Probate in Queens County

Probate Court Record

Queens County Surrogate's Court

Queens County · 11th Judicial District

Hours

Monday-Friday 9:00 AM-5:00 PM

Office

88-11 Sutphin Boulevard, Jamaica, NY 11435

Self-represented filing

Allowed

Self-help forms

How to file probate in Queens County →

Verified October 16, 2026 · Source

Do I need a lawyer for probate in Queens County? →Settling an estate in Queens County →

Asset Protection Firms Serving Queens County

Bronx firm on Westchester Avenue handling probate and estate administration for executors and administrators, from the initial filing through distributing assets and closing the estate. Also drafts wills, trusts, powers of attorney and advance directives, and handles estate tax planning. Consultations are free.

Serves 4 countiesFree consultationEstate PlanningProbateTax PlanningAsset Protection

Brooklyn (Kings County) practice led by Theodore Alatsas, working the Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island, New York and Nassau County Surrogate's Courts for nearly 30 years. Handles probate, administration proceedings, and trust administration, plus wills and trusts, Medicaid and long-term care planning, and asset protection. Runs estate planning workshops.

Solo PracticeServes 5 countiesFree consultationEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateElder LawAsset ProtectionMedicaid Planning

Bronx firm on East Tremont Avenue with an appointment-only New Rochelle office, serving Bronx, Westchester, Manhattan and Queens families since 1989. Walks executors and administrators through filing the will and petition with the Surrogate's Court, getting appointed, notifying heirs, beneficiaries and creditors, collecting and valuing assets, paying debts, taxes and expenses, and distributing what remains. Also takes contested probate - will contests, undue-influence claims, disputes over asset ownership and challenges to executor authority - plus trust administration, guardianships and conservatorships, and Medicaid and special-needs planning. Consultations are free and the firm practices in Spanish.

Since 1989Serves 4 countiesFree consultationEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateProbate LitigationElder Law+6

Smithtown firm filing for Suffolk County families in the Suffolk County Surrogate's Court at Riverhead, with a second office covering Nassau's court in Mineola. Gets executors their letters testamentary so banks will release funds and real property can be sold, and handles administrations where there is no will as well as small estates.

Serves 3 countiesFree consultationVirtual consultationsEstate PlanningProbateElder LawTax PlanningGuardianship+4

Brooklyn practice on Columbia Street representing executors and administrators in the Kings, New York, Queens, Richmond and Bronx Surrogate's Courts. It collects waivers and consents from distributees, gets a citation issued when an heir will not sign, opens the estate account and EIN, reviews creditor claims and files the final accounting. The first one-hour consultation is free, online or in person.

Solo PracticeServes 5 countiesFree consultationVirtual consultationsEstate PlanningProbateElder LawTax PlanningGuardianship+4

Midtown Manhattan practice on Lexington Avenue guiding executors and beneficiaries through New York probate and trust administration in the five borough Surrogate's Courts: locating and valuing assets, resolving creditor claims in the statutory priority order, and preparing the accounting the court requires before a final distribution. Also drafts wills, trusts, asset-protection plans, and Medicaid plans. Run by Gabriel Katzner, who passed the CPA exam before law school; the practice also keeps a California office in Encinitas.

Solo PracticeSince 2009Serves 5 countiesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateElder LawAsset ProtectionMedicaid Planning

All 21 New York asset protection firms serving Queens County →

Forms for Planning Your Estate in New York

Free forms for planning your estate in New York: will, living trust, pour-over will, powers of attorney and TOD deed. Prepare each form for New York.

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Revocable Living Trust

Create a revocable living trust to avoid probate, protect privacy, and control asset distribution.

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Pour-Over Will

In New York, a pour-over will is signed before 2EPTL § 3-2.1Verified Oct 19, 2026View source witnesses and moves anything left outside the trust into it through probate.

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Free

Transfer on Death Deed

In New York, a transfer on death deed is signed before a notaryN.Y. Real Prop. Law 424Verified Oct 19, 2026View source and 2N.Y. Real Prop. Law 424Verified Oct 19, 2026View source witnesses, then recorded with the county before the owner's deathN.Y. Real Prop. Law 424Verified Oct 19, 2026View source. New York does not recognize a Lady Bird deed.

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Last Will and Testament

In New York, a will is signed before 2EPTL § 3-2.1Verified Oct 19, 2026View source witnesses, and a self-proving affidavit signed with it lets the court admit it without witness testimonyEPTL § 3-2.1Verified Oct 19, 2026View source.

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Tools for Planning Your Estate in New York

Free tools for planning your estate in New York: will and trust costs, trust or TOD deed, and the signing rules. Run each tool for New York and read its answer.

Trust or Will: Which Costs Less?

In New York, a will-based plan pays probate attorney fees of typically 2.5%Modeled estimate under SCPA § 2110 (reasonable compensation; no statutory percentage): the hours the statutory fee schedules imply, at the state's surveyed hourly rateVerified Sep 8, 2026View source to 4%Modeled estimate under SCPA § 2110 (reasonable compensation; no statutory percentage): the hours the statutory fee schedules imply, at the state's surveyed hourly rateVerified Sep 8, 2026View source of the estate; a funded revocable trust keeps those assets out of probate and off that fee.

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How Much Does a Revocable Living Trust Cost?

An attorney-prepared revocable living trust in New York runs $4,250Estimate: 10 hours at $425, Clio's New York Trusts rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source to $6,375Estimate: 15 hours at $425, Clio's New York Trusts rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source for an individual, against $0 to $549 up front plus a subscription with an online service.

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Do I Need a TOD Deed?

New York authorizes transfer on death deedsN.Y. Real Prop. Law 424Verified Oct 17, 2026View source: a recorded, revocable deed that passes real property at death outside probate.

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Are My Beneficiary Designations Protected?

New York automatically revokes an ex-spouse as beneficiary at divorceNY EPTL § 5-1.4Verified Sep 15, 2026View source; employer plans under ERISA follow federal rules either way, so a 401(k) beneficiary changes only by a new designation.

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All New York tools