Probate in Delaware County

Probate Court Record

Delaware County Orphans' Court

Delaware County

Hours

Monday-Friday 8:30 AM-4:00 PM

Office

201 West Front Street, Media, PA 19063

Files probate

Probate

E-filing

Filing in person

Appointment required

Self-represented filing

Allowed

Self-help forms

How to file probate in Delaware County →

Verified October 16, 2026 · Source

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

Probate Firms Serving Delaware County

West Conshohocken trust and estate firm in Montgomery County, founded in 1994, that appears before the Register of Wills and Orphans' Courts throughout Pennsylvania. Represents executors and trustees in probating wills, filing federal estate, state death and fiduciary income tax returns, and discharging the executor by family agreement or formal audit, and litigates will and trust contests, fiduciary accountings, surcharge and removal, and contested guardianships for beneficiaries and fiduciaries alike.

Since 1994Serves 5 countiesVirtual consultationsEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateProbate LitigationTrust Litigation+3

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

Eagle Road firm in Wayne, with a West Chester office by appointment, serving families in Chester, Delaware and Montgomery counties. Guides personal representatives from letters at the Register of Wills through asset gathering, notice to heirs, creditor advertising, debts and final accounting, and prepares the Pennsylvania inheritance tax return (REV-1500) and federal estate tax return (Form 706) in house. Also handles trust administration, guardianships and contested guardianships, special needs trusts and long-term care planning.

Serves 3 countiesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateElder LawTax Planning+2

Multi-practice firm with its main office in Norristown, minutes from the Montgomery County Courthouse, and offices in Doylestown and Feasterville-Trevose serving Montgomery, Bucks and Delaware counties. Handles probate from the petition for grant of letters at the Register of Wills through inventory, payment of liabilities and distribution, and litigates will contests and trust disputes over administration, breach of fiduciary duty and trustee inaction, alongside wills, trusts, powers of attorney and guardianships.

Serves 3 countiesEstate PlanningProbateProbate LitigationTrust LitigationGuardianship

Estate-law boutique with its main office on Delancey Place in Philadelphia's Rittenhouse Square and meeting locations in Glenside, Doylestown and King of Prussia, serving Philadelphia and the Montgomery, Chester, Delaware, Bucks, Berks, Lehigh and Lancaster County areas as well as New Jersey. Helps executors and administrators probate and settle estates, administers trusts and guardianships, and litigates will contests and trust, probate and guardianship disputes; the firm has focused only on estate law for more than two decades and offers a free consultation.

Serves 8 countiesFree consultationEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateProbate LitigationTrust Litigation+3

Kennett Square firm serving Chester and Delaware counties, with a second office in Oxford. Handles the estate-administration sequence for executors and administrators: opening and advertising the estate, collecting assets, paying debts, preparing inheritance tax returns and the accounting, and distributing under the will, and represents parties in probate litigation. Consultations are complimentary.

Serves 2 countiesFree consultationEstate PlanningProbateProbate LitigationReal Estate

All 19 Pennsylvania probate firms serving Delaware 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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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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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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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.

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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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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.

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