Publication
Newspaper pricing is commercial rather than a statewide fee.
Rhode Island court costs
Rhode Island probate filing cost: $35–$1,000
Rhode Island sets a statewide statutory probate fee in R.I. Gen. Laws § 33-22-21(a): for every petition to appoint an administrator (or custodian, guardian, or conservator) or to probate a will, one percent (1.0%) of the decedent's personal property over which the court has jurisdiction, subject to a $30 minimum and a $1,500 maximum, paid before filing on the petitioner's estimate and revisable. The narrower § 33-24-1 voluntary informal small-estate route instead charges a flat $30 filing fee plus $5 for the certification of appointment. Municipalities may charge separately for copies and certification.
$35–$1,000 is the range of statutory totals at a $100,000 estate, because the proceedings below are priced differently. 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.
Petition to appoint an administrator or to probate a will (statewide, R.I. Gen. Laws § 33-22-21)
Published value bands
These are the fee bands stated in the source. The worked examples below apply them to sample values; they do not replace the published thresholds.
Rhode Island statewide probate fee (1% of personal property)
| Value band | Published calculation |
|---|---|
| All values | $0 plus 1% of the amount over $0 |
Minimum: $30. Maximum: $1,500. Assessment basis: One percent (1.0%) of the personal property of the decedent over which the court has jurisdiction, but in no event less than thirty dollars ($30.00) nor more than one thousand five hundred dollars ($1,500) (R.I. Gen. Laws § 33-22-21(a)); assessed on personal property only..
| Charge | $25,000 estate | $100,000 estate | $400,000 estate | $1,000,000 estate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rhode Island statewide probate fee (1% of personal property) | $250 | $1,000 | $1,500 | $1,500 |
| Total from this schedule | $250 | $1,000 | $1,500 | $1,500 |
Not included in this total
- Per-page copy charges ($1.50/page) and $3.00 certification of probate documents (§ 33-22-21(c))
- Publication of notice to creditors
- Municipal charges for other proceedings
The 1% fee is assessed on the decedent's personal property over which the court has jurisdiction, floored at $30 and capped at $1,500, and is subject to revision if the petitioner's estimate proves incorrect.
Source: R.I. Gen. Laws § 33-22-21(a), Rhode Island General Assembly. Edition/currentness: P.L. 2014, ch. 351, § 2; P.L. 2014, ch. 398, § 2.. Verified September 15, 2026.
Voluntary informal administration under § 33-24-1
| Charge | $25,000 estate | $100,000 estate | $400,000 estate | $1,000,000 estate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Statement filing fee | $30 | $30 | $30 | $30 |
| Certification of appointment | $5 | $5 | $5 | $5 |
| Total from this schedule | $35 | $35 | $35 | $35 |
Not included in this total
- Municipal charges for other probate proceedings
- Certified copies
- Publication costs
This $35 statutory combination is for voluntary informal administration, not the statewide § 33-22-21 formal-probate fee.
Source: R.I. Gen. Laws § 33-24-1, Rhode Island General Assembly. Edition/currentness: P.L. 2011, ch. 363, § 10.. Verified September 15, 2026.
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 code publisher exposes amendment history but no edition-level currentness marker.
- The § 33-24-1 voluntary small-estate route is a separate flat charge ($30 filing plus $5 certification) and is not priced from the § 33-22-21(a) percentage.
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.
