Probate in Putnam County

Probate Court Record

Putnam County Surrogate's Court

Putnam County · 9th Judicial District

Hours

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

Office

Historic Courthouse, 44 Gleneida Avenue, Carmel, NY 10512

Self-represented filing

Allowed

Self-help forms

How to file probate in Putnam County →

Verified October 16, 2026 · Source

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

Estate Law Firms Serving Putnam County

Rye Brook (Westchester County) firm serving Westchester, Putnam and Rockland families, including Carmel and Brewster. Handles probate administration, estate administration, trust administration and guardianship, alongside wills, trusts, Medicaid and long-term-care planning, and special-needs planning. Its two founders hold nearly six decades of combined experience.

Serves 3 countiesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateElder LawGuardianship+3

White Plains firm serving Westchester, Rockland and Putnam counties. Submits a recently deceased relative's estate for probate or administration in the Surrogate's Court and carries the transfer of assets through, then litigates will contests and other estate disputes, using alternative dispute resolution where a probate fight would drain the estate. Drafts wills, powers of attorney, health care proxies and living wills alongside the firm's employment and civil-rights practice.

Serves 3 countiesEstate PlanningProbateProbate Litigation

Wappingers Falls (Dutchess County) solo with Westchester offices in Yorktown Heights and Mt Kisco, appearing in the Dutchess County Surrogate's Court. Represents executors and court-appointed administrators from the petition through inventory, creditor notice, and final accounting, keeps out-of-state executors from having to travel, and defends the estate when heirs dispute the will. Also handles Article 81 guardianships, trust administration, Medicaid and special-needs trusts, asset protection, and nursing-home planning, and makes house calls.

Solo PracticeSince 2004Serves 3 countiesFree consultationEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateProbate LitigationElder Law+4

Poughkeepsie firm at 85 Civic Center Plaza representing executors and administrators in the Dutchess County Surrogate's Court. Handles the collection and marshalling of estate assets, appraisal of real and personal property, payment of debts, expenses and taxes, and final distribution to beneficiaries, plus estate accounting and will-contest proceedings when a family disputes the estate.

Since 1914Serves 6 countiesEstate PlanningProbateProbate LitigationTax PlanningAsset Protection+3

White Plains trusts-and-estates firm whose six attorneys serve the New York City metro area from one Westchester Avenue office. Handles probate and estate administration for executors, administrators and trustees, trust administration and modification, trust and estate litigation and fiduciary accountings, estate and gift tax, Medicaid protective trusts, and Article 17, 17-A and 81 guardianships.

Serves 13 countiesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateTrust LitigationElder Law+3

Lake Success (Nassau County) firm guiding executors, administrators, trustees and beneficiaries through New York Surrogate's Court — probate, estate and trust administration, and contested estates and objections to a will or to fiduciary conduct. Also handles estate planning, retirement-distribution planning, Medicaid and elder law. Absorbed the Berwitz & DiTata estate practice.

Since 2000Serves 9 countiesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateProbate LitigationTrust Litigation+4

All 22 New York estate law firms serving Putnam County →

Forms for Planning and Settling an Estate in New York

Free New York forms to plan or settle an estate: a will, trust, powers of attorney, TOD deed and the probate forms. 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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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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Healthcare Power of Attorney

New York requires 2NY PHL § 2981(5)(d)Verified Oct 15, 2026View source witnesses for a healthcare power of attorney; notarization is not requiredNY PHL § 2981(5)(d)Verified Oct 15, 2026View source.

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Financial Power of Attorney

New York treats a power of attorney as durable by defaultNY GOL §§ 5-1501, 5-1501A, 5-1501B, 5-1502A through 5-1502N, 5-1504, 5-1512, 5-1513Verified Sep 18, 2026View source, and it is signed before 2NY GOL §§ 5-1501, 5-1501A, 5-1501B, 5-1502A through 5-1502N, 5-1504, 5-1512, 5-1513Verified Sep 18, 2026View source witnesses and a notary.

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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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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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Tools for Planning and Settling an Estate in New York

Free calculators and checklists to plan or settle an estate in New York: will and trust costs, probate, executor pay and taxes. Run each tool for New York.

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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Do I Need a Revocable Trust?

Probate in New York takes 7 months to 9 months for a simple estate and charges 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; assets held in a revocable trust skip both.

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How Much Does Probate Cost?

Probate on a $500,000 estate in New York costs an estimated $35,992SCPA § 2110 (reasonable compensation; no statutory percentage)Verified Sep 8, 2026View source. Attorney fees run 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 under a reasonable-compensation standard.

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What Are the Estate Laws in My State?

Probate on a $500,000 estate in New York costs an estimated $35,992SCPA § 2110 (reasonable compensation; no statutory percentage)Verified Sep 8, 2026View source and takes 7 months to 9 months for a simple estate, with 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. Estates under $50,000SCPA § 1301Verified Sep 8, 2026View source can use a small-estate procedure instead.

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How Do I Settle an Estate?

Settling an estate in New York: the personal representative files the estate inventory within 270 days22 NYCRR 207.20Verified Sep 15, 2026View source of appointment; creditors have 7 monthsSCPA 1802, 1803, 1810, 1811; EPTL 11-1.5Verified Oct 19, 2026View source to present claims; a simple estate closes in 7 months to 9 months.

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What Does Estate Planning Actually Cost?

An attorney-prepared revocable 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 and a simple will $1,344Estimate: 3 hours at $448, Clio's New York Wills and Estates rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source to $2,688Estimate: 6 hours at $448, Clio's New York 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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