Publication
Newspaper pricing is commercial rather than a statewide fee.
Virginia court costs
Virginia probate filing cost: $25
Qualifying a personal representative costs nothing at $5,000 or less, then $20, $25, or $30 by estate value. Separately, Virginia levies a state probate tax of 10¢ per $100 of estate value (Va. Code § 58.1-1712), with no tax on estates of $15,000 or less, and a locality may add an optional tax equal to one-third of the state tax (Va. Code § 58.1-3805).
$25 is the statutory total at a $100,000 estate. Sources reviewed August 7, 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.
Appointing and qualifying a personal representative
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.
Clerk charge for appointment and qualification
| Value band | Published fee |
|---|---|
| Up to $5,000 | $0 |
| More than $5,000 to $50,000 | $20 |
| More than $50,000 to $100,000 | $25 |
| More than $100,000 | $30 |
| Charge | $25,000 estate | $100,000 estate | $400,000 estate | $1,000,000 estate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clerk charge for appointment and qualification | $20 | $25 | $30 | $30 |
| Total from this schedule | $20 | $25 | $30 | $30 |
Not included in this total
- Recording fees charged separately under the same section
- State probate tax under Va. Code § 58.1-1712
- Optional local probate tax under Va. Code § 58.1-3805
- Commissioner of accounts fees
This is the clerk's appointment and qualification charge only. Section 17.1-275 allows recording fees in addition. It does not include the probate tax, which is two distinct charges: a STATE tax of 10¢ per $100 of estate value under Va. Code § 58.1-1712 (none on estates of $15,000 or less), and an optional LOCAL tax a county or city may impose equal to one-third of that state tax under Va. Code § 58.1-3805.
Source: Va. Code § 17.1-275(A)(3), Virginia General Assembly. Edition/currentness: Section history through 2022, c. 377. 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 affidavit concerns personal probate property.
- A will must be duly probated when one exists.
- Virginia imposes a STATE probate tax of 10¢ per $100 of the estate's value under Va. Code § 58.1-1712 (value measured under § 58.1-1713). It does not apply to estates of $15,000 or less. This is a state charge, not merely a local or optional one.
- On top of the state tax, Va. Code § 58.1-3805 lets any county or city add an optional LOCAL probate tax equal to one-third of the state tax. The two taxes are separate, and both are distinct from the clerk's appointment fee shown above.
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.
Virginia filing-cost map
Separate the Virginia filing charge from the estate budget
The Virginia 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 Virginia answer | Carry into the case |
|---|---|---|
| What route is being screened? | Small asset affidavit | 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 for this route. | Keep real property, liens, beneficiary transfers, and survivorship transfers classified separately. |
| What is the amount screen? | $75,000 | Use the counted property, not a bank-balance shortcut. |
| What is the time or deadline record? | 60 days after death; When a Virginia personal representative publishes notice to creditors, claims must be presented by the later of six months from first publication or 90 days after actual notice is mailed to a known disputed claimant (Va. Code § 64.2-508.1). The publication and actual-notice clocks run from different events, so they are stated separately, and Virginia fixes no single nonclaim bar running from death. | Keep the event that starts each clock with the date; do not combine separate periods into one number. |
| What does the cost record establish? | 1 published schedule; the proceeding and value basis control the total. | Ask the Circuit Court about local surcharges, copies, publication, bond, and later filings. |
| What does compensation use? | Virginia uses a reasonable-compensation standard rather than a fixed statutory percentage. 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 Virginia cost record can answer
Appointing and qualifying a personal representative
Basis: estate-value. Status: operative. This is the clerk's appointment and qualification charge only. Section 17.1-275 allows recording fees in addition. It does not include the probate tax, which is two distinct charges: a STATE tax of 10¢ per $100 of estate value under Va. Code § 58.1-1712 (none on estates of $15,000 or less), and an optional LOCAL tax a county or city may impose equal to one-third of that state tax under Va. Code § 58.1-3805.
