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Pennsylvania route screening

Pennsylvania small-estate limit: $50,000

Sources reviewed August 9, 2026. Sources rechecked October 3, 2026. This page last revised .

1. Where and when
2. What they left

Asset 1

Asset 2

Ownership determines whether an asset usually enters probate. Choose “Not sure” when title or beneficiary status has not been confirmed.

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Your working estimate

Pennsylvania estate snapshot

Route check

More information is needed

Counted probate estate: not yet counted

A valid date of death is required before any waiting period can be tested.

Gross probate propertyNot yet counted
Court chargeSet locallyPennsylvania has no statewide probate filing fee. Each county's Register of Wills sets its own fee schedule (commonly graduated by estate value), so the opening cost varies by county.
Scheduled executor compensationMore information needed2 asset entries have no value entered.20 Pa.C.S. § 3537 provides that the court shall allow the personal representative such compensation as is, in the circumstances, reasonable and just, and may calculate it on a graduated percentage. The statute sets no percentage schedule of its own: it states only the reasonable-and-just standard, so the court decides the amount for each estate.

This route check is general information, not legal advice. It does not test every eligibility condition, creditor issue, will provision, local fee, or asset-title fact.

On petition, the Orphans' Court Division may settle a small estate where the property (exclusive of real estate and of § 3101 property payable to family/funeral directors, but including personal property claimed as the family exemption) has a gross value not exceeding $50,000. Real property is excluded.

Where the limit comes from

Is this the limit that applies?

$50,000 is the limit in 20 Pa. Cons. Stat. § 3102 as it read on October 3, 2026; confirm it with the probate court before you file.

Controlling citation: 20 Pa. Cons. Stat. § 3102, 20 Pa.C.S. § 3102 - Settlement of small estates on petition (Pennsylvania General Assembly; (Dec. 10, 1974, P.L.867, No.293, eff. imd.; July 11, 1980, P.L.565, No.118, eff. 60 days; Dec. 1, 1994, P.L.655, No.102, eff. 60 days; July 2, 2013, P.L.199, No.35, eff. 60 days)).

The section’s own words
owning property (exclusive of real estate and of property payable under section 3101 (relating to payments to family and funeral directors), but including personal property claimed as the family exemption) of a gross value not exceeding $50,000, the orphans' court division

How the Pennsylvania screen is measured

ProcedureSettlement of small estates on petition (20 Pa.C.S. § 3102)
What countsPersonal property only; real property is outside this route
Value basisGross value less exempt property the worksheet cannot classify
Waiting periodConfirm the filing date with the Orphans' Court Division (Register of Wills)

Section 3102 states no fixed waiting period after death; settlement is available on petition once the gross value condition is met. Before submitting the paperwork, confirm whether a waiting period applies and which event starts it.

The official Pennsylvania path

What a small-estate screen can and cannot decide, and which assets never enter it, is explained once in small-estate affidavit or probate and what counts as a probate asset.

Controlling source

Sources rechecked October 3, 2026: Pennsylvania source list · how sources are checked · report a correction

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