Simplified route
$50,000
Small-estate administration; waiting period not verified.
Eligibility and caveatsMaryland estate administration
Maryland probate: rules, process, costs, executor fees and deadlines
Small-estate limit: $50,000
In Maryland, estates up to $50,000 can use the small-estate route; executor pay is capped at 9% of the first $20,000 of property subject to administration, then 3.6% of the excess (Md. Code, Est. & Trusts § 7-601); and claims close six months after death, or two months after mailed notice if sooner. Maryland’s small-estate administration is a threshold-based court track through the Register of Wills. Modified administration is a separate consent-based track for qualifying solvent estates, with election, report, and distribution deadlines rather than a small-estate cap.
Sources reviewed August 9, 2026. Sources rechecked October 3, 2026. This page last revised .
Answer first
Maryland simplified probate route
Up to $50,000; waiting period not verified. Source: Md. Code, Est. & Trusts § 5-601.
Small-estate administrationNo combined Maryland probate total
The Orphans’ Court / Register of Wills filing charge is statewide: priced by estate value (Md. Code, Est. & Trusts § 2-206). Md. Code, Est. & Trusts § 7-601 caps executor pay without fixing it. Each side in full: Maryland probate filing cost and Maryland executor fees.
Screen a specific Maryland estate with the calculators on the small-estate page and the executor-fee page, or compare states in the full estate navigator.
What the reviewed rules establish
Court cost
Tiered
1 published schedule, itemised on the filing-cost page.
Filing-cost detailExecutor compensation
Court-reviewed
The statute caps compensation; the court sets the amount within it. Source: Md. Code, Est. & Trusts § 7-601.
Compensation detailCreditor deadline
Multiple triggers
Md. Code, Est. & Trusts § 7-103 (Maryland General Assembly; reviewed August 9, 2026)
Timeline and creditor detailsMaryland decision map
The four facts that change the Maryland route
Each Maryland answer below links to the page that sets out its source.
| Question | Recorded Maryland answer |
|---|---|
| What route is being screened? | Small-estate administration |
| What property and basis count? | probate property within the rule's stated scope; net of enforceable liens and encumbrances. |
| What is the amount screen? | $50,000 |
| What is the time or deadline record? | No waiting-period number verified; creditor deadlines: separate clocks by triggering event |
| What does the cost record establish? | 1 published schedule; the proceeding and value basis control the total. |
| What does compensation use? | Statutory ceiling, measured on gross probate property. |
Limits and unresolved costs
- Maryland's statute pages do not show when they were last amended; confirm current fees and limits with the Register of Wills before you file.
- Above $10 million, the Maryland probate fee is $10,000 plus 0.02% of the value over $10 million, with no stated cap.
Continue
What Maryland courts publish
Each link goes to the court’s own page and is checked before every release.
- Official formSmall Estate Packet (Rev. 10/01/2026) (PDF)Maryland Registers of Wills
- Forms indexModified Administration Packet (PDF)Maryland Registers of Wills
- Fee scheduleRegister of Wills feesMaryland Registers of Wills
- Court resourceRegister of Wills directoryMaryland Registers of Wills
Limits on court material
- Maryland publishes separate statewide packets for small estates and modified administration.
- The Register of Wills receives filings and the Orphans’ Court exercises probate jurisdiction; the circuit court hears specified appeals.
Maryland primary sources
Each rule on the Maryland pages comes from one of these 7 sources; the citation opens the publisher’s own text. All were last rechecked October 3, 2026.
Simplified-procedure rule
Md. Code, Est. & Trusts § 5-601, Maryland Estates and Trusts, Small Estate Thresholds.
Simplified-procedure rule
Md. Code, Est. & Trusts § 5-602, Maryland Estates and Trusts, Small Estate Petition.
Simplified-procedure rule
Md. Code, Est. & Trusts § 5-702, Maryland Estates and Trusts, Modified Administration Eligibility.
Executor compensation rule
Md. Code, Est. & Trusts § 7-601, Maryland Estates and Trusts, Personal Representative Compensation.
Court cost rule
Md. Code, Est. & Trusts § 2-206, Maryland Estates and Trusts, Register of Wills Probate Fees.
Creditor deadline rule
Md. Code, Est. & Trusts § 7-103, Maryland Estates and Trusts, Notice of Appointment.
Creditor deadline rule
Md. Code, Est. & Trusts § 8-103, Maryland Estates and Trusts, Limitation on Claims.
Sources rechecked October 3, 2026: Maryland source list · how sources are checked · report a correction