Probate in Lackawanna County

Probate Court Record

Lackawanna County Orphans' Court

Lackawanna County

Hours

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

Office

Lackawanna County Government Center, 123 Wyoming Avenue, Suite 521, Scranton, PA 18503

Filing in person

Appointment required

Self-represented filing

Allowed

Self-help forms

How to file probate in Lackawanna County →

Verified October 16, 2026 · Source

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

Probate Firms Serving Lackawanna County

Main Street Wellsboro firm of attorneys Bruce Vickery and Brian S. Duff, serving Wellsboro, Coudersport, Towanda, Williamsport, Lock Haven, Montrose, Scranton and surrounding communities. Helps executors and beneficiaries through estate administration and probate, gathering assets and completing distribution, and drafts wills and estate plans; consultations are free.

Serves 7 countiesFree consultationEstate PlanningProbate

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

Wilkes-Barre firm on South Franklin Street handling probate and estate administration in Luzerne County, Lackawanna County and the Poconos. Guides families through probate from reviewing the estate plan to identifying, valuing and distributing assets and paying debts and taxes, helps resolve disputes that arise, and prepares wills, trusts, powers of attorney and health care directives; the first consultation is free.

Serves 3 countiesFree consultationEstate PlanningProbateBusiness LawPowers Of AttorneyReal Estate

Elder law and estate planning firm founded in 1971 on Market Street in Bloomsburg, with a second office in State College, serving central Pennsylvania communities from Williamsport and Lock Haven to Wilkes-Barre, Pottsville and Altoona. Guides executors through probate, from locating heirs and valuing assets to tax compliance and distribution, and handles Medicaid planning, guardianships through its fiduciary services division, and special needs planning; two of its four attorneys are Certified Elder Law Attorneys and meetings can be held virtually.

Since 1971Serves 12 countiesVirtual consultationsEstate PlanningProbateElder LawGuardianshipSpecial Needs Planning+3

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.

Serves 8 countiesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateProbate LitigationTrust Litigation+2

Firm founded in 1985 with offices in Easton, Allentown, Bethlehem, Doylestown, and Stroudsburg, serving Bucks County and the Lehigh Valley. Administers testamentary and living trust estates, preparing Pennsylvania inheritance tax returns, estate settlement agreements, and the ancillary documents for the executor or trustee. Also prepares wills, revocable, irrevocable, charitable, and testamentary trusts, and Medicaid plans.

Since 1985Serves 4 countiesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateMedicaid PlanningFamily LawReal Estate

All 14 Pennsylvania probate firms serving Lackawanna 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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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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