Waterloo (Seneca County) firm practicing in the heart of the Finger Lakes for four generations, serving Seneca, Ontario, Wayne, Yates, Cayuga and Schuyler counties. Represents executors and administrators through appointment, notifying next-of-kin, applying for the estate EIN, valuing and liquidating assets, filing the court inventory and estate tax returns, negotiating with creditors, accounting to beneficiaries and distributing the estate. Also handles Medicaid and nursing-home planning, wills and trusts, and elder law; initial probate consultations are free.
Probate in Onondaga County
Probate Court Record
Onondaga County Surrogate's Court
Onondaga County · 5th Judicial District
Phone
Hours
Monday-Friday 8:30 AM-4:30 PM
Office
Onondaga County Courthouse, 401 Montgomery Street, Syracuse, NY 13202
Website
E-filing
Self-represented filing
Allowed
Self-help forms
How to file probate in Onondaga County →
Verified October 16, 2026 · Source
Do I need a lawyer for probate in Onondaga County? →Settling an estate in Onondaga County →
Probate Firms Serving Onondaga County
Utica (Oneida County) firm whose probate specialty spans more than 30 years, serving Oneida, Herkimer, Madison, Onondaga and Lewis counties. Knows the Surrogate's Courts of the 5th and 6th Judicial Districts; files the petition, inventories the property, pays debts and taxes, and transfers the remaining assets to beneficiaries.
Solo practitioner in Oneida (Madison County) serving Central New York — Oneida, Rome, Utica, Syracuse, Chittenango, New Hartford, Whitesboro and Lowville. Takes wills through Surrogate's Court probate and handles administration where there is no will, gathering assets, paying outstanding bills and final and administrative expenses, and distributing what remains to the beneficiaries or statutory distributees. Also handles wills, powers of attorney, health care proxies and HIPAA authorizations, and Medicaid applications, fair hearings and crisis planning, alongside a general civil practice.
Canandaigua firm representing personal representatives, executors and trustees through Ontario County Surrogate's Court administration, with a second office in Geneva. The practice handles both probate and non-probate assets, including assets held in trust, and represents beneficiaries and estate creditors. It also litigates contested estates - will contests, breach of fiduciary duty and trust disputes - on either side.
Binghamton (Broome County) general-practice firm on Front Street handling probate alongside civil litigation, real estate, banking and credit union law, commercial transactions, and labor relations. Represents business, banking, institutional and individual clients across New York State and in Pennsylvania. Holds an AV rating from the Martindale-Hubbell Law Directory.
Binghamton (Broome County) firm tracing its lineage to 1898, with seven New York offices from Ithaca to Walton. Its trusts, estates and elder law group counsels executors, administrators and trustees through estate and trust administration, obtains Letters Testamentary and Letters of Administration, and litigates disputed executor appointments in Surrogate's Court.
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.
$12/month
Revocable Living Trust
Create a revocable living trust to avoid probate, protect privacy, and control asset distribution.
Get Started
Free
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.
Get Started
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.
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.
Calculate Costs
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.
See the Steps
How Much Can an Executor Charge?
New York sets executor compensation by statute — about $19,000 on a $500,000 estate, roughly 3.8%SCPA § 2307Verified Sep 8, 2026View source.
Calculate the Fee
Do I Need Probate?
In New York, estates with personal property of $50,000SCPA § 1301Verified Sep 8, 2026View source or less use the Voluntary AdministrationSCPA § 1301Verified Sep 8, 2026View source, a court filing short of full probate.
Get the Answer
What Are the Creditor Claim Deadlines?
In New York, the 7 monthsSCPA § 1802Verified Sep 8, 2026View source period after the personal representative's appointment protects a representative who distributes after it; late claims can still reach undistributed assets.
Check the Rules
Can I Self-File Probate?
In New York, informal probate is not availableSCPA § 1408 (court must inquire into all facts before admitting a will to probate)Verified Sep 8, 2026View source, so self-filing means a formal court petition rather than a registrar filing.
Get the Answer
