Required for attorneysProbate filings are e-filed through eFileIL by attorneys and self-represented filers alike. An original will cannot be e-filed and is filed with the clerk on paper. A self-represented filer without home internet access, an email account, or a credit card or bank account can file on paper after filing the Certification for Exemption From E-filing. On paper: Original wills, which are filed with the clerk on paper (Ill. S. Ct. R. 9(c)(1)).
Self-represented filing
This court requires an attorneyThe clerk's office directs anyone opening a decedent's estate to hire an attorney. The court's page for people without lawyers and the Chicago Volunteer Legal Services Probate Court Assistance Program, which takes low-income clients referred by probate judges, are the routes for a filer without one.
Self-help center
Daley Center, Room 6021-312-603-3530 · srlcenter@cookcountycourt.com · Monday-Friday 8:30 AM-4:30 PMThe clerk's Self-Represented Litigant Center helps people without a lawyer navigate the courts; it also answers at 1-312-603-3532.
Probate Division (court)1-312-603-5943 · Daley Center, 18th FloorThe Probate Division's courtrooms and the presiding judge's office are on the 18th floor; courtroom clerks take no phone calls.
Probate Division staff attorney1-312-603-7545 · probate.divatty@cookcountyil.govTakes administrative and procedural questions about decedent estates after the assigned judge's standing order has been checked.
Minor Guardianship Help Desk1-312-603-0135 · 69 West Washington Street, Suite 1020 · Monday-Friday 8:30 AM-4:30 PMHelps self-represented relatives seeking guardianship of a minor and parents discharging one, by appointment only. It does not handle guardianship of a financial estate.
Clerk of the Circuit Court, main office1-312-603-5030 · 50 West Washington Street, Suite 1001
About the court
The clerk's Probate Division counter is in Room 1202 of the Richard J. Daley Center and the courtrooms are on the 18th floor. The division hears decedent estates, adult guardianships and minor estates, and the clerk's suburban district offices have public e-filing workstations.
Probate is the court-supervised process of settling someone's estate after they die — validating the will, paying debts and taxes, and transferring what's left to the heirs. In Cook County, probate runs through the Circuit Court of Cook County at 50 West Washington Street, Room 1202, Chicago. The court sits in the Circuit Court of Cook County.
The personal representative opens the case, gives notice to heirs and creditors, files an inventory of the estate's assets, settles outstanding debts and taxes, and then distributes the remainder under the will — or under Illinois intestacy law when there is no will.
Most Illinois estates take 9 months to 14 months to move through this process. Creditors have 6 months755 ILCS 5/18-3, 5/18-10, 5/18-11, 5/18-12Verified Oct 18, 2026View source to present a claim, counted from the first publication of the notice to creditors.
What Probate Costs in Cook County
What probate costs in Cook County, Illinois comes down to a handful of line items — the court filing fee, attorney and executor compensation, publication, and sometimes a bond — scaled by the estate's size and whether the will is contested. The case itself runs through the Circuit Court of Cook County at 50 West Washington Street, Room 1202, Chicago. The court is part of the Circuit Court of Cook County.
Procedures at this court that affect cost: An account has five sections: receipts, disbursements, distributions, recapitulation and assets on hand; A representative accounts within 60 days after the first year of letters; a guardian of a ward within 30 days.
The Circuit Court of Cook County charges $284705 ILCS 105/27.1b(a)(2) (Clerks of Courts Act, as last amended by P.A. 104-468, eff. 7-1-26); former 705 ILCS 105/27.3f repealed by P.A. 104-468, eff. 7-1-26Verified Oct 17, 2026View source to open a probate case. Additional filings during administration — inventory, accounting, the final petition — add to the total.
Estimate the costs for this estate:
Attorney fees in Illinois are negotiated, typically 1.9%Modeled estimate under 755 ILCS 5/27-2 (reasonable compensation; no statutory percentage): the hours the statutory fee schedules imply, at the state's surveyed hourly rateVerified Sep 8, 2026View source to 3%Modeled estimate under 755 ILCS 5/27-2 (reasonable compensation; no statutory percentage): the hours the statutory fee schedules imply, at the state's surveyed hourly rateVerified Sep 8, 2026View source of estate value. Flat-fee arrangements are common for straightforward estates.
Illinois allows executors 'reasonable compensation' — around 2.2%–3.8% of a $500,000 estate, judging by what the states with statutory schedules pay755 ILCS 5/27-1 (reasonable compensation; no statutory percentage)Verified Sep 8, 2026View source. Family members who are also beneficiaries often waive the fee — executor pay is taxable income while inheritances are not.
