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.
Probate in Luzerne County
Probate Court Record
Luzerne County Orphans' Court
Luzerne County
Phone
Hours
Monday-Friday 9:00 AM-4:30 PM
Office
Luzerne County Courthouse, 153 North River Street, Wilkes-Barre, PA 18711
Website
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 →
Probate Litigation Firms Serving Luzerne County
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.
Harrisburg firm on Linglestown Road, opened in 2005, with a second office in Newport, representing executors, trustees, guardians, and beneficiaries across Pennsylvania. Probates wills for in-state and out-of-state executors, handles ancillary probate, trust administration, and estate tax returns, and litigates will contests, claims against fiduciaries, and demands for accounting or removal of trustees and executors.
All 4 Pennsylvania probate litigation 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.
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Revocable Living Trust
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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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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.
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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Who Inherits Without a Will?
Without a will in Pennsylvania, a surviving spouse takes the first $30,000 plus half of the rest20 Pa.C.S. § 2102Verified Oct 21, 2026View source when every child of either spouse is a child of both, and descendants divide what passes to them per capita with representation20 Pa.C.S. § 2104(1)Verified Oct 21, 2026View source.
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What Are the Creditor Claim Deadlines?
In Pennsylvania, the 12 months20 Pa.C.S. § 3532 (one year from first complete advertisement of the grant of letters — a risk-distribution protection period for the personal representative, not a nonclaim bar)Verified Sep 8, 2026View source period after first publication of the creditor notice protects a representative who distributes after it; late claims can still reach undistributed assets.
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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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How Much Can an Executor Charge?
Pennsylvania pays executors reasonable compensation20 Pa.C.S. § 3537 (compensation "reasonable and just"; no statutory percentage); In re Estate of Sonovick, 541 A.2d 374, 376 (Pa. Super. 1988); Estate of Andrews, 2026 PA Super 168Verified Sep 8, 2026View source, typically 2.2%Estimated from the 16 state statutes that set an executor fee schedule (median and interquartile range at this estate value)Verified Sep 8, 2026View source to 3.8%Estimated from the 16 state statutes that set an executor fee schedule (median and interquartile range at this estate value)Verified Sep 8, 2026View source of the estate.
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