Probate in Arlington County

Probate Court Record

Arlington County Circuit Court

Arlington County · 17th Judicial Circuit

Hours

Monday-Friday 8:00 AM-4:00 PM

Office

Suite 6300, 1425 North Courthouse Road, Arlington, VA 22201

Files probate

Probate Office

Filing in person

Appointment required

Self-represented filing

Allowed

Self-help forms

How to file probate in Arlington County →

Verified October 16, 2026 · Source

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

Trust Administration Firms Serving Arlington County

Old Town Alexandria firm serving Alexandria, Arlington, Fairfax, Loudoun, and Prince William. Walks executors through the appointed tasks of settling an estate, or handles the probate start to finish, and takes trust administration, guardianship and conservatorship, and contested estates. Also licensed in DC and Maryland, which matters when the estate holds property across the line.

Serves 7 countiesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateConservatorshipGuardianshipWills Trusts

Vienna firm serving Fairfax County and the wider Washington region, licensed in Virginia, Maryland, and the District of Columbia. Estate and trust administration and probate are a named practice, alongside elder law, special-needs planning, and international tax and planning for cross-border estates. Offers a complimentary thirty-minute consultation.

Serves 5 countiesFree consultationEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateElder LawSpecial Needs Planning

Vienna firm serving Fairfax County and Northern Virginia since 1972. Advises executors, trustees, and other fiduciaries through probate, trust, and will administration — asset inventories and accountings, guardianships and conservatorships, and will disputes and fiduciary litigation — from the first filing through the annual accountings. Also licensed in Maryland.

Since 1972Serves 6 countiesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateConservatorshipGuardianshipWills Trusts

Virginia Beach boutique estate firm, with offices in Williamsburg and McLean, serving eastern Virginia and the DC area. Handles trust and probate administration, estate planning, elder law, asset protection, and charitable-entity work for families across generations. Offers a free consultation.

Serves 4 countiesFree consultationEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateElder LawAsset ProtectionWills Trusts

Alexandria firm serving Northern Virginia families with estate planning and probate administration. Handles wills, living trusts, powers of attorney, healthcare directives, and estate administration. Most planning meetings are conducted virtually, with an in-person signing ceremony, accommodating clients who prefer remote work.

Solo PracticeSince 2015Estate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateConservatorshipGuardianship+2

Downtown Norfolk firm serving South Hampton Roads, with offices in McLean and Richmond. Its trusts and estates lawyers serve as fiduciaries and as counsel to executors, administrators, and trustees, handling estate and trust administration alongside probate and estate tax work. Takes the estates that get complicated — closely held family businesses, executive compensation, and charitable gifts.

Serves 6 countiesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateTax PlanningCharitable PlanningWills Trusts

All 11 Virginia trust administration firms serving Arlington County →

Forms for Planning and Settling an Estate in Virginia

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

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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 Virginia, a pour-over will is signed before 2Va. Code § 64.2-403Verified Oct 19, 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 Virginia

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

How Do I Settle a Trust?

Settling a trust in Virginia happens outside court: the trustee acts under the state's Uniform Trust CodeVa. Code § 64.2-700 et seq.Verified Oct 17, 2026View source, notifies the beneficiaries within 60 daysVa. Code §§ 64.2-775, 64.2-796Verified 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 Virginia, trustee compensation follows "reasonable compensation" (UTC § 708 or equivalent)Va. Code Ann. § 64.2-761Verified 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 Virginia: the personal representative files the estate inventory within 120 daysVa. Code § 64.2-1300Verified Sep 15, 2026View source of appointment; creditors have 6 monthsVa. Code §§ 64.2-508.1, 64.2-528, 64.2-529, 64.2-550, 64.2-552, 64.2-556Verified Oct 19, 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?

Virginia requires a final state income tax return for the decedent alongside the federal Form 1040Va. Code §§ 58.1-320, 58.1-322.03, 58.1-360Verified 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 Virginia 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 ratesVa. Code § 58.1-320 (imposition of tax on individuals; graduated rate schedule)Verified Sep 15, 2026View source.

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