Probate in Kent County

Probate Court Record

Kent County Register of Wills

Kent County

Hours

Monday-Thursday 8:30 AM-4:00 PM; Friday 8:30 AM-3:30 PM

Office

555 Bay Road, 2nd Floor, Room 214, Dover, DE 19901

Filing in person

Appointment required

Self-represented filing

Allowed

Self-help forms

How to file probate in Kent County →

Verified October 15, 2026 · Source

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

Tax Planning Firms Serving Kent County

Serves Sussex County from Ocean View, near Bethany Beach, with a second office in Annapolis, Maryland, and sees clients from throughout Delaware. Guides personal representatives through estate administration with the Register of Wills, from inventory and creditor claims to final accounting, alongside Medicaid, special needs trust and estate planning. Founded in 1993 by attorney John F. Robbert.

Solo PracticeSince 1993Serves the whole stateFree consultationVirtual consultationsEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateTax PlanningSpecial Needs Planning+2

Serves clients throughout Delaware from a Greenville office, with a father-son team of Kevin and Paul O'Brien. Handles probate and estate administration, trust administration, small estate affidavits and federal estate tax returns, and drafts special needs trusts and Delaware asset protection trusts. Planning documents are quoted as a flat fee after the initial consultation.

Serves the whole stateEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateElder LawTax Planning+3

Serves Delaware from offices in Wilmington and Rehoboth Beach. The Wills, Trusts & Estates group administers estates from the initial probate proceedings through formal accounts, files fiduciary income tax returns, and represents fiduciaries and beneficiaries in estate and trust litigation, with elder-law and Medicaid planning. A Mid-Atlantic firm founded in 1992.

Since 1992Serves the whole stateEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateProbate LitigationTrust Litigation+5

Serves clients throughout Delaware from Georgetown. Its attorneys and estate administrators open estates, handle court filings and distributions for personal representatives, guide trustees through trust administration, and petition the Court of Chancery for guardianships, alongside Medicaid planning and Miller trusts. Phone and video consultations are offered.

Serves the whole stateVirtual consultationsEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateElder LawTax Planning+3

All 10 Delaware tax planning firms serving Kent County →

Forms for Planning and Settling an Estate in Delaware

Free Delaware forms to plan or settle an estate: a will, trust, powers of attorney, TOD deed and the probate forms. Prepare each form for Delaware.

$12/month

Revocable Living Trust

Create a revocable living trust to avoid probate, protect privacy, and control asset distribution.

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Last Will and Testament

In Delaware, a will is signed before 212 Del. C. § 202Verified Oct 18, 2026View source witnesses, and a self-proving affidavit signed with it lets the court admit it without witness testimony12 Del. C. § 202Verified Oct 18, 2026View source.

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Pour-Over Will

In Delaware, a pour-over will is signed before 212 Del. C. § 202Verified Oct 18, 2026View source witnesses and moves anything left outside the trust into it through probate.

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All Delaware forms

Tools for Planning and Settling an Estate in Delaware

Free calculators and checklists to plan or settle an estate in Delaware: will and trust costs, probate, executor pay and taxes. Run each tool for Delaware.

How Much Are Estate & Inheritance Taxes?

Delaware levies no estate or inheritance taxNo state estate or inheritance tax. Estate tax (30 Del. C. ch. 15, §§ 1501-1507) repealed outright by 81 Del. Laws, c. 52, § 1 (HB 16, 149th Gen. Assem.), effective for estates of decedents dying after Dec. 31, 2017; inheritance tax (30 Del. C. ch. 13, §§ 1301-1314) repealed by 71 Del. Laws, c. 353, § 10, effective Jan. 1, 1999; gift tax (30 Del. C. ch. 14) repealed by 71 Del. Laws, c. 130, § 1.Verified Sep 15, 2026View source; only the federal estate tax applies above $15,000,00026 USC 2001(c), 2010; P.L. 119-21 §70106Verified Sep 15, 2026View source.

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What Taxes Apply to My Inheritance?

Delaware imposes no inheritance or estate taxNo state estate or inheritance tax. Estate tax (30 Del. C. ch. 15, §§ 1501-1507) repealed outright by 81 Del. Laws, c. 52, § 1 (HB 16, 149th Gen. Assem.), effective for estates of decedents dying after Dec. 31, 2017; inheritance tax (30 Del. C. ch. 13, §§ 1301-1314) repealed by 71 Del. Laws, c. 353, § 10, effective Jan. 1, 1999; gift tax (30 Del. C. ch. 14) repealed by 71 Del. Laws, c. 130, § 1.Verified Sep 15, 2026View source; probate assets arrive when the estate closes, 9 months to 12 months for a simple estate.

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How Does Step-Up in Basis Work?

Inherited assets in Delaware take a basis reset to fair market value on the date of death26 USC § 1014Verified Sep 15, 2026View source, and the gain on a later sale faces ordinary income tax at the state's regular rates30 Del. C. § 1102(a)(14) (graduated 2.2%–6.6% individual income tax)Verified Sep 15, 2026View source.

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When Do I Have to Withdraw an Inherited IRA?

See which federal withdrawal rules apply to an inherited IRA, Roth IRA, or employer plan, the deadline year, and the missed-withdrawal tax.

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What Does Estate Planning Actually Cost?

An attorney-prepared revocable trust in Delaware runs $4,390Estimate: 10 hours at $439, Clio's Delaware Trusts rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source to $6,585Estimate: 15 hours at $439, Clio's Delaware Trusts rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source and a simple will $1,317Estimate: 3 hours at $439, Clio's Delaware Trusts rate (no Wills and Estates rate published); Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source to $2,634Estimate: 6 hours at $439, Clio's Delaware Trusts rate (no Wills and Estates rate published); Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source, against $0 to $549 up front plus a subscription with an online service.

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All Delaware tools