Estate Planning & Probate in Will County, Illinois
There are two reasons people look up Will County probate: to keep a family out of it, or to get a loved one's estate through it. Start with your situation below; both paths use Will County's actual court and recording details.
Someone died — settling an estate
Filing probate at the Circuit Court, what it costs, transferring property, and local attorneys.
What to do when someone dies in Will County →Planning ahead as a property owner
Keep a Will County home out of probate with a transfer-on-death deed or a living trust.
Estate planning in Will County →The Probate Process in Will County
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 Will County, probate runs through the Circuit Court at 100 West Jefferson Street, Joliet. The court sits in the 12th Judicial Circuit.
Full Will County probate guide: cost, how to file & attorneys →Probate Court Record
Will County Circuit Court
Will County · 12th Judicial Circuit
Phone
Hours
Office
Website
E-filing
Self-represented filing
Self-help forms
How to file probate in Will County →
Verified October 16, 2026 · Source
Recording Office Record
County Recorder
Will County
Phone
Hours
Office
Website
Recording fee
Verified October 16, 2026 · Source
Vital Records Office Record
County Clerk
Will County · Will County Clerk's Office, Vital Records
Phone
Hours
Office
Website
Certified copies
Order online
Certified copy fee
Full death certificate details →
Verified November 1, 2026 · Source
Coroner or Medical Examiner Record
Coroner
Will County · Will County Coroner's Office
Phone
Hours
Office
Website
Cremation authorization
Full coroner or medical examiner details →
Verified November 1, 2026 · Source
Local Procedures at the Circuit Court
The legal self-help center is in the law library on the third floor of the courthouse, which also has an e-filing kiosk and eight public computers. Library staff are not lawyers and give legal information only; scanning is free and copies are paid in cash.
The order goes to the judge who heard the case, dated the day it was heard, and an agreed order is filed no earlier than 72 hours before the hearing. The filer still gives notice of the order's entry to every party. It describes each item of real and personal estate clearly enough to identify it. A claim based on a written instrument is filed with a copy of the instrument (Twelfth Circuit Rules 10.09 and 10.10).
Forms for Planning and Settling an Estate in Illinois
Free Illinois forms to plan or settle an estate: a will, trust, powers of attorney, TOD deed and the probate forms. Prepare each form for Illinois.
Last Will and Testament
In Illinois, a will is signed before 2755 ILCS 5/4-3Verified Oct 18, 2026View source witnesses, and the witnesses sign an affidavit at probate instead of a self-proving affidavit755 ILCS 5/4-3Verified Oct 18, 2026View source.
Revocable Living Trust
Create a revocable living trust to avoid probate, protect privacy, and control asset distribution.
Pour-Over Will
In Illinois, a pour-over will is signed before 2755 ILCS 5/4-3Verified Oct 18, 2026View source witnesses and moves anything left outside the trust into it through probate.
Healthcare Power of Attorney
Illinois requires 1755 ILCS 45/4-10Verified Oct 15, 2026View source witness for a healthcare power of attorney; notarization is not required755 ILCS 45/4-10Verified Oct 15, 2026View source.
Financial Power of Attorney
Illinois treats a power of attorney as durable by default755 ILCS 45/2-3, 45/2-5, 45/2-8, 45/2-10.6, 45/3-3, 45/3-3.6, 45/3-4; 765 ILCS 5/28; 755 ILCS 5/11-1Verified Sep 18, 2026View source, and it is signed before 1755 ILCS 45/2-3, 45/2-5, 45/2-8, 45/2-10.6, 45/3-3, 45/3-3.6, 45/3-4; 765 ILCS 5/28; 755 ILCS 5/11-1Verified Sep 18, 2026View source witness and a notary.
Tools for Planning and Settling an Estate in Illinois
Free calculators and checklists to plan or settle an estate in Illinois: will and trust costs, probate, executor pay 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.
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.
Do I Need Probate?
In Illinois, estates with personal property of $150,000755 ILCS 5/25-1Verified Sep 8, 2026View source or less skip probate with the Small Estate Affidavit755 ILCS 5/25-1Verified Sep 8, 2026View source.
Who Inherits Without a Will?
Without a will in Illinois, a surviving spouse takes half of the estate755 ILCS 5/2-1Verified Oct 21, 2026View source when a child or other descendant survives, and descendants divide what passes to them per stirpes755 ILCS 5/2-1Verified Oct 21, 2026View source.
How Much Does Probate Cost?
Probate on a $500,000 estate in Illinois costs an estimated $25,745755 ILCS 5/27-2 (reasonable compensation; no statutory percentage)Verified Sep 8, 2026View source. Attorney fees run 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 the estate under a reasonable-compensation standard.
Illinois Estate Planning Articles
Articles about estate planning, probate, and trusts relevant to families in Will County.
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