Payne & Black is a leading elder law and estate planning firm with offices in Columbia and Rock Hill. Mitchell C. Payne is a founding board member of the Carolinas Chapter of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys and a frequent lecturer on elder law, Medicaid, and asset protection.
Probate in Laurens County
Probate Court Record
Laurens County Probate Court
Laurens County
Phone
Hours
Monday-Friday 9:00 AM-5:00 PM
Office
100 Hillcrest Square, Suite A, Laurens, SC 29360
Website
Self-represented filing
Allowed
Self-help forms
How to file probate in Laurens County →
Verified October 16, 2026 · Source
Do I need a lawyer for probate in Laurens County? →Settling an estate in Laurens County →
Guardianship Firms Serving Laurens County
Established in 1926, Smith & Haskell Law Firm is a trusted elder law and estate planning firm serving families in Spartanburg, Greenville, and the greater Upstate region. The firm handles elder law, special needs trusts, power of attorney, guardianship, conservatorships, Medicaid planning, probate, and estate administration.
Parker Law handles estate planning, probate, estate and trust litigation, guardianship, and conservatorship matters from offices in Columbia and Chapin. Gregory E. Parker, Jr. is recognized as a Rising Star by Super Lawyers in estate and trust litigation.
All 4 South Carolina guardianship firms serving Laurens County →
Forms for Planning and Settling an Estate in South Carolina
Free South Carolina forms to plan or settle an estate: a will, trust, powers of attorney, TOD deed and the probate forms. Prepare each form for South Carolina.
Free
Last Will and Testament
In South Carolina, a will is signed before 2S.C. Code § 62-2-502Verified Oct 19, 2026View source witnesses, and a self-proving affidavit signed with it lets the court admit it without witness testimonyS.C. Code § 62-2-502Verified Oct 19, 2026View source.
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Free
Healthcare Power of Attorney
South Carolina requires 2S.C. Code Ann. § 62-5-504Verified Oct 15, 2026View source witnesses for a healthcare power of attorney; notarization is not requiredS.C. Code Ann. § 62-5-504Verified Oct 15, 2026View source.
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Free
Financial Power of Attorney
South Carolina treats a power of attorney as durable by defaultS.C. Code § 62-8-101 et seq.Verified Sep 20, 2026View source, and it is signed before 2S.C. Code § 62-8-101 et seq.Verified Sep 20, 2026View source witnesses and a notary.
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Tools for Planning and Settling an Estate in South Carolina
Free calculators and checklists to plan or settle an estate in South Carolina: will and trust costs, probate, executor pay and taxes. Run each tool.
How Much Life Insurance Do I Need?
In South Carolina, four years at a public university cost about $96,888NCES Digest of Education Statistics 2023, Table 330.20, public 4-year in-state tuition, fees, room and board, academic year 2022-23Verified Oct 17, 2026View source and the cost of living is 6% below the U.S. averageBEA Regional Price Parities, all items, by state, 2024Verified Oct 17, 2026View source; no state estate or inheritance tax appliesNo state estate or inheritance tax. S.C. Code Ann. § 12-16-510(A) still imposes an estate tax "in the amount of the federal credit," but § 12-16-20(2) measures that credit by IRC § 2011, which EGTRRA (P.L. 107-16 § 532) phased out for deaths after 12/31/2004 — so the levy computes to $0 (an inert pick-up tax left on the books, never repealed). SCDOR: "South Carolina has no Estate Tax for decedents dying on or after January 1, 2005." No inheritance tax and no state gift tax (neither exists in Title 12).Verified Sep 15, 2026View source.
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What Does Estate Planning Actually Cost?
An attorney-prepared revocable trust in South Carolina runs $4,150Estimate: 10 hours at $415, Clio's South Carolina Trusts rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source to $6,225Estimate: 15 hours at $415, Clio's South Carolina Trusts rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source and a simple will $1,122Estimate: 3 hours at $374, Clio's South Carolina Wills and Estates rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source to $2,244Estimate: 6 hours at $374, Clio's South Carolina Wills and Estates rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source, against $0 to $549 up front plus a subscription with an online service.
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Who Inherits Without a Will?
Without a will in South Carolina, a surviving spouse takes half of the estateS.C. Code § 62-2-102Verified Oct 21, 2026View source when a child or other descendant survives, and descendants divide what passes to them per capita with representationS.C. Code § 62-2-106Verified Oct 21, 2026View source.
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