Illinois requires publishing notice to creditors in a local newspaper, and the estate pays for it.
A surety bond may be required unless the will waives it or all beneficiaries consent. Premiums run roughly 0.5%Industry surety premium estimate; the bond itself under 755 ILCS 5/12-2 (bond required), 5/12-4 (security excused by will)Verified Sep 8, 2026View source of estate value annually.
Probate in Illinois typically runs 9 months to 14 months, and costs accrue throughout that period.
How to File Probate at the Circuit Court of Cook County
Probate cases in Cook County, Illinois are filed at the Circuit Court of Cook County. The court sits in the Circuit Court of Cook County.
Beside the filing office, the court lists separate lines for Probate Division (court), Probate Division staff attorney, Minor Guardianship Help Desk, and Clerk of the Circuit Court, main office.
The clerk's Self-Represented Litigant Center helps people without a lawyer navigate the courts; it also answers at 1-312-603-3532.
Can You File Without an Attorney?
In Illinois, informal probate is not available755 ILCS 5/6-4, 5/9-4 (court admits the will and issues letters; no registrar/clerk informal appointment)Verified Sep 8, 2026View source, so self-filing means a formal court petition rather than a registrar filing.
A will is filed at least 3 court days before the hearing on the petition to admit it, with a copy attached to an affidavit.
A handwritten will also needs a typewritten copy with an affidavit that it is correct, and a will in another language needs a certified translation (Cook County Circuit Court Rule 12.3).
Inventory items are numbered from 1 and carried into the accounts, with full descriptions of real estate and securities.
Real estate entries give the legal description, size, street address, improvements, unpaid tax years and any encumbrance; stock, bond and note entries give the identifying details (Cook County Circuit Court Rule 12.9).
An executor gives an individual bond even when the will waives bond or security.
A representative holding real estate adds bond of at least 1 1/2 times its estimated gross annual income with a surety company, or double with individual sureties (Cook County Circuit Court Rule 12.5).
Filed with the opening petition at the Circuit Court of Cook County: Copy of the death certificate, which the Cook County Clerk asks for when the will is filed; the Probate Act and the court rules do not require one, and a plain copy serves; Original will and any codicils, filed with the clerk on paper (755 ILCS 5/6-1 "Immediately upon the death of the testator any person who has the testator's will in his possession shall file it with the clerk of the court of the proper county"; Ill. S. Ct. R. 9(c)(1) excepts original wills from e-filing entirely — they "may not be electronically filed")755 ILCS 5/6-2, 5/6-8 (admit will & issue letters testamentary); 755 ILCS 5/9-3, 5/9-4 (letters of administration & preference); 755 ILCS 5/12-2 to 12-5 (oath & bond); 755 ILCS 5/28-2 (independent administration); 755 ILCS 5/6-13, 5/9-1 (who may act)Verified Aug 24, 2026View source.
Death Certificates and the Medical Examiner in Cook County
In Illinois a death is registered locally, and in Cook County certified copies of the death certificate are issued by Cook County Clerk's Office, Bureau of Vital Records as well as by Illinois Department of Public Health - Division of Vital Records.
Vital Records Office Record
County Clerk
Cook County · Cook County Clerk's Office, Bureau of Vital Records
The office keeps the death records of Chicago and suburban Cook County and prints most copies while you wait downtown and at the Skokie, Markham and Maywood courthouses. A mail request carries proof of relationship or financial interest and a photocopy of photo identification.
Clearing title to real estate after a death, whether by a personal representative’s deed, an affidavit of survivorship, or a court order, happens at the County Clerk.
Deeds and other real property documents for Cook County are recorded with the County Clerk at 118 North Clark Street, Room 120, Chicago, IL 60602. Phone: 1-312-603-5050. Hours: Monday-Friday 9:00 AM-5:00 PM (last customer accepted at 4:45 PM).
The County Clerk charges $107 flat, regardless of page count.
Cook County accepts electronic recording through Simplifile, CSC, ePN and Hopdox.
Illinois allows independent administration755 ILCS 5/28-1, 5/28-2 (independent administration granted unless the will forbids it or an interested person objects)Verified Sep 8, 2026View source, so the personal representative manages, pays and distributes the estate without returning to the court for approval at each step. A probate attorney earns the fee when the estate is contested, includes a business or out-of-state real estate, has unclear or insolvent debts, or when beneficiaries disagree.
Probate attorney fees in Illinois are based on reasonable compensation, billed hourly or as a flat fee. Ask a Cook County firm to quote a structure up front.
