Simplified route
$100,000
The value of all probate personal property, less liens and encumbrances, must not exceed $100,000.
Eligibility and caveatsNebraska estate administration
Nebraska probate: rules, process, costs, executor fees and deadlines
Small-estate limit: $100,000
This guide explains probate in Nebraska: Nebraska permits collection of qualifying personal property by affidavit after 30 days.
Sources reviewed August 7, 2026. Latest primary-source re-fetch September 15, 2026.
Answer first
Nebraska simplified probate route
The value of all probate personal property, less liens and encumbrances, must not exceed $100,000.
Affidavit for collection of personal propertyWhat the reviewed rules establish
Court cost
$22
Nebraska charges $22 for proceedings commenced and closed informally; formal proceedings use another schedule.
Filing-cost detailExecutor compensation
Court-reviewed
Nebraska uses a reasonable-compensation standard rather than a fixed percentage.
Compensation detailCreditor deadline
Multiple triggers
Nebraska bars pre-death creditor claims two months after first publication of notice (triggered by appointment and due within thirty days of it), or three years after death where no notice is given. The clocks run from different events and are published separately.
Neb. Rev. Stat. § 30-2485 (Nebraska Legislature; reviewed August 7, 2026)
Timeline and creditor detailsStatutes read in full for Nebraska
These are the Nebraska provisions read end to end on the enacting state’s own site, rather than summarised from a secondary source. The middle column is what reading each one actually established for Nebraska — not a restatement of the topic — and the last column records the date the wording was read, so a later amendment can be spotted by comparing dates.
| Citation | What reading it established | Read on |
|---|---|---|
| Neb. Rev. Stat. §§ 33-125, 33-126.03 | Nebraska’s county court probate fees are flat, small, and charged per filing — court and filing cost note | 2026-09-17 |
| Neb. Rev. Stat. § 30-24,125 | Nebraska counts only personal property, and wants the death proved on the affidavit — small estate route note | 2026-09-17 |
| Neb. Rev. Stat. §§ 30-2480, 30-2482 | Nebraska is one of the few uniform states that wrote the fee factors into the statute — representative pay note | 2026-09-17 |
Nebraska decision map
The four facts that change the Nebraska route
Use this map before opening a form or entering a number. It keeps the Nebraska amount test, time gate, court cost, and creditor record separate so one easy figure does not stand in for the whole administration.
| Question | Recorded Nebraska answer | Carry into the case |
|---|---|---|
| What route is being screened? | Affidavit for collection of personal property | 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? | $100,000 | Use the counted property, not a bank-balance shortcut. |
| What is the time or deadline record? | 30 days after death; Nebraska bars pre-death creditor claims two months after first publication of notice (triggered by appointment and due within thirty days of it), or three years after death where no notice is given. The clocks run from different events and are published separately. | Keep the event that starts each clock with the date; do not combine separate periods into one number. |
| What does the cost record establish? | $22 is the recorded statewide amount. | Ask the County Court about local surcharges, copies, publication, bond, and later filings. |
| What does compensation use? | Nebraska uses a reasonable-compensation standard rather than a fixed percentage. 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 Nebraska amount screen without mistaking it for a result
The recorded Nebraska ceiling is $100,000, 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, $75,000 sits below the Nebraska figure and $125,000 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 Nebraska counts and how it values it are decided before the comparison is made.
| Illustrative counted amount | Comparison to the Nebraska ceiling | What it does not decide |
|---|---|---|
| $75,000 | Below $100,000 | Title, liens, waiting period, appointment, or creditor duties |
| $125,000 | Above $100,000 | 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
- Affidavit for Transfer of Personal Property without ProbateNebraska Judicial Branch
- Nebraska court fines and costsNebraska Judicial Branch
Nebraska publishes separate statewide affidavits for personal property and for real property, so the route depends on what the decedent owned.
Source trail
Records used by this Nebraska map
- Neb. Rev. Stat. § 30-24,125Nebraska Revised Statutes, Collection of Personal Property; reviewed August 7, 2026
- Neb. Rev. Stat. § 33-125(1)(a)(i)Nebraska Revised Statutes, County Court Fees; reviewed August 7, 2026
- Neb. Rev. Stat. § 30-2480Nebraska Revised Statutes, Personal Representative Compensation; reviewed August 7, 2026
- Neb. Rev. Stat. § 30-2485Nebraska Revised Statutes, Limitations on Presentation of Claims; reviewed August 7, 2026
- Neb. Rev. Stat. § 30-2483(a)Nebraska Revised Statutes, Notice to Creditors; reviewed August 7, 2026
Limits and unresolved costs
- The affidavit route covers personal property, not real property.
- The $22 amount applies to the informal-probate track.
- 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 Nebraska 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.
- Official formAffidavit for Transfer of Personal Property without ProbateNebraska Judicial Branch
- Fee scheduleNebraska court fines and costsNebraska Judicial Branch
Limits on court material
- Nebraska publishes separate statewide affidavits for personal property and for real property, so the route depends on what the decedent owned.
Primary sources
Each legal input links to the government source reviewed for this page. Source text can change; confirm the current rule before acting.
Neb. Rev. Stat. § 30-24,125
Reviewed source note: (1) the value of all of the personal property in the decedent's estate, wherever located, less liens and encumbrances, does not exceed one hundred thousand dollars; (2) thirty days have elapsed since the death of the decedent
Neb. Rev. Stat. § 33-125(1)(a)(i)
Reviewed source note: (1) In probate matters the county court shall be entitled to receive the following fees: (a)(i) Twenty-two dollars for probate proceedings commenced and closed informally.
Neb. Rev. Stat. § 30-2480
Reviewed source note: A personal representative is entitled to reasonable compensation for his services.
Neb. Rev. Stat. § 30-2485
Reviewed source note: unless presented as follows: (1) Within two months after the date of the first publication of notice to creditors if notice is given in compliance with sections 25-520.01 and 30-2483
Neb. Rev. Stat. § 30-2483(a)
Reviewed source note: the clerk of the court upon the appointment of a personal representative shall publish a notice once a week for three successive weeks in a newspaper of general circulation in the county announcing the appointment and the address of the personal representative, and notifying creditors of the estate to present their claims within two months after the date of the first publication of the notice or be forever barred. The first publication shall be made within thirty days after the appointment.