Probate in Luzerne County

Probate Court Record

Luzerne County Orphans' Court

Luzerne County

Hours

Monday-Friday 9:00 AM-4:30 PM

Office

Luzerne County Courthouse, 153 North River Street, Wilkes-Barre, PA 18711

Filing in person

Appointment required

Self-represented filing

Allowed

Self-help forms

How to file probate in Luzerne County →

Verified October 16, 2026 · Source

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

Estate Law Firms Serving Luzerne County

Philadelphia firm on Walnut Street handling estate probate and administration in Philadelphia County and across Southeastern Pennsylvania. Serves executors, administrators, heirs and trustees from appointment and estate advertising through inventory, tax returns, final accounting and distribution, and readies inherited homes for sale for out-of-state fiduciaries who settle the estate remotely.

Serves 9 countiesFree consultationEstate PlanningProbate

Elder law and estate planning firm founded in 1971 on Market Street in Bloomsburg, with a second office in State College, serving central Pennsylvania communities from Williamsport and Lock Haven to Wilkes-Barre, Pottsville and Altoona. Guides executors through probate, from locating heirs and valuing assets to tax compliance and distribution, and handles Medicaid planning, guardianships through its fiduciary services division, and special needs planning; two of its four attorneys are Certified Elder Law Attorneys and meetings can be held virtually.

Since 1971Serves 12 countiesVirtual consultationsEstate PlanningProbateElder LawGuardianshipSpecial Needs Planning+3

Blakely firm on the Scranton/Carbondale Highway where attorneys John and Michael Krisa practice in the Scranton, Wilkes-Barre and Carbondale areas. Represents executors administering estates, from identifying assets and paying bills and inheritance tax to distribution within the Pennsylvania deadlines, handles intestate estates and will contests, and prepares wills, trusts, powers of attorney and Medicaid long-term care plans.

Serves 2 countiesEstate PlanningProbateProbate LitigationElder LawAsset Protection+2

Scranton solo practice of Anne Marie Howells on West Market Street, serving Lackawanna County and the surrounding Wyoming, Wayne, Susquehanna and Luzerne Counties. Handles probate administration, including dealings with the register of wills and post-death distribution of property, and prepares wills, financial and medical powers of attorney and living wills; consultations are also held by phone.

Solo PracticeServes 5 countiesVirtual consultationsEstate PlanningProbateFamily LawPowers Of AttorneyReal Estate

Lancaster firm on East King Street whose Trusts & Estates Practice Group works across south-central and southeastern Pennsylvania, with main offices in Gettysburg, Hanover, Camp Hill, Lebanon, Malvern, Wyomissing, Schuylkill Haven and York. Guides personal representatives through estate administration and assists trustees, guardians and agents under powers of attorney with their fiduciary duties. Trust and estate litigators handle will contests, surcharge actions and contested guardianship proceedings.

Serves 8 countiesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateProbate LitigationTrust Litigation+2

Firm founded in 1985 with offices in Easton, Allentown, Bethlehem, Doylestown, and Stroudsburg, serving Bucks County and the Lehigh Valley. Administers testamentary and living trust estates, preparing Pennsylvania inheritance tax returns, estate settlement agreements, and the ancillary documents for the executor or trustee. Also prepares wills, revocable, irrevocable, charitable, and testamentary trusts, and Medicaid plans.

Since 1985Serves 4 countiesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateMedicaid PlanningFamily LawReal Estate

All 11 Pennsylvania estate law firms serving Luzerne County →

Forms for Planning and Settling an Estate in Pennsylvania

Free Pennsylvania forms to plan or settle an estate: a will, trust, powers of attorney, TOD deed and the probate forms. Prepare each form for Pennsylvania.

$12/month

Revocable Living Trust

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

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Free

Last Will and Testament

In Pennsylvania, a will needs no witnesses to be valid20 Pa.C.S. § 2502Verified Oct 19, 2026View source, and a self-proving affidavit signed with it lets the court admit it without witness testimony20 Pa.C.S. § 2502Verified Oct 19, 2026View source.

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Free

Healthcare Power of Attorney

Pennsylvania requires 220 Pa.C.S. § 5471 (combined example); § 5465 (HC agent form); § 5447 (living will form)Verified Oct 15, 2026View source witnesses for a healthcare power of attorney; notarization is not required20 Pa.C.S. § 5471 (combined example); § 5465 (HC agent form); § 5447 (living will form)Verified Oct 15, 2026View source.

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Free

Financial Power of Attorney

Pennsylvania treats a power of attorney as durable by default20 Pa.C.S. § 5601Verified Sep 20, 2026View source, and it is signed before 220 Pa.C.S. § 5601Verified Oct 21, 2026View source witnesses and a notary.

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Pour-Over Will

In Pennsylvania, a pour-over will needs no witnesses to be valid20 Pa.C.S. § 2502Verified Oct 19, 2026View source and moves anything left outside the trust into it through probate.

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Free

Transfer on Death Deed

Transfer real property to a beneficiary upon your death without probate. Available in 34 states and the District of Columbia.

