Publication
Newspaper pricing is commercial rather than a statewide fee.
Michigan court costs
Michigan probate filing cost: $150
Commencing a probate-court civil action or proceeding generally costs $150; commencing the MCL 700.3982 assignment proceeding costs $25. MCL 600.871 separately imposes a statewide, value-based decedent-estate fee due by closing or within one year; it is not an opening filing fee.
$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.
General probate-court civil action or proceeding
| Charge | $25,000 estate | $100,000 estate | $400,000 estate | $1,000,000 estate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Opening filing fee | $150 | $150 | $150 | $150 |
| Total from this schedule | $150 | $150 | $150 | $150 |
Not included in this total
- Value-based decedent-estate fee under MCL 600.871
- Copies
- Publication
MCL 600.880 states exceptions, including the separately priced § 3982 proceeding.
Source: MCL 600.880, Michigan Legislature. Edition/currentness: MCL Complete Through PA 91 of 2026. Verified September 15, 2026.
MCL 700.3982 court-order assignment
| Charge | $25,000 estate | $100,000 estate | $400,000 estate | $1,000,000 estate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Opening filing fee | $25 | $25 | $25 | $25 |
| Total from this schedule | $25 | $25 | $25 | $25 |
Not included in this total
- Value-based decedent-estate fee under MCL 600.871
- Copies
This special amount applies only when commencing the § 3982 proceeding.
Source: MCL 600.880, Michigan Legislature. Edition/currentness: MCL Complete Through PA 91 of 2026. Verified September 15, 2026.
What the $150 is made of
Michigan’s $150 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 Michigan schedule prices separately — the ones a filer is most likely to add to it by mistake, or to be quoted alongside it.
- $150Commencing a probate-court civil action or proceeding
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 Michigan 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
- MCL 700.3982 assignment proceeding
- a different, smaller proceeding (small-estate assignment) under a separate subsection.
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 published small-estate ceiling of $51,000 is the figure the Michigan Department of Treasury CERTIFIED for decedents dying in CALENDAR YEAR 2025 (notice certified January 31, 2025, Table B). The CY2026 Treasury notice was not obtainable at review - the Treasury estates COLA archive still listed the CY2025 notice as its most recent, and no CY2026 notice was published. A 2026 death must be checked against the current-year Treasury notice (base $50,000 indexed annually under MCL 700.1210) before relying on this number.
- The base $50,000 (2024 PA 1) and the indexing mechanism (MCL 700.1210, COLA factor x base rounded to the nearest $1,000) are captured so the CY2026 figure can be refreshed once the notice is published.
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.
Michigan filing-cost map
Separate the Michigan filing charge from the estate budget
The Michigan 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 Michigan answer | Carry into the case |
|---|---|---|
| What route is being screened? | Collection of personal property by sworn statement | Confirm that the will, prior appointment, family facts, and asset titles fit this route. |
| What property and basis count? | personal probate property only; net of enforceable liens and encumbrances. | Keep real property, liens, beneficiary transfers, and survivorship transfers classified separately. |
| What is the amount screen? | $51,000 for deaths from January 1, 2025 through December 31, 2025 | Use the counted property, not a bank-balance shortcut. |
| What is the time or deadline record? | 28 days after death; Michigan has distinct deadlines: publication, later notice to known creditors, and a three-year death-based outer bar when statutory notice was not given, plus separate post-death claim rules. One days value would misstate the framework. | 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 Probate Court about local surcharges, copies, publication, bond, and later filings. |
| What does compensation use? | Michigan uses reasonable compensation rather than a percentage schedule. A will provision may be renounced before qualifying when no compensation contract exists; a written compensation contract with the decedent binds the representative. 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 Michigan cost record can answer
General probate-court civil action or proceeding
Basis: estate-value. Status: operative. MCL 600.880 states exceptions, including the separately priced § 3982 proceeding.
- Opening filing fee $150
MCL 700.3982 court-order assignment
Basis: estate-value. Status: operative. This special amount applies only when commencing the § 3982 proceeding.
- Opening filing fee $25
Case-file context
Keep the Michigan 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 Michigan 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
Michigan’s Probate Court offers both a sworn-statement collection route for estates without real property and a court-order assignment route.
After 28 days, a successor may use a sworn statement (MCL 700.3983) or a court-order assignment (MCL 700.3982) where the estate has no real property, is within the annually adjusted net-of-liens ceiling, and no personal-representative application or appointment is pending or granted. The ceiling is $50,000 base (as amended by 2024 PA 1) adjusted annually for cost of living under MCL 700.1210; the operative figure for calendar-year 2025 deaths is $51,000 (Michigan Department of Treasury certified notice, Table B).