Rhode Island filing-cost map
Separate the Rhode Island filing charge from the estate budget
The Rhode Island 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 Rhode Island answer | Carry into the case |
|---|---|---|
| What route is being screened? | Voluntary informal administration of small estates | Confirm that the will, prior appointment, family facts, and asset titles fit this route. |
| What property and basis count? | personal probate property only; gross value with statutory exemptions not classified by this worksheet. | Keep real property, liens, beneficiary transfers, and survivorship transfers classified separately. |
| What is the amount screen? | $15,000 | Use the counted property, not a bank-balance shortcut. |
| What is the time or deadline record? | 30 days after death; Claims generally run six months from first publication (§ 33-11-5(a)), but § 33-11-5(b) permits a creditor lacking adequate notice to petition before distribution to present a late claim, and § 33-11-5.1 imposes a duty on the personal representative to notify known or reasonably ascertainable creditors of the commencement of the estate. Notice sent at least 60 days before the six-month period expires is deemed adequate; that 60-day language defines adequate notice rather than a standalone claim period, so one days value would hide the extension mechanism. | Keep the event that starts each clock with the date; do not combine separate periods into one number. |
| What does the cost record establish? | 2 published schedules; the proceeding and value basis control the total. | Ask the Probate Court (city or town) about local surcharges, copies, publication, bond, and later filings. |
| What does compensation use? | Rhode Island states no percentage schedule: the Probate Court allows the executor or administrator compensation in the account in the amount the court considers just. The cited section does not specify a value base, will override, or separate extraordinary-services rate. 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 Rhode Island cost record can answer
Petition to appoint an administrator or to probate a will (statewide, R.I. Gen. Laws § 33-22-21)
Basis: estate-value. Status: operative. The 1% fee is assessed on the decedent's personal property over which the court has jurisdiction, floored at $30 and capped at $1,500, and is subject to revision if the petitioner's estimate proves incorrect.
- Rhode Island statewide probate fee (1% of personal property) 1 marginal bands
Voluntary informal administration under § 33-24-1
Basis: estate-value. Status: operative. This $35 statutory combination is for voluntary informal administration, not the statewide § 33-22-21 formal-probate fee.
- Statement filing fee $30
- Certification of appointment $5
Case-file context
Keep the Rhode Island 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 Rhode Island 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
Rhode Island’s probate courts are municipal rather than a single state court division, but filing fees are statewide statutory: a formal appointment or will-probate petition costs 1% of the decedent’s personal property (min $30, max $1,500) under § 33-22-21, while the narrow voluntary informal small-estate route (§ 33-24-1, or § 33-24-2 where a will names the executor) is a personal-property procedure costing $30 plus a $5 certification.
After 30 days, an eligible adult Rhode Island resident may file in the decedent’s city or town Probate Court if the estate consists entirely of personal property and the inventory-counted value, excluding the tangible-personal-property category identified by § 33-24-1, does not exceed $15,000. No petition for letters may already be filed. Where the decedent left a will naming an executor, R.I. Gen. Laws § 33-24-2 gives the named executor (or, if unable to serve, an alternate or listed relative) a parallel voluntary route on the same $15,000 personal-property test.
Compensation context
Rhode Island states no percentage schedule: the Probate Court allows the executor or administrator compensation in the account in the amount the court considers just. The cited section does not specify a value base, will override, or separate extraordinary-services rate.
Rhode Island states no percentage schedule: the Probate Court allows the executor or administrator compensation in the account in the amount the court considers just. The cited section does not specify a value base, will override, or separate extraordinary-services rate. The relevant base is the estate accounting.
Deadline context
Claims generally run six months from first publication (§ 33-11-5(a)), but § 33-11-5(b) permits a creditor lacking adequate notice to petition before distribution to present a late claim, and § 33-11-5.1 imposes a duty on the personal representative to notify known or reasonably ascertainable creditors of the commencement of the estate. Notice sent at least 60 days before the six-month period expires is deemed adequate; that 60-day language defines adequate notice rather than a standalone claim period, so one days value would hide the extension mechanism.
- The code publisher exposes amendment history but no edition-level currentness marker.
- The § 33-24-1 voluntary small-estate route is a separate flat charge ($30 filing plus $5 certification) and is not priced from the § 33-22-21(a) percentage.
Court-material note: Rhode Island probate is filed with the city or town Probate Court where the decedent resided, which supplies local filing instructions, but the opening fee is set statewide by statute: R.I. Gen. Laws § 33-22-21 fixes 1% of personal property (min $30, max $1,500) for a formal appointment/probate petition, and § 33-24-1 fixes $30 + $5 for the voluntary small-estate route. No statewide judiciary small-estate form returning HTTP 200 was found; the statutory fee itself is the pinned authority.