A probate attorney files the petition with the Circuit Court of Cook County, publishes the required creditor notices, prepares the inventory and accounting, handles creditor claims and tax filings, and guides the final distribution. They represent the personal representative — not the beneficiaries — a distinction that matters if a dispute develops.
Schaumburg practice serving northwest suburban Cook County and neighboring DuPage, Lake, and Kane counties. Represents clients on both sides of probate litigation, including will contests and disputes over executor or trustee conduct, and handles guardianships, wills, trusts, and powers of attorney. Free initial consultation.
PracticesEstate PlanningProbateProbate LitigationConservatorshipand 2 more
Office
1101 Perimeter Drive, Suite 220Schaumburg, IL 60173
Park Ridge firm of more than 40 years, with a by-appointment Chicago office, serving Cook and DuPage County families. Guides executors, administrators, and trustees through Illinois probate and trust administration — asset valuation, debt and tax resolution, distribution — and represents clients in will contests and heirship disputes. Also handles guardianships of adults and minors.
PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateProbate Litigationand 3 more
Oak Park practice serving Forest Park, Maywood, Berwyn, River Forest, Riverside, Elmwood Park, and the western Chicago suburbs. Collects estate assets and income, pays taxes, debts, and claims, transfers property titles to heirs, and represents either side in contested wills and trusts. Also handles guardianships and powers of attorney.
PracticesEstate PlanningProbateProbate LitigationConservatorshipand 2 more
Orland Park solo practice serving south suburban Cook, DuPage, and Will counties. Guides executors, administrators, and heirs through probate and estate administration — will interpretation, asset identification and distribution, real-estate sales, and account closure — with particular depth on the tax side of settling an estate.
PracticesEstate PlanningProbateWills Trusts
Office
13500 Circle Drive, Suite 203Orland Park, IL 60462
Arlington Heights practice on Salt Creek Lane serving the northwest suburbs — Palatine, Rolling Meadows, Schaumburg, and Barrington — across Cook, Lake, and DuPage counties. Attorney Donald J. Cosley drafts wills, revocable living trusts, powers of attorney for property and health care, and HIPAA releases. Offers free consultations and Spanish-language service.
PracticesEstate PlanningWills Trusts
Office
3030 Salt Creek Lane, Suite 120Arlington Heights, IL 60005
Downtown Evanston practice on Church Street serving Evanston, Chicago, and North Shore families. Handles Cook County probate — validating the will, collecting assets, paying debts and taxes, and distributing to beneficiaries — plus trust administration and estate mediation. Attorney Daci Jett meets clients in person or by video.
Firm listings are for informational purposes only. SimplyTrust does not endorse or recommend any specific firm or attorney. Contact firms directly to verify their current practice areas and availability.
Data sourced from Illinois statutes and official state code. Fee percentages are modeled estimates; each figure's note says how. How we research.
Tools for Settling an Estate in Illinois
Free tools for settling an estate in Illinois: whether probate is needed, executor and trustee pay, creditor deadlines and taxes. Run each tool for Illinois.
How Do I Settle an Estate?
Settling an estate in Illinois: the personal representative files the estate inventory within 60 days755 ILCS 5/14-1Verified Oct 10, 2026View source of appointment; creditors have 6 months755 ILCS 5/18-3, 5/18-10, 5/18-11, 5/18-12Verified Oct 18, 2026View source to present claims; a simple estate closes in 6 months to 9 months.
See the Steps
How Do I Settle a Trust?
Settling a trust in Illinois happens outside court: the trustee acts under the state's Uniform Trust Code760 ILCS 3/101 et seq.Verified Oct 17, 2026View source, notifies the beneficiaries within 90 days760 ILCS 3/813.1Verified Oct 10, 2026View source, then pays the debts and distributes under the trust's terms.
See the Steps
Can I Self-File Probate?
In Illinois, informal probate is not available755 ILCS 5/6-4, 5/9-4 (court admits the will and issues letters; no registrar/clerk informal appointment)Verified Sep 8, 2026View source, so self-filing means a formal court petition rather than a registrar filing.
Enter the estate value to see Illinois attorney fees, executor fees, court costs and the timeline.
Examples:
General information about probate costs, not legal or financial advice. Fee bases vary by state and may use gross estate, personal property, inventory value or net property after debts. Actual costs vary by county, attorney and estate complexity. Consult a licensed attorney for legal questions.
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See whether you can file probate yourself
Enter the estate value to see whether Illinois lets a self-represented person open probate, what the court requires, and what each route costs.
General information about filing probate without a lawyer, not legal advice. Both routes are priced by the probate cost estimator on the same estate; the attorney fee is the one line that differs. Actual costs vary by county, attorney and estate complexity. Consult a licensed attorney for legal questions.