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All Pennsylvania forms

Tools for Planning and Settling an Estate in Pennsylvania

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

Trust or Will: Which Costs Less?

In Pennsylvania, a will-based plan pays probate attorney fees of typically 1.9%Modeled estimate under In re Trust Estate of LaRocca, 431 Pa. 542, 246 A.2d 337 (1968); In re Estate of Preston, 560 A.2d 160, 165 (Pa. Super. 1989); Estate of Andrews, 2026 PA Super 168 (no statutory fee schedule): the hours the statutory fee schedules imply, at the state's surveyed hourly rateVerified Sep 8, 2026View source to 3%Modeled estimate under In re Trust Estate of LaRocca, 431 Pa. 542, 246 A.2d 337 (1968); In re Estate of Preston, 560 A.2d 160, 165 (Pa. Super. 1989); Estate of Andrews, 2026 PA Super 168 (no statutory fee schedule): 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 Pennsylvania takes 6 months to 9 months for a simple estate and charges attorney fees of typically 1.9%Modeled estimate under In re Trust Estate of LaRocca, 431 Pa. 542, 246 A.2d 337 (1968); In re Estate of Preston, 560 A.2d 160, 165 (Pa. Super. 1989); Estate of Andrews, 2026 PA Super 168 (no statutory fee schedule): the hours the statutory fee schedules imply, at the state's surveyed hourly rateVerified Sep 8, 2026View source to 3%Modeled estimate under In re Trust Estate of LaRocca, 431 Pa. 542, 246 A.2d 337 (1968); In re Estate of Preston, 560 A.2d 160, 165 (Pa. Super. 1989); Estate of Andrews, 2026 PA Super 168 (no statutory fee schedule): 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.

Get the Answer

How Much Does Probate Cost?

Probate on a $500,000 estate in Pennsylvania costs an estimated $26,087In re Trust Estate of LaRocca, 431 Pa. 542, 246 A.2d 337 (1968); In re Estate of Preston, 560 A.2d 160, 165 (Pa. Super. 1989); Estate of Andrews, 2026 PA Super 168 (no statutory fee schedule)Verified Sep 8, 2026View source. Attorney fees run 1.9%Modeled estimate under In re Trust Estate of LaRocca, 431 Pa. 542, 246 A.2d 337 (1968); In re Estate of Preston, 560 A.2d 160, 165 (Pa. Super. 1989); Estate of Andrews, 2026 PA Super 168 (no statutory fee schedule): the hours the statutory fee schedules imply, at the state's surveyed hourly rateVerified Sep 8, 2026View source to 3%Modeled estimate under In re Trust Estate of LaRocca, 431 Pa. 542, 246 A.2d 337 (1968); In re Estate of Preston, 560 A.2d 160, 165 (Pa. Super. 1989); Estate of Andrews, 2026 PA Super 168 (no statutory fee schedule): 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 Pennsylvania costs an estimated $26,087In re Trust Estate of LaRocca, 431 Pa. 542, 246 A.2d 337 (1968); In re Estate of Preston, 560 A.2d 160, 165 (Pa. Super. 1989); Estate of Andrews, 2026 PA Super 168 (no statutory fee schedule)Verified Sep 8, 2026View source and takes 6 months to 9 months for a simple estate, with attorney fees of typically 1.9%Modeled estimate under In re Trust Estate of LaRocca, 431 Pa. 542, 246 A.2d 337 (1968); In re Estate of Preston, 560 A.2d 160, 165 (Pa. Super. 1989); Estate of Andrews, 2026 PA Super 168 (no statutory fee schedule): the hours the statutory fee schedules imply, at the state's surveyed hourly rateVerified Sep 8, 2026View source to 3%Modeled estimate under In re Trust Estate of LaRocca, 431 Pa. 542, 246 A.2d 337 (1968); In re Estate of Preston, 560 A.2d 160, 165 (Pa. Super. 1989); Estate of Andrews, 2026 PA Super 168 (no statutory fee schedule): the hours the statutory fee schedules imply, at the state's surveyed hourly rateVerified Sep 8, 2026View source of the estate. Estates under $50,00020 Pa.C.S. § 3102Verified Sep 8, 2026View source can use a small-estate procedure instead.

Check the Rules

How Do I Settle an Estate?

Settling an estate in Pennsylvania: the personal representative files the estate inventory within 270 days20 Pa.C.S. §§ 3301-3303Verified Sep 15, 2026View source of appointment; creditors have 12 months20 Pa.C.S. §§ 3162, 3381-3392, 3532Verified Oct 19, 2026View source to present claims; a simple estate closes in 6 months to 9 months.

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What Does Estate Planning Actually Cost?

An attorney-prepared revocable trust in Pennsylvania runs $3,830Estimate: 10 hours at $383, Clio's Pennsylvania Trusts rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source to $5,745Estimate: 15 hours at $383, Clio's Pennsylvania Trusts rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source and a simple will $1,014Estimate: 3 hours at $338, Clio's Pennsylvania Wills and Estates rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source to $2,028Estimate: 6 hours at $338, Clio's Pennsylvania 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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