District of Columbia Inheritance: Plan an Estate or Settle One
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Plan your District of Columbia estate or settle a loved one's: free forms, probate courts, calculators, agencies, banks, and attorneys, in one place.
Planning your estate in District of Columbia
Free District of Columbia estate planning forms, calculators that price a will or trust, and District of Columbia estate planning attorneys.
Estate Planning in District of Columbia →Someone died. Settling an estate in District of Columbia
District of Columbia probate courts, executor forms, probate cost and executor fee calculators, and the agencies and banks to notify after a death.
District of Columbia Resources for Executors →What Makes District of Columbia Different
The District has not adopted the Uniform Probate Code, has enacted the Uniform Trust CodeD.C. Code § 19-1301.01 et seq. (D.C. Law 15-104, eff. Mar. 10, 2004)Verified Oct 17, 2026View source, and has adopted the Uniform Power of Attorney ActD.C. Code §§ 21-2601.04, 21-2601.05, 21-2601.06, 21-2601.09, 21-2601.13, 21-2601.14, 21-2601.19, 21-2601.20, 21-2602.01, 21-2602.17, 21-2603.01, 21-2603.03Verified Sep 18, 2026View source.
Probate of a simple estate in the District runs 6 months to 12 months; an average estate takes 12 months to 18 months. The court filing fee is $0 - $11,300 (graduated by personal property)Super. Ct. Prob. R. 108(a)(1); D.C. Code § 15-707Verified Sep 8, 2026View source; attorney fees are reasonable compensationD.C. Code § 20-753 (reasonableness review of attorney compensation; no statutory percentage)Verified Sep 8, 2026View source; executor compensation typically runs 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. On a $500,000 estate the estimated total comes to $26,493D.C. Code § 20-753 (reasonableness review of attorney compensation; no statutory percentage)Verified Sep 8, 2026View source. The personal representative must post a bondD.C. Code § 20-502Verified Sep 8, 2026View source, which the will may waiveD.C. Code § 20-502Verified Sep 8, 2026View source.
Certified death certificates come from the DC Health - Vital Records DivisionDC Health - Vital Records DivisionVerified Oct 15, 2026View source at $18DC Health - Vital Records DivisionVerified Oct 15, 2026View source a copy. Processing time: 2-4 weeks for remote orders, plus shipping; walk-up requests are often filled the same dayDC Health - Vital Records DivisionVerified Oct 15, 2026View source. Once appointed, the personal representative files the estate inventory within 90 daysD.C. Code §§ 20-711 to 20-713.01Verified Sep 15, 2026View source of appointment and publishes the notice to creditors for 2D.C. Code §§ 20-704, 20-903, 20-905, 20-906, 20-908Verified Oct 18, 2026View source consecutive weeks.
A surviving spouse left out of the will can elect to takeD.C. Code § 19-113Verified Sep 15, 2026View source 50%D.C. Code § 19-113Verified Sep 15, 2026View source of the estate instead. The family allowance during administration is capped at $30,000D.C. Code §§ 19-101.04, 19-101.05Verified Oct 11, 2026View source. Property left to a minor under the Uniform Transfers to Minors Act is released at 18 yearsD.C. Code § 21-320Verified Sep 15, 2026View source of age. The District taxes incomeD.C. Code § 47-1806.03Verified Sep 20, 2026View source at a top rate of 10.75%D.C. Code § 47-1806.03Verified Sep 20, 2026View source. An heir's capital gains on inherited assets: ordinary income tax at the state's regular ratesD.C. Official Code § 47-1806.03(a)(11) (graduated rates, TY2022+)Verified Sep 15, 2026View source.
Legal Sources
- D.C. Code § 19-113
- D.C. Code § 19-1301.01 et seq. (D.C. Law 15-104, eff. Mar. 10, 2004)
- D.C. Code § 20-502
- D.C. Code § 20-753 (reasonableness review of attorney compensation; no statutory percentage)
- D.C. Code § 21-320
Show 9 more sourcesShow fewer sources
- D.C. Code § 47-1806.03
- D.C. Code §§ 19-101.04, 19-101.05
- D.C. Code §§ 20-704, 20-903, 20-905, 20-906, 20-908
- D.C. Code §§ 20-711 to 20-713.01
- D.C. Code §§ 21-2601.04, 21-2601.05, 21-2601.06, 21-2601.09, 21-2601.13, 21-2601.14, 21-2601.19, 21-2601.20, 21-2602.01, 21-2602.17, 21-2603.01, 21-2603.03
- D.C. Official Code § 47-1806.03(a)(11) (graduated rates, TY2022+)
- DC Health - Vital Records Division
- Estimated from the 16 state statutes that set an executor fee schedule (median and interquartile range at this estate value)
- Super. Ct. Prob. R. 108(a)(1); D.C. Code § 15-707
Data sourced from District of Columbia statutes and official state code. How we research.
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