Arithmetic illustration
See the Rhode Island amount screen without mistaking it for a result
The recorded Rhode Island ceiling is $15,000, and it is tested against personal probate property only, on a basis this site records as gross value with statutory exemptions not classified by this worksheet. Counted that way, $11,300 sits below the Rhode Island figure and $18,800 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 Rhode Island counts and how it values it are decided before the comparison is made.
| Illustrative counted amount | Comparison to the Rhode Island ceiling | What it does not decide |
|---|---|---|
| $11,300 | Below $15,000 | Title, liens, waiting period, appointment, or creditor duties |
| $18,800 | Above $15,000 | 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
- Rhode Island city and town directoryState of Rhode Island
Rhode Island probate is filed with the city or town Probate Court where the decedent resided, which supplies local filing instructions, but the opening fee is set statewide by statute: R.I. Gen. Laws § 33-22-21 fixes 1% of personal property (min $30, max $1,500) for a formal appointment/probate petition, and § 33-24-1 fixes $30 + $5 for the voluntary small-estate route.
No statewide judiciary small-estate form returning HTTP 200 was found; the statutory fee itself is the pinned authority.
Source trail
Records used by this Rhode Island map
- R.I. Gen. Laws § 33-24-1R.I. Gen. Laws § 33-24-1, voluntary informal administration; reviewed August 9, 2026
- R.I. Gen. Laws § 33-14-8R.I. Gen. Laws § 33-14-8, executor compensation; reviewed August 9, 2026
- R.I. Gen. Laws § 33-11-5R.I. Gen. Laws § 33-11-5, time for claims; reviewed August 9, 2026
- R.I. Gen. Laws § 33-22-21(a)R.I. Gen. Laws § 33-22-21 — Fees enumerated; reviewed August 9, 2026
- R.I. Gen. Laws § 33-24-2R.I. Gen. Laws § 33-24-2 — Small estates where executor named in will; reviewed August 9, 2026
- R.I. Gen. Laws § 33-11-5.1R.I. Gen. Laws § 33-11-5.1 — Duty to notify known or reasonably ascertainable creditors; reviewed August 9, 2026
- R.I. Gen. Laws § 8-9-9R.I. Gen. Laws § 8-9-9, municipal probate jurisdiction; reviewed August 9, 2026
Filing-cost sources
Each legal input links to the government source reviewed for this page. Source text can change; confirm the current rule before acting.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 33-22-21(a)
Reviewed source note: The fees in probate courts shall be as follows: for every petition for the appointment of a custodian, administrator, guardian, or conservator, or for the probate of a will, one percent (1.0%) of the personal property of the decedent or ward over which the court has jurisdiction, but in no event shall the fee be less than thirty dollars ($30.00) nor more than one thousand five hundred dollars ($1,500);
What this means: This is the statewide statutory probate fee, missed by the prior draft (which treated formal fees as purely municipal). It was amended by the same 2014 acts (P.L. 2014, ch. 351/398) that repealed the older § 33-22-19 fee section. The fee is value-based: 1% of the decedent's personal property, floored at $30 and capped at $1,500.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 33-24-1
Reviewed source note: (a) If a resident of Rhode Island dies leaving an estate consisting entirely of personal property the total value of which otherwise subject to being listed on a probate inventory pursuant to § 33-9-1, exclusive of tangible personal property of which the decedent was owner, does not exceed fifteen thousand dollars ($15,000) in value, his or her surviving spouse, child, grandchild, parent, brother, sister, niece, nephew, aunt or uncle, or any interested party, if of full age and legal capacity and a resident of this state, may, after the expiration of thirty (30) days from the death of the decedent, provided no petition for letters testamentary or letters of administration has been filed with the probate court of the city or town in which the decedent resided, file with said probate court upon a form prescribed by the court a statement, verified by oath or affirmation containing: (1) The