Compensation context
Michigan uses reasonable compensation rather than a percentage schedule. A will provision may be renounced before qualifying when no compensation contract exists; a written compensation contract with the decedent binds the representative.
Michigan uses reasonable compensation rather than a percentage schedule. A will provision may be renounced before qualifying when no compensation contract exists; a written compensation contract with the decedent binds the representative. The relevant base is the estate accounting.
Deadline context
Michigan has distinct deadlines: publication, later notice to known creditors, and a three-year death-based outer bar when statutory notice was not given, plus separate post-death claim rules. One days value would misstate the framework.
- The published small-estate ceiling of $51,000 is the figure the Michigan Department of Treasury CERTIFIED for decedents dying in CALENDAR YEAR 2025 (notice certified January 31, 2025, Table B). The CY2026 Treasury notice was not obtainable at review - the Treasury estates COLA archive still listed the CY2025 notice as its most recent, and no CY2026 notice was published. A 2026 death must be checked against the current-year Treasury notice (base $50,000 indexed annually under MCL 700.1210) before relying on this number.
- The base $50,000 (2024 PA 1) and the indexing mechanism (MCL 700.1210, COLA factor x base rounded to the nearest $1,000) are captured so the CY2026 figure can be refreshed once the notice is published.
Court-material note: Michigan publishes statewide SCAO forms for both small-estate routes. The forms repeat that the statutory base is adjusted, but do not print an operative calendar-year ceiling. No stable HTTP-200 human-readable statewide Probate Court directory page was located; direct court-form URLs were verified.
Arithmetic illustration
See the Michigan amount screen without mistaking it for a result
The recorded Michigan ceiling is $51,000 for deaths from January 1, 2025 through December 31, 2025, and it is tested against personal probate property only, on a basis this site records as net of enforceable liens and encumbrances. Counted that way, $38,300 sits below the Michigan figure and $63,800 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 Michigan counts and how it values it are decided before the comparison is made.
| Illustrative counted amount | Comparison to the Michigan ceiling | What it does not decide |
|---|---|---|
| $38,300 | Below $51,000 for deaths from January 1, 2025 through December 31, 2025 | Title, liens, waiting period, appointment, or creditor duties |
| $63,800 | Above $51,000 for deaths from January 1, 2025 through December 31, 2025 | 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
- PC 556, Petition and Order for AssignmentMichigan State Court Administrative Office
- PC 598, Affidavit of Decedent’s SuccessorMichigan State Court Administrative Office
Michigan publishes statewide SCAO forms for both small-estate routes. The forms repeat that the statutory base is adjusted, but do not print an operative calendar-year ceiling.
No stable HTTP-200 human-readable statewide Probate Court directory page was located; direct court-form URLs were verified.
Source trail
Records used by this Michigan map
- MCL 700.3982Michigan Compiled Laws, Court Order Distributing Small Estates; reviewed August 9, 2026
- MCL 700.3983Michigan Compiled Laws, Collection by Sworn Statement; reviewed August 9, 2026
- MCL 700.1210Michigan Compiled Laws, Cost-of-Living Adjustment; reviewed August 9, 2026
- MCL 600.880Michigan Compiled Laws, Probate Court Filing Fees; reviewed August 9, 2026
- MCL 600.871Michigan Compiled Laws, Decedent Estate Value Fee; reviewed August 9, 2026
- MCL 700.3719Michigan Compiled Laws, Personal Representative Compensation; reviewed August 9, 2026
- MCL 700.3801Michigan Compiled Laws, Notice to Creditors; reviewed August 9, 2026
- MCL 700.3803Michigan Compiled Laws, Limitations on Presentation of Claims; reviewed August 9, 2026
- Mich. Dep't of Treasury, EPIC Cost-of-Living Adjustments (MCL 700.1210), Table B, calendar year 2025 (certified Jan. 31, 2025)Michigan Department of Treasury — Estates and Protected Individuals Code Cost-of-Living Adjustments to Specific Dollar Amounts (certified January 31, 2025); 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.
MCL 600.880
Reviewed source note: Except as otherwise provided in this section and section 880a, at the time of commencing a civil action or proceeding in the probate court, the party commencing the civil action or proceeding shall pay a $150.00 filing fee to the probate court register.