Probate in Illinois runs about $25,745755 ILCS 5/27-2 (reasonable compensation; no statutory percentage)Verified Sep 8, 2026View source on a $500,000 estate: attorney fees of typically 1.9%755 ILCS 5/27-2 (reasonable compensation; no statutory percentage)Verified Sep 8, 2026View source to 3%755 ILCS 5/27-2 (reasonable compensation; no statutory percentage)Verified Sep 8, 2026View source of the estate, plus the court filing fee, executor compensation, publication and any surety bond. The Illinois probate calculator estimates the cost by estate value.
Illinois allows independent administration755 ILCS 5/28-1, 5/28-2 (independent administration granted unless the will forbids it or an interested person objects)Verified Sep 8, 2026View source (unsupervised or informal probate), under which the executor handles most decisions without ongoing court approval. The executor still files the will, inventories the assets and reports to the court, but needs no hearing for a routine step such as paying a bill or selling an asset. It typically saves both time and attorney fees against supervised probate.
Estate planning attorneys in Illinois average $334Clio Compare Lawyer Rates, Illinois: Wills and Estates rate (2025 data)Verified Oct 15, 2026View source an hour for wills and estates work. A flat-fee package runs $1,002Estimate: 3 hours at $334, Clio's Illinois Wills and Estates rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source to $2,004Estimate: 6 hours at $334, Clio's Illinois Wills and Estates rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source for a simple individual will and $3,680Estimate: 10 hours at $368, Clio's Illinois Trusts rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source to $5,520Estimate: 15 hours at $368, Clio's Illinois Trusts rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source for a basic revocable trust. An online service prices the same documents in the tens to low hundreds of dollars; the Illinois will cost calculator sets the two side by side.
In Illinois, estates with personal property of $150,000755 ILCS 5/25-1Verified Sep 8, 2026View source or less skip probate with the Small Estate Affidavit755 ILCS 5/25-1Verified Sep 8, 2026View source. That route is a form rather than a court case, and most families handle it without an attorney. Above the line, formal probate generally benefits from counsel for the procedural work, even when nothing is contested. The Illinois probate calculator estimates the cost by estate value.
In Illinois, the situations where counsel is typically worth the cost are: a blended family with children from a prior relationship; a business, rental property or significant investment assets; a dependent with special needs, who needs a special-needs trust to keep benefits; an estate near or above the Illinois estate tax35 ILCS 405/2Verified Sep 15, 2026View source threshold of $4,000,00035 ILCS 405/2Verified Sep 15, 2026View source; substantial property in more than one state. Where none of these apply, an online or self-help document is often enough.
Free Illinois forms for planning an estate or settling one: a will, trust, powers of attorney, TOD deed, and the probate forms an executor files.
Create a revocable living trust to avoid probate, protect privacy, and control asset distribution.
In Illinois, a will is signed before 2755 ILCS 5/4-3Verified Oct 18, 2026View source witnesses, and the witnesses sign an affidavit at probate instead of a self-proving affidavit755 ILCS 5/4-3Verified Oct 18, 2026View source.
Free calculators and checklists for planning or settling an estate in Illinois: will and trust costs, probate, executor pay, and inheritance taxes.
Probate on a $500,000 estate in Illinois costs an estimated $25,745755 ILCS 5/27-2 (reasonable compensation; no statutory percentage)Verified Sep 8, 2026View source. Attorney fees run 1.9%755 ILCS 5/27-2 (reasonable compensation; no statutory percentage)Verified Sep 8, 2026View source to 3%755 ILCS 5/27-2 (reasonable compensation; no statutory percentage)Verified Sep 8, 2026View source of the estate under a reasonable-compensation standard.
Settling an estate in Illinois: the personal representative files the estate inventory within 60 days755 ILCS 5/14-1Verified Oct 10, 2026View source of appointment; creditors have 6 months755 ILCS 5/18-3, 5/18-10, 5/18-11, 5/18-12Verified Oct 18, 2026View source to present claims; a simple estate closes in 6 months to 9 months.
Illinois pays executors reasonable compensation755 ILCS 5/27-1 (reasonable compensation; no statutory percentage)Verified 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.