- Clerk charge for appointment and qualification 4 value bands
Case-file context
Keep the Virginia 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 Virginia 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
Virginia permits successors to collect a qualifying personal probate estate by affidavit after 60 days.
The entire personal probate estate must not exceed $75,000, and no personal representative application may be pending or granted.
Compensation context
Virginia uses a reasonable-compensation standard rather than a fixed statutory percentage.
Virginia uses a reasonable-compensation standard rather than a fixed statutory percentage. The relevant base is the estate accounting.
Deadline context
When a Virginia personal representative publishes notice to creditors, claims must be presented by the later of six months from first publication or 90 days after actual notice is mailed to a known disputed claimant (Va. Code § 64.2-508.1). The publication and actual-notice clocks run from different events, so they are stated separately, and Virginia fixes no single nonclaim bar running from death.
- The affidavit concerns personal probate property.
- A will must be duly probated when one exists.
- Virginia imposes a STATE probate tax of 10¢ per $100 of the estate's value under Va. Code § 58.1-1712 (value measured under § 58.1-1713). It does not apply to estates of $15,000 or less. This is a state charge, not merely a local or optional one.
- On top of the state tax, Va. Code § 58.1-3805 lets any county or city add an optional LOCAL probate tax equal to one-third of the state tax. The two taxes are separate, and both are distinct from the clerk's appointment fee shown above.
Court-material note: The small-asset affidavit is prescribed by the Office of the Executive Secretary of the Supreme Court of Virginia and is reached through the self-help centre. Virginia's probate tax is two separate charges: a state tax of 10¢ per $100 of estate value (Va. Code § 58.1-1712, none at or below $15,000) and an optional local add-on equal to one-third of the state tax (Va. Code § 58.1-3805). Both are separate from the clerk's appointment fee.
Arithmetic illustration
See the Virginia amount screen without mistaking it for a result
The recorded Virginia ceiling is $75,000, and it is tested against personal probate property only, on a basis this site records as gross value for this route. Counted that way, $56,300 sits below the Virginia figure and $93,800 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 Virginia counts and how it values it are decided before the comparison is made.
| Illustrative counted amount | Comparison to the Virginia ceiling | What it does not decide |
|---|---|---|
| $56,300 | Below $75,000 | Title, liens, waiting period, appointment, or creditor duties |
| $93,800 | Above $75,000 | 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
- Probate in Virginia, self-help centreSupreme Court of Virginia
The small-asset affidavit is prescribed by the Office of the Executive Secretary of the Supreme Court of Virginia and is reached through the self-help centre.
Virginia's probate tax is two separate charges: a state tax of 10¢ per $100 of estate value (Va. Code § 58.1-1712, none at or below $15,000) and an optional local add-on equal to one-third of the state tax (Va. Code § 58.1-3805). Both are separate from the clerk's appointment fee.
Source trail
Records used by this Virginia map
- Va. Code § 64.2-601Code of Virginia, Small Asset Affidavit; reviewed August 7, 2026
- Va. Code § 17.1-275(A)(3)Code of Virginia, Clerk Fees; reviewed August 7, 2026
- Va. Code § 64.2-1208(A)Code of Virginia, Fiduciary Compensation; reviewed August 7, 2026
- Va. Code § 58.1-1712Code of Virginia, State Probate Tax; reviewed August 7, 2026
- Va. Code § 58.1-3805Code of Virginia, Optional Local Probate Tax; reviewed August 7, 2026
- Va. Code § 64.2-508.1(C)(4)Code of Virginia, Notice to Creditors for Presentation of Claims; reviewed August 7, 2026
Filing-cost source
Each legal input links to the government source reviewed for this page. Source text can change; confirm the current rule before acting.
Va. Code § 17.1-275(A)(3)
Reviewed source note: 3. For appointing and qualifying any personal representative, committee, trustee, guardian, or other fiduciary, in addition to any fees for recording allowed by this section, $20 for estates not exceeding $50,000, $25 for estates not exceeding $100,000 and $30 for estates exceeding $100,000. No fee shall be charged for estates of $5,000 or less.