Simplified route
$20,000
Affidavit for collection of personal property; usable 30 days after death.
Eligibility and caveatsNorth Carolina estate administration
North Carolina probate: rules, process, costs, executor fees and deadlines
Small-estate limit: $20,000
In North Carolina, estates up to $20,000 can use the small-estate route; executor pay is capped at 5% of receipts plus 5% of expenditures, as the clerk fixes it (N.C. Gen. Stat. § 28A-23-3); and claims are due on the date the published notice names, at least three months out, or 90 days after mailed notice if later. North Carolina provides collection by affidavit for smaller personal-property estates after a 30-day wait.
Sources reviewed August 7, 2026. Sources rechecked October 3, 2026. This page last revised .
Answer first
North Carolina simplified probate route
Up to $20,000; usable 30 days after death. Source: N.C. Gen. Stat. § 28A-25-1.
Affidavit for collection of personal propertyNo combined North Carolina probate total
The Clerk of Superior Court filing charge (N.C. Gen. Stat. § 7A-307) differs by proceeding or by a value the statute defines. N.C. Gen. Stat. § 28A-23-3 caps executor pay without fixing it. Each side in full: North Carolina probate filing cost and North Carolina executor fees.
Screen a specific North Carolina 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: N.C. Gen. Stat. § 28A-23-3.
Compensation detailCreditor deadline
Multiple triggers
N.C. Gen. Stat. § 28A-14-1(a) (North Carolina General Assembly; reviewed August 7, 2026)
Timeline and creditor detailsStatutes read in full for North Carolina
Read on the enacting state’s own site, with the date each was read.
| Citation | What reading it established | Read on |
|---|---|---|
| N.C. G.S. § 28A-25-1 | North Carolina’s affidavit ceiling moves when the surviving spouse is the sole heir — small estate route note | 2026-09-17 |
| N.C. G.S. § 28A-23-3 | North Carolina caps commissions at 5% of receipts and expenditures — and the clerk sets the number — representative pay note | 2026-09-17 |
North Carolina decision map
The four facts that change the North Carolina route
Each North Carolina answer below links to the page that sets out its source.
| Question | Recorded North Carolina answer |
|---|---|
| What route is being screened? | Affidavit for collection of personal property |
| What property and basis count? | personal probate property only; net of enforceable liens and encumbrances. |
| What is the amount screen? | $20,000 |
| What is the time or deadline record? | 30 days after death; 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 money received and paid out during administration. |
Limits and unresolved costs
- The statute cited here applies when the decedent died intestate, meaning without a will. A separate section covers testate estates.
- Real property is not transferred through the affidavit procedure.
- Compensation is discretionary up to the statutory ceiling.
- The $30,000 surviving-spouse limit applies after any spousal allowance paid under G.S. 30-15 is deducted.
Need the overall planning range rather than a filing deadline?Read how long North Carolina probate may take.
Continue
What North Carolina courts publish
Each link goes to the court’s own page and is checked before every release.
- Official formAOC-E-203B, Affidavit for Collection of Personal Property (PDF)North Carolina Judicial Branch
- Fee scheduleCurrent court costs scheduleNorth Carolina Judicial Branch
Limits on court material
- North Carolina publishes both a statewide affidavit form and a statewide cost schedule, so the numbers on this page can be checked against the court's own publication.
North Carolina primary sources
Each rule on the North Carolina pages comes from one of these 5 sources; the citation opens the publisher’s own text. All were last rechecked October 3, 2026.
Simplified-procedure rule
N.C. Gen. Stat. § 28A-25-1, North Carolina General Statutes, Collection by Affidavit.
- Small-estate limit: $20,000
- Small-estate limit when the surviving spouse takes the whole estate: $30,000
- Waiting period: 30 days
- How the estate is valued: net of liens and encumbrances
- Property the route covers: personal property only
Court cost rule
N.C. Gen. Stat. § 7A-307, North Carolina General Statutes, Costs in Estate Administration.
- Filing fee: $106 base General Court of Justice cost
- Filing fee valuation charge: $0.40 per $100 of gross estate, capped at $6,000
- Filing fee technology surcharge: $4.00
- Gross estate excludes the value of realty not sold
Executor compensation rule
N.C. Gen. Stat. § 28A-23-3, North Carolina General Statutes, Commissions.
- Personal representative's compensation standard: a statutory maximum
- Personal representative's commission schedule: 5% ceiling on receipts and expenditures
Creditor deadline rule
N.C. Gen. Stat. § 28A-14-1(a), North Carolina General Statutes, Notice for Claims.
- Creditor deadline after published notice: day named at least three months from first publication
Creditor deadline rule
N.C. Gen. Stat. § 28A-19-3, North Carolina General Statutes, Limitations on Presentation of Claims.
- Creditor deadline after actual notice: 90 days from mailing if later than date in general notice
- Outer limit on creditor claims: three years after death if no publication
Sources rechecked October 3, 2026: North Carolina source list · how sources are checked · report a correction