Simplified route
$50,000
Settlement of small estates on petition (20 Pa.C.S. § 3102); waiting period not verified.
Eligibility and caveatsPennsylvania estate administration
Pennsylvania probate: rules, process, costs, executor fees and deadlines
Small-estate limit: $50,000
In Pennsylvania, estates up to $50,000 can use the small-estate route and executor pay is whatever the court finds reasonable (20 Pa. Cons. Stat. § 3537). In Pennsylvania, a will is probated and letters are granted by the county Register of Wills, with the Orphans' Court Division of the Court of Common Pleas handling disputes and small-estate petitions. Estates of $50,000 or less in personal property may be settled on petition; filing fees are set by each county.
Sources reviewed August 9, 2026. Sources rechecked October 3, 2026. This page last revised .
Answer first
Pennsylvania simplified probate route
Up to $50,000; waiting period not verified. Source: 20 Pa. Cons. Stat. § 3102.
Settlement of small estates on petition (20 Pa.C.S. § 3102)No combined Pennsylvania probate total
The Orphans' Court Division (Register of Wills) where the estate is opened sets or collects the filing charge. Executor pay is reasonable compensation (20 Pa. Cons. Stat. § 3537), not a rate. Each side in full: Pennsylvania probate filing cost and Pennsylvania executor fees.
Screen a specific Pennsylvania 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
Varies locally
Set locally; ask the receiving court.
Filing-cost detailExecutor compensation
Court-reviewed
No percentage schedule; the court decides what is reasonable. Source: 20 Pa. Cons. Stat. § 3537.
Compensation detailCreditor deadline
Multiple triggers
20 Pa. Cons. Stat. § 3532 (Pennsylvania General Assembly; reviewed August 9, 2026)
Timeline and creditor detailsStatutes read in full for Pennsylvania
Read on the enacting state’s own site, with the date each was read.
| Citation | What reading it established | Read on |
|---|---|---|
| 20 Pa.C.S. § 3392 | When a Pennsylvania estate is short, the statute fixes who goes unpaid — court and filing cost note | 2026-09-17 |
| 20 Pa.C.S. § 3537 | Pennsylvania leaves the percentage to the court, and says so in one sentence — representative pay note | 2026-09-17 |
Pennsylvania decision map
The four facts that change the Pennsylvania route
Each Pennsylvania answer below links to the page that sets out its source.
| Question | Recorded Pennsylvania answer |
|---|---|
| What route is being screened? | Settlement of small estates on petition (20 Pa.C.S. § 3102) |
| What property and basis count? | personal probate property only; gross value with statutory exemptions not classified by this worksheet. |
| 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? | No single statewide amount is published here; confirm the receiving court's current schedule. |
| What does compensation use? | Reasonable compensation set by the court, measured on the estate accounting. |
Limits and unresolved costs
Continue
What Pennsylvania courts publish
Each link goes to the court’s own page and is checked before every release.
- Self-help centrePennsylvania Courts — Representing YourselfUnified Judicial System of Pennsylvania
Official self-help portal; probate is handled by the county Register of Wills / Orphans' Court Division.
Limits on court material
- Pennsylvania probate is opened at the county Register of Wills; contested matters go to the Orphans' Court Division of the Court of Common Pleas. Filing fees and many forms are county-specific and not published statewide.
Pennsylvania primary sources
Each rule on the Pennsylvania pages comes from one of these 3 sources; the citation opens the publisher’s own text. All were last rechecked October 3, 2026.
Simplified-procedure rule
20 Pa. Cons. Stat. § 3102, 20 Pa.C.S. § 3102 - Settlement of small estates on petition.
Executor compensation rule
20 Pa. Cons. Stat. § 3537, 20 Pa.C.S. § 3537 - Compensation.
Creditor deadline rule
20 Pa. Cons. Stat. § 3532, 20 Pa.C.S. § 3532 - At risk of personal representative (one-year advertisement).
Sources rechecked October 3, 2026: Pennsylvania source list · how sources are checked · report a correction