Bluffton firm serving Beaufort, Bluffton, Hardeeville, and Hilton Head. Drafts wills, revocable living trusts, financial and healthcare powers of attorney, and living wills, and guides personal representatives through probate and estate administration.
Beaufort is in Beaufort County.
More Probate Firms in Beaufort County
Clark & Stevens has served Hilton Head Island and the Lowcountry for over 30 years. The firm handles estate planning, wills, family trusts, living wills, medical powers of attorney, probate, long-term care planning, tax planning, and asset protection.
The Law Office of Michael J. Howell, P.A.
1 Corpus Christi Place, Suite 112, Hilton Head Island, SC 29928
Michael J. Howell has over 40 years of estate planning, probate and trust law experience and is certified by the South Carolina Supreme Court as a specialist in estate planning and probate law. The firm serves Hilton Head Island, Bluffton, Beaufort County, and the Lowcountry.
LawyerLisa handles probate across South Carolina from Irmo in the Midlands and offices in Simpsonville, Aiken, Bluffton, Mount Pleasant, and Myrtle Beach. The firm represents proposed personal representatives through appointment and their duties, preparing filings such as the Information to Heirs and Devisees and the Inventory and Appraisement. It also handles elder law and trust administration.
Minor, Haight & Arundell, P.C.
1000 William Hilton Parkway, Suite 203, Village at Wexford, Hilton Head Island, SC 29938
Minor, Haight & Arundell is a Hilton Head Island firm serving Hilton Head, Okatie, Bluffton, and the rest of Beaufort County. Its tax and estate planning practice assists individuals and businesses with estate planning, probate, tax preparation, and audit representation, alongside real estate and civil litigation. The firm offers legal services in Spanish and Greek.
Montgomery Law Firm is a dedicated estate planning practice serving the Lowcountry. Attorney Hunter Montgomery has focused exclusively on estate planning and probate law since joining the SC Bar in 2002. The firm is a member of the American Academy of Estate Planning Attorneys.
Probate in Beaufort County
Probate Court Record
Beaufort County Probate Court
Beaufort County
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Filing in person
Self-represented filing
How to file probate in Beaufort County →
Verified October 16, 2026 · Source
Do I need a lawyer for probate in Beaufort County? →Settling an estate in Beaufort County →
Forms for Planning and Settling an Estate in South Carolina
Free South Carolina forms to plan or settle an estate: a will, trust, powers of attorney, TOD deed and the probate forms. Prepare each form for South Carolina.
Revocable Living Trust
Create a revocable living trust to avoid probate, protect privacy, and control asset distribution.
Last Will and Testament
In South Carolina, a will is signed before 2S.C. Code § 62-2-502Verified Oct 19, 2026View source witnesses, and a self-proving affidavit signed with it lets the court admit it without witness testimonyS.C. Code § 62-2-502Verified Oct 19, 2026View source.
Tools for Planning and Settling an Estate in South Carolina
Free calculators and checklists to plan or settle an estate in South Carolina: will and trust costs, probate, executor pay and taxes. Run each tool.
How Much Does Probate Cost?
Probate on a $500,000 estate in South Carolina costs an estimated $27,462S.C. Code § 62-3-721 (compensation of any person the PR employs, including an attorney); § 62-1-111 (costs and attorney's fees in a formal proceeding); § 62-3-720 (litigation expenses)Verified Sep 8, 2026View source. Attorney fees run 2.1%Modeled estimate under S.C. Code § 62-3-721 (compensation of any person the PR employs, including an attorney); § 62-1-111 (costs and attorney's fees in a formal proceeding); § 62-3-720 (litigation expenses): the hours the statutory fee schedules imply, at the state's surveyed hourly rateVerified Sep 8, 2026View source to 3.3%Modeled estimate under S.C. Code § 62-3-721 (compensation of any person the PR employs, including an attorney); § 62-1-111 (costs and attorney's fees in a formal proceeding); § 62-3-720 (litigation expenses): 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 South Carolina: the personal representative files the estate inventory within 90 daysS.C. Code §§ 62-3-706, 62-3-707, 62-3-708Verified Sep 15, 2026View source of appointment; creditors have 8 monthsSC Code §§ 62-3-801, 62-3-803, 62-3-805, 62-3-806Verified Oct 19, 2026View source to present claims; a simple estate closes in 6 months to 9 months.
How Much Can an Executor Charge?
South Carolina pays executors reasonable compensationS.C. Code § 62-3-719 (up to 5% of personal property + real property sale proceeds; min $50; court may authorize above 5% for extraordinary services)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.
Do I Need Probate?
In South Carolina, estates valued at $45,000S.C. Code § 62-3-1201Verified Sep 8, 2026View source or less use the Small Estate AffidavitS.C. Code § 62-3-1201Verified Sep 8, 2026View source, 30 daysS.C. Code § 62-3-1201Verified Sep 8, 2026View source after death, a court filing short of full probate.
What Are the Creditor Claim Deadlines?
In South Carolina, creditors have 8 monthsS.C. Code § 62-3-803Verified Sep 8, 2026View source from first publication of the creditor notice to present claims; late claims are barred.
Can I Self-File Probate?
South Carolina has no statewide fill-in probate petition, so the opening petition is drafted as a legal pleading, and informal probate is availableS.C. Code § 62-3-301Verified Sep 8, 2026View source.
