State Legislature · Edition/currentness: Acts 2024, No. 90, §1. · Verified September 15, 2026

Statute

La. C.C.P. art. 3432

Reviewed source note: Art. 3432. Affidavit for small succession for a person who died intestate; contents A. When it is not necessary in accordance with the provisions of Article 3431 to open judicially a small succession, at least two persons, including the surviving spouse, if any, and one or more heirs of the deceased, may execute one or more multiple originals of an affidavit, duly sworn before any officer or person authorized to administer oaths in the place where the affidavit is executed, setting forth all of the following: (1) The date of death of the deceased, and his domicile at the time thereof. (2) The fact that the deceased died intestate. (3) The marital status of the deceased, the location of the last residence of the deceased, and the name of the surviving spouse, if any, and the surviving spouse's address, domicile, and location of last residence.

Louisiana State Legislature · Edition/currentness: Acts 2024, No. 90, §1. · Verified September 15, 2026

Statute

La. C.C.P. art. 3422

Reviewed source note: Art. 3422. Court costs; compensation In judicial proceedings under this Title, the following schedule of costs, compensation, and fees shall prevail: (1) Court costs shall be one-half of the court costs in similar proceedings in successions that are not small successions. (2) The compensation of the succession representative shall be not more than five percent of the gross assets of the succession. Acts 2017, No. 96, §1; Acts 2018, No. 422, §1; Acts 2024, No. 90, §1.

Louisiana State Legislature · Edition/currentness: Acts 2024, No. 90, §1. · Verified September 15, 2026

Statute

La. C.C.P. art. 3351

Reviewed source note: Art. 3351. Amount of compensation; when due An executor shall be allowed as compensation for his services such reasonable amount as is provided in the testament in which he is appointed. An administrator for his services in administering a succession shall be allowed such reasonable amount as is provided by the agreement between the administrator and the surviving spouse, and all competent heirs or legatees of the deceased. In the absence of a provision in the testament or an agreement between the parties, the administrator or executor shall be allowed a sum equal to two and one-half percent of the amount of the inventory as compensation for his services in administering the succession. The court may increase the compensation upon a proper showing that the usual commission is inadequate.

Louisiana State Legislature · Edition/currentness: Amended by Acts 1982, No. 281, §1. · Verified September 15, 2026

Statute

La. R.S. 13:841

Reviewed source note: §841. Enumeration of fees in civil matters; miscellaneous A. The clerks of the several district courts may be entitled to demand and receive fees of office, which fees may be less than, but shall not exceed, the amounts set forth in this Section. Any clerk of court that establishes procedures for the filing, receipt, or issuance of any of the following documents by electronic means shall establish fees for the filing, receipt, or issuance of electronic documents that shall not exceed the fee that would apply if the document was received, filed, or issued in paper. (1) Initialization fee, twenty dollars. (2) Filing document: (a) First page, six dollars. (b) Each subsequent page, four dollars. (c) Exhibits up to eight and one-half inches by fourteen inches, including but not limited to attachments, transcripts, and depositions, two dollars per page.

Louisiana State Legislature · Edition/currentness: Acts 2014, No. 596, §1. · Verified September 15, 2026

Statute

La. C.C.P. art. 3242

Reviewed source note: Art. 3242. Acknowledgment or rejection of claim by representative The succession representative to whom a claim against the succession has been submitted, within thirty days thereof, shall either acknowledge or reject the claim, in whole or in part. This acknowledgment or express rejection shall be in writing, dated, and signed by the succession representative, who shall notify the claimant of his action. Failure of the succession representative either to acknowledge or reject a claim within thirty days of the date it was submitted to him shall be considered a rejection thereof.

Louisiana State Legislature · Edition/currentness: Publisher edition or amendment label not stated · Verified September 15, 2026

Statute

La. C.C.P. art. 3241

Reviewed source note: Art. 3241. Presenting claim against succession A creditor of a succession under administration may submit his claim to the succession representative for acknowledgment and payment in due course of administration. Except for the purposes of Article 3245, no particular form is required for the submission of a claim by a creditor of the succession other than that it be in writing.

Louisiana State Legislature · Edition/currentness: Publisher edition or amendment label not stated · Verified September 15, 2026

Statute

La. C.C.P. art. 3245

Reviewed source note: Art. 3245. Submission of formal proof of claim to suspend prescription A. A creditor may suspend the running of prescription against his claim for up to ten years: (1) By delivering personally or by certified or registered mail to the succession representative, or his attorney of record, a formal written proof of the claim. (2) By filing a formal written proof of the claim in the record of the succession proceeding, if the succession has been opened and no person has been appointed or confirmed as succession representative and no judgment of possession has been signed. (3) By filing a formal written proof of the claim in the mortgage records of the appropriate parish as provided in Article 2811, in the absence of a proceeding to open the succession. B.

Louisiana State Legislature · Edition/currentness: Acts 1993, No. 481, §1. · Verified September 15, 2026

Statute

La. C.C.P. art. 3396

Reviewed source note: Art. 3396. Definitions In this Chapter: (1) "Independent administration" means the administration of an estate in accordance with the provisions of this Chapter. (2) "Independent administrator" means the succession representative authorized by the court to administer a succession in accordance with the provisions of this Chapter. The term "independent administrator" means and includes "independent executor". (3) "Independent executor" means and includes an independent administrator. (4) "Letters of independent administration" means letters testamentary or letters of administration that signify that the administration of a succession by the designated succession representative is authorized pursuant to the provisions of this Chapter.

Louisiana State Legislature · Edition/currentness: Acts 2001, No. 974, §1. · Verified September 15, 2026

Case details

Asset 1

Asset 2

Louisiana estate snapshot

More information is needed

What the reviewed rules establish

$200,000

Varies locally

Statutory schedule

Multiple triggers

The four facts that change the Louisiana route

See the Louisiana amount screen without mistaking it for a result

Start with the row that is still unknown, then take that question to the named court or source.

Records used by this Louisiana map

Limits and unresolved costs

Continue

What Louisiana courts publish

Limits on court material

Primary sources

Continue with a related resource