In Illinois, estates with personal property of $150,000755 ILCS 5/25-1Verified Sep 8, 2026View source or less skip probate with the Small Estate Affidavit755 ILCS 5/25-1Verified Sep 8, 2026View source.
In Illinois, creditors have 6 months755 ILCS 5/18-3 (claim date not less than 6 months from first publication, or 3 months from mailing, whichever is later); 5/18-12(b) (2-year outer bar from death)Verified Sep 8, 2026View source from first publication of the creditor notice to present claims; late claims are barred.
In Illinois, informal probate is not available755 ILCS 5/6-4, 5/9-4 (court admits the will and issues letters; no registrar/clerk informal appointment)Verified Sep 8, 2026View source, so self-filing means a formal court petition rather than a registrar filing.
125 probate firms in Illinois, by county and firm type.
Firm listings are for informational purposes only. SimplyTrust does not endorse or recommend any specific firm or attorney. Contact firms directly to discuss your situation and verify their current practice areas and availability.
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125 firms
FirmDanville, IL
Danville firm serving Vermilion County, with a second office in Hoopeston. Handles wills, powers of attorney, trusts including special needs trusts, probate administration, small estate affidavits, and title transfers. The firm dates its Danville practice to 1904.
PracticesEstate PlanningProbateSpecial Needs PlanningWills Trusts
FirmSouth Elgin, IL
South Elgin and Huntley firm serving Kane, McHenry, DuPage, DeKalb, Kendall, and Cook counties. Handles wills and trusts, probate, trust administration, guardianships, and special needs trusts, and represents executors and beneficiaries in will contests and estate litigation.
PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateProbate Litigationand 4 more
Solo PracticeSchaumburg, IL
Schaumburg practice serving northwest suburban Cook County and neighboring DuPage, Lake, and Kane counties. Represents clients on both sides of probate litigation, including will contests and disputes over executor or trustee conduct, and handles guardianships, wills, trusts, and powers of attorney. Free initial consultation.
PracticesEstate PlanningProbateProbate LitigationConservatorshipand 2 more
FirmSpringfield, IL
Serves Sangamon County estates and trusts through the Springfield probate court, with a second office in Waverly reaching Morgan County. Attorneys guide executors from opening the estate through final accounting and represent heirs, executors, and trustees in will contests and trust litigation. Estate and income tax planning and business and agricultural succession round out the practice.
PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateProbate Litigationand 4 more
FirmPeoria, IL
Peoria firm serving Peoria, Tazewell, Woodford, Fulton, Knox, and McLean counties, with a second office in Morton. Represents executors, administrators, trustees, and beneficiaries in probate court administration, fiduciary and estate tax returns, small estate affidavits, and estate claims. Also handles guardianships, special needs trusts, and Medicaid planning.
PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateProbate Litigationand 5 more
FirmTaylorville, IL
Taylorville firm practicing in Christian County since 1928. Guides executors and trustees through probate and estate administration and litigates disputes between heirs, estate challenges, trustee misconduct, and misappropriation of assets. Also drafts wills, trusts, and powers of attorney and handles guardianships for minors and incapacitated adults.
PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateProbate Litigationand 3 more
FirmPark Ridge, IL
Park Ridge firm of more than 40 years, with a by-appointment Chicago office, serving Cook and DuPage County families. Guides executors, administrators, and trustees through Illinois probate and trust administration ā asset valuation, debt and tax resolution, distribution ā and represents clients in will contests and heirship disputes. Also handles guardianships of adults and minors.
PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateProbate Litigationand 3 more
FirmKankakee, IL
Kankakee general-practice firm serving Kankakee, Iroquois, and southern Will County continuously since 1978. Assists families with probating an estate after a death, and prepares wills, trusts, powers of attorney, and guardianships. The three partners bring over 95 years of combined practice.
PracticesEstate PlanningProbateConservatorshipGuardianshipWills Trusts
FirmMount Vernon, IL
Mt. Vernon firm practicing in Jefferson County since 1938 and handling matters across the southern third of Illinois. Advises executors and trustees on whether to probate, on the inventory and accounting of assets, and on distributions, and represents beneficiaries in estate and trust administration. Also establishes guardianships over minors and disabled adults.
PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateTax Planningand 3 more
FirmCarbondale, IL
Carbondale firm serving Jackson County and the southern Illinois region since 1949. Handles probate and estate settlement ā filing probate paperwork, resolving the decedentās debts, distributing assets under the will, and guiding executors through the process ā alongside testamentary trusts for minor beneficiaries.
PracticesEstate PlanningProbateElder LawConservatorshipand 2 more
FirmPeoria, IL
Peoria firm handling estate and probate matters in Peoria, Tazewell, Woodford, and Fulton counties. Guides executors through the inventory of assets, creditor claims, court hearings, and final distribution, and handles guardianships of minors and incapacitated adults alongside wills, trusts, and special needs trusts.
PracticesEstate PlanningProbateConservatorshipGuardianshipand 2 more
Solo PracticeBelvidere, IL
Belvidere solo practice serving Winnebago, Boone, DeKalb, Stephenson, and McHenry counties from a Rockford-area base. Assists executors and trustees with probate administration, trust administration, and probate litigation, and prepares wills, powers of attorney, guardianships, and elder care plans. Attorney Mark Brynteson has practiced for over 35 years.
PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateProbate Litigationand 4 more
FirmDecatur, IL
Decatur firm serving Macon County and the surrounding area with wills, estates, and probate. Also handles guardianships of minors and disabled adults, covering both guardian of the person and guardian of the estate appointments, plus real estate transfers. The office does not charge for the initial estate consultation.
PracticesEstate PlanningProbateConservatorshipGuardianshipWills Trusts
FirmJacksonville, IL
Jacksonville firm serving Morgan County and west central Illinois since 1876. Handles probate administration along with wills, trusts, powers of attorney, guardianships, special needs and life insurance trusts, Medicaid planning, and business succession. Taxation and agricultural law are separate practice areas of the firm.
PracticesEstate PlanningProbateElder LawTax Planningand 5 more
FirmJacksonville, IL
Located directly across the street from the Morgan County Courthouse in Jacksonville, serving west central Illinois for over 35 years. Assists executors administering estates of varying complexity and litigates probate disputes for executors and aggrieved beneficiaries. Also handles estate planning and guardianships.
PracticesEstate PlanningProbateProbate LitigationConservatorshipand 2 more
FirmMacomb, IL
Macomb general-practice firm on West Side Square, serving McDonough, Hancock, Henderson, Fulton, Schuyler, Warren, and Knox county families. Estate administration work covers probate, small estate affidavits, will contests, and inheritance and estate tax returns. Farm estates and farm succession planning are a recurring emphasis.
PracticesEstate PlanningProbateProbate LitigationTax Planningand 3 more
FirmRockford, IL
Rockford firm serving Winnebago and Boone county families since 1980. Walks executors through identifying and cataloging assets, paying debts and taxes, and distributing what remains, and handles trust administration, guardianships for minors and incapacitated adults, and estate tax reduction planning.
PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateTax Planningand 3 more
Solo PracticeMarion, IL
Marion solo practice serving Williamson, Jackson, and Franklin counties, with clients in Anna, Benton, Carbondale, and Harrisburg. Assists executors with probating an estate whether or not there is a will, and prepares wills, revocable and irrevocable trusts, powers of attorney, and living wills. In practice since 1997, pairing probate with the family-law matters that surface during an estate.
PracticesEstate PlanningProbateWills Trusts
Solo PracticeOak Park, IL
Oak Park practice serving Forest Park, Maywood, Berwyn, River Forest, Riverside, Elmwood Park, and the western Chicago suburbs. Collects estate assets and income, pays taxes, debts, and claims, transfers property titles to heirs, and represents either side in contested wills and trusts. Also handles guardianships and powers of attorney.
PracticesEstate PlanningProbateProbate LitigationConservatorshipand 2 more
FirmRockford, IL
Rockford firm practicing in Winnebago and Boone counties. Walks families through a decedentās accounts, vehicles, real property, and debts and through when a court proceeding is required, and handles guardianship of the person or estate for minors and disabled adults. Wills and trusts round out the estate practice. Free consultation.
PracticesEstate PlanningProbateConservatorshipGuardianshipWills Trusts