Fogelsville firm handling estates of any size through probate in Lehigh, Northampton, Carbon, and Berks counties, with its probate attorney carrying 25 years of experience probating estates. Handles estate administration, inheritance tax planning and post-mortem planning to reduce death tax, and probate litigation and will contests, and prepares irrevocable asset protection trusts for Medicaid planning.
Probate in Carbon County
Probate Court Record
Carbon County Orphans' Court
Carbon County
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Hours
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Filing in person
Self-represented filing
How to file probate in Carbon County →
Verified October 16, 2026 · Source
Do I need a lawyer for probate in Carbon County? →Settling an estate in Carbon County →
Probate Firms Serving Carbon 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.
Lemoyne firm at 301 Market Street, where its practice opened in 1914, with offices in Wyomissing, Lancaster and Lewistown serving Cumberland, Dauphin, Lancaster, Berks and Mifflin Counties. Guides executors and administrators through estate administration, from cataloging assets to paying debts, filing tax returns and distributing to beneficiaries, administers trusts and guardianships, and litigates estate and trust disputes between beneficiaries and trustees.
Harrisburg-based firm on Pine Street with Pennsylvania offices in Lancaster, York, Reading, State College, Pittsburgh, Plymouth Meeting and Radnor. Guides executors and trustees through estate and trust administration, including gathering assets, paying debts, inheritance, estate and income tax returns, fiduciary accountings and Orphans' Court petitions. Its fiduciary litigators handle surcharge actions, objections to accounts, elective share claims and guardianship proceedings in the Orphans' Court.
Montgomeryville firm on Bethlehem Pike serving Bucks, Montgomery and Philadelphia counties, with a second office in West Lawn, Berks County. Walks executors, administrators and beneficiaries through probate and non-probate settlement: filing the will, securing letters, inheritance and estate tax filings, creditor negotiations, deed transfers, Orphans' Court accounting and distribution. Litigates will contests, trust disputes and executor misconduct claims in the Orphans' Court; consultations are free.
Stroudsburg firm serving Monroe County and the Poconos, founded as a solo practice in 1923, with a second office in Bethlehem. In probate its attorneys collect, inventory and appraise estate assets, pay and collect debts, file estate taxes, and distribute what remains, and they handle probate litigation over contested wills and trusts. The firm also prepares wills and living, testamentary, life insurance, and special needs trusts.
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.
Revocable Living Trust
Create a revocable living trust to avoid probate, protect privacy, and control asset distribution.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Do I Need Probate?
In Pennsylvania, estates with personal property of $50,00020 Pa.C.S. § 3102Verified Sep 8, 2026View source or less qualify for the Settlement of Small Estates on Petition20 Pa.C.S. § 3102Verified Sep 8, 2026View source, a court procedure short of full probate.
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.
Can I Self-File Probate?
In Pennsylvania, informal probate is available20 Pa.C.S. § 901 (register jurisdiction over probate and letters), § 3155 (register grants letters), § 908 (appeal from the register's decree to the Orphans' Court)Verified Sep 8, 2026View source, and a self-represented executor can usually handle it for a simple, uncontested estate.
