Columbus firm serving Bartholomew County and south-central Indiana, started in 1985. Estate and trust administration work covers probate and trust administration, intestate estates where no will can be found, and litigation over the administration of an estate. Jeff Rocker expanded the firm's estate planning practice after joining in 2005.
Probate in Jackson County
Probate Court Record
Jackson County Circuit Court
Jackson County · Judicial District 21
Phone
Hours
Monday-Friday 8:00 AM-4:30 PM
Office
109 South Sugar Street, Suite 210, Brownstown, IN 47220
Website
E-filing
Self-represented filing
Allowed
Self-help forms
How to file probate in Jackson County →
Verified October 15, 2026 · Source
Do I need a lawyer for probate in Jackson County? →Settling an estate in Jackson County →
Trust Administration Firms Serving Jackson County
Columbus firm serving Bartholomew, Jackson, Jennings, Decatur, Johnson, and Brown counties with probate administration — filing wills with the court, securing a decedent's assets, locating beneficiaries, closing accounts, and transferring assets to heirs. Also handles estate administration and trust administration.
Bedford firm in Lawrence County, founded in 2022 by David A. and Patrick J. Smith. David handles probate and trust administration, elder law and long-term-care planning, special-needs and Miller trusts, and guardianships, and is also licensed in Florida for Indiana clients holding property there.
Columbus estate-and-elder-law firm focused on estate and trust settlement for Bartholomew County and central-Indiana families. Work spans probate estates, trust settlements, heirship and small-estate affidavits, post-death tax advice, guardianships, Medicaid planning and special-needs trusts. Meets in the office, at a location of the client's convenience, or by teleconference.
New Albany firm serving Floyd County and southern Indiana from offices in New Albany, Corydon, and Salem. Handles supervised and unsupervised estate administration, small-estate and intestate matters, creditor claims and asset distribution, and estate and trust litigation. Gary Banet also takes guardianships, elder law, and special-needs planning.
Bloomington firm guiding Monroe County and south-central Indiana families through Indiana's probate process. The team marshals and inventories assets, discharges debts, and distributes the estate to heirs, and also handles trust administration, guardianships, and will contest litigation. Partner James F. Bohrer is Board Certified as a Trust and Estate Lawyer by the Indiana State Bar Association.
All 14 Indiana trust administration firms serving Jackson County →
Forms for Planning and Settling an Estate in Indiana
Free Indiana forms to plan or settle an estate: a will, trust, powers of attorney, TOD deed and the probate forms. Prepare each form for Indiana.
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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 Indiana, a pour-over will is signed before 2IC 29-1-5-2; IC 29-1-5-3Verified 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 Indiana
Free calculators and checklists to plan or settle an estate in Indiana: will and trust costs, probate, executor pay and taxes. Run each tool for Indiana.
How Do I Settle a Trust?
Settling a trust in Indiana happens outside court: the trustee acts under the state's trust statuteInd. Code 30-4-1-1 et seq.Verified Oct 17, 2026View source, notifies the beneficiaries, then pays the debts and distributes under the trust's terms.
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What's Fair Trustee Compensation?
In Indiana, trustee compensation follows "reasonable compensation" (UTC § 708 or equivalent)Ind. Code § 30-4-5-16Verified Sep 18, 2026View source unless the trust instrument sets a different amount.
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How Do I Settle an Estate?
Settling an estate in Indiana: the personal representative files the estate inventory within 60 daysIC 29-1-12-1, IC 29-1-7.5-3.2Verified Sep 15, 2026View source of appointment; creditors have 3 monthsIC 29-1-14-1, 29-1-7-7, 29-1-14-9, 29-1-14-10Verified 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?
Indiana requires a final state income tax return for the decedent alongside the federal Form 1040IC 6-3-2-1(b)(7) (as amended by P.L.80-2025 / SEA 451 (2025))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 Indiana 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 ratesIN DOR Departmental Notice #1 (R46 / 01-26) — state AGI rate, eff. Jan. 1, 2026 (IC 6-3-2-1)Verified Sep 15, 2026View source.
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