Georgia uses a statutory trustee fee scheduleO.C.G.A. §§ 53-12-210 to 53-12-214Verified Sep 18, 2026View source. The schedule sets fixed percentages by trust value, so the cost is predictable. A family-member trustee often waives the fee. A professional trustee (a bank, a trust company, an attorney) typically charges 0.5% to 1.5% of trust assets a year, and a corporate fiduciary applies an annual minimum. The Georgia trustee compensation calculator breaks it down by trust situation.

Trust administration in Georgia is typically faster than probate because a trust needs no court supervision. There is no court-supervised creditor period — the trustee distributes once known debts are settled, subject to Georgia's general limitations period. A simple trust often wraps up in six to nine months; a trust holding a business interest, real property in more than one state, or one that files an estate tax return takes longer. The Georgia trust settlement plan carries the full process.

Estate planning attorneys in Georgia average $382Clio Compare Lawyer Rates, Georgia: Wills and Estates rate (2025 data)Verified Oct 15, 2026View source an hour for wills and estates work. A flat-fee package runs $1,146Estimate: 3 hours at $382, Clio's Georgia Wills and Estates rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source to $2,292Estimate: 6 hours at $382, Clio's Georgia Wills and Estates rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source for a simple individual will and $2,980Estimate: 10 hours at $298, Clio's Georgia Trusts rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source to $4,470Estimate: 15 hours at $298, Clio's Georgia Trusts rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source for a basic revocable trust. An online service prices the same documents in the tens to low hundreds of dollars; the Georgia will cost calculator sets the two side by side.

In Georgia, estates with personal property of $15,000O.C.G.A. § 7-1-239Verified Sep 8, 2026View source or less skip probate with the Bank Deposit AffidavitO.C.G.A. § 7-1-239Verified Sep 8, 2026View source. That route is a form rather than a court case, and most families handle it without an attorney. Above the line, formal probate generally benefits from counsel for the procedural work, even when nothing is contested. The Georgia probate calculator estimates the cost by estate value.

In Georgia, the situations where counsel is typically worth the cost are: a blended family with children from a prior relationship; a business, rental property or significant investment assets; a dependent with special needs, who needs a special-needs trust to keep benefits; substantial property in more than one state. Where none of these apply, an online or self-help document is often enough.

Forms for Planning and Settling an Estate in Georgia

Free Georgia forms for planning an estate or settling one: a will, trust, powers of attorney, TOD deed, and the probate forms an executor files.

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Revocable Living Trust

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

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Pour-Over Will

In Georgia, a pour-over will is signed before 2O.C.G.A. § 53-4-20Verified Oct 18, 2026View source witnesses and moves anything left outside the trust into it through probate.

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Tools for Planning and Settling an Estate in Georgia

Free calculators and checklists for planning or settling an estate in Georgia: will and trust costs, probate, executor pay, and inheritance taxes.

How Do I Settle a Trust?

Settling a trust in Georgia happens outside court: the trustee acts under the state's trust statuteO.C.G.A. § 53-12-1 et seq.Verified Oct 17, 2026View source, notifies the beneficiaries within 60 daysO.C.G.A. §§ 53-12-242, 53-12-243, 53-12-307Verified Sep 15, 2026View source, then pays the debts and distributes under the trust's terms.

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What's Fair Trustee Compensation?

In Georgia, trustee compensation follows a statutory fee scheduleO.C.G.A. §§ 53-12-210 to 53-12-214Verified Sep 18, 2026View source unless the trust instrument sets a different amount. The schedule is an annual commission on principal.

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How Do I Settle an Estate?

Settling an estate in Georgia: the personal representative files the estate inventory within 180 daysO.C.G.A. §§ 53-7-30, 53-7-31, 53-7-32, 53-7-33Verified Sep 15, 2026View source of appointment; creditors have 3 monthsO.C.G.A. §§ 53-7-40, 53-7-41, 53-7-42, 53-7-43, 9-3-36Verified Oct 18, 2026View source to present claims; a simple estate closes in 6 months to 9 months.

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Do I Have to File Tax Returns for Someone Who Died?

Georgia requires a final state income tax return for the decedent alongside the federal Form 1040O.C.G.A. §§ 48-7-20(a.1), 48-7-27(a)(1)(B); HB 463 (2026)Verified Sep 20, 2026View source; a federal estate tax return (Form 706) is required only for estates above $15,000,00026 USC 2001(c), 2010; P.L. 119-21 §70106Verified Sep 15, 2026View source.

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How Does Step-Up in Basis Work?

Inherited assets in Georgia 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 ratesO.C.G.A. § 48-7-20 as amended by HB 463 (2026, AS PASSED) — flat rate 4.99% for taxable years beginning on or after Jan. 1, 2026Verified Sep 15, 2026View source.

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