Required for attorneysAttorneys must e-file estate, guardianship and trust cases through an Indiana certified e-filing provider. Self-represented filers may file on paper with the clerk. On paper: Self-represented filers are not required to e-file.
Self-represented filing
AllowedThe clerk's page carries a small estate affidavit for estates up to $100,000, which is not filed with the court, and a court-ordered format for a petition to the court. Every filing goes through the clerk's office with a certificate of service on the other parties.
Accepted payment
At the counterThe clerk does not take personal checks, debit cards or credit cards for filing fees.
County forms
Small Estate AffidavitAffidavit to collect a decedent's assets without opening an estate where the estate does not exceed $100,000; it is not filed with the court.
Fax
1-317-477-1711
Departments
Superior Court 11-317-477-1148 · 9 East Main Street, Room 303 · Monday-Friday 8:00 AM-4:00 PMSuperior Court 1 shares the estate, guardianship and trust docket with the Circuit Court.
Clerk1-317-477-1109 · 9 East Main Street, Room 213 · Monday-Friday 8:00 AM-4:00 PMEstate, guardianship and trust cases are filed with the Clerk of the Circuit Court, who assigns each new case to the Circuit Court or Superior Court 1.
About the court
Estates, guardianships and trusts in Hancock County are heard by the Circuit Court or Superior Court 1, assigned at random by the clerk when the case is filed. Both courts and the clerk are in the courthouse at 9 East Main Street.
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 Hancock County, probate runs through the Circuit Court or Superior Court 1 at 9 East Main Street, Room 302, Greenfield. The court sits in the Judicial District 17. Hancock County shares the Judicial District 17 with Johnson and Shelby.
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 Indiana intestacy law when there is no will.
Most Indiana estates take 9 months to 15 months to move through this process. 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 a claim, counted from the first publication of the notice to creditors.
What Probate Costs in Hancock County
What probate costs in Hancock County, Indiana 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 or Superior Court 1 at 9 East Main Street, Room 302, Greenfield. The court is part of the Judicial District 17.
Indiana charges $177IC § 33-37-4-7(a) (as amended by P.L.106-2025); IC §§ 33-37-5-20, -21, -21.2, -25, -26, -27, -31Verified Oct 17, 2026View source to open probate, the same in every county. Additional filings during administration — inventory, accounting, the final petition — add to the total.
Estimate the costs for this estate:
Attorney fees in Indiana are negotiated, typically 1.8%Modeled estimate under IC 29-1-10-13 (reasonable compensation; no statutory percentage): the hours the statutory fee schedules imply, at the state's surveyed hourly rateVerified Sep 8, 2026View source to 2.8%Modeled estimate under IC 29-1-10-13 (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.
Indiana allows executors 'reasonable compensation' — around 2.2%–3.8% of a $500,000 estate, judging by what the states with statutory schedules payIC 29-1-10-13 (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.
Indiana requires publishing notice to creditors in a local newspaper, and the estate pays for it.
Probate in Indiana typically runs 9 months to 15 months, and costs accrue throughout that period.
How to File Probate at the Circuit Court or Superior Court 1
Probate cases in Hancock County, Indiana are filed at the Circuit Court or Superior Court 1. The court sits in the Judicial District 17.
Beside the filing office, the court lists separate lines for Superior Court 1 and Clerk.
Can You File Without an Attorney?
Indiana has no statewide fill-in probate petition, so the opening petition is drafted as a legal pleading, and informal probate is not availableIC 29-1-7-13(b) (court grants letters); IC 29-1-10-3 (clerk administers oath only)Verified Sep 8, 2026View source.
These are specific requirements for filing probate in this county. Following these guidelines will help avoid delays or rejected filings.
Before You File
Estates are filed at random in the Circuit Court or Superior Court 1
Supervised, unsupervised and small estates, guardianships and trusts are docketed only in the Circuit Court or Superior Court 1, and the clerk assigns each new case to one of them at random unless a related case is pending in the other.
Papers in an open case may be faxed with the judge's permission
With the judge's permission, a pleading of nine pages or fewer in an existing case may be faxed to the clerk, ten pages at most per transmission including a cover sheet signed by the self-represented party. A fax produced between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. on a business day is filed that day.
Filed with the opening petition at the Circuit Court or Superior Court 1: Original will and any codicils, delivered to the court that has jurisdiction of the administration (IC 29-1-7-3); A certified copy of the death certificate is commonly requested by the court or by asset holders, but it is not an element of the petition under IC 29-1-7-5; Petition for probate of will and issuance of letters / petition for appointment, with the contents required by IC 29-1-7-5 (decedent, heirs, devisees/legatees, domicile, date of death, and the attorney who is to represent the personal representative)IC 29-1-7 (probate of wills & issuance of letters; petition contents IC 29-1-7-5); IC 29-1-10 (appointment & qualification of personal representatives); IC 29-1-7.5 (unsupervised administration)Verified Aug 24, 2026View source.
Death Certificates and the Coroner in Hancock County
In Indiana a death is registered locally, and in Hancock County certified copies of the death certificate are issued by Hancock County Health Department, Vital Records as well as by Indiana Department of Health - Division of Vital Records.
Vital Records Office Record
Local Health Department
Hancock County · Hancock County Health Department, Vital Records
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 Recorder.
Deeds and other real property documents for Hancock County are recorded with the County Recorder at 111 South American Legion Place, Suite 202, Greenfield, IN 46140. Phone: 1-317-477-1142. Hours: Monday-Friday 8:00 AM-4:00 PM.
The County Recorder charges $25 flat, regardless of page count.
Hancock County accepts electronic recording through CSC, ePN, Indecomm and Simplifile.
Indiana allows independent administrationIC 29-1-7.5-1, IC 29-1-7.5-2, IC 29-1-7.5-3Verified 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 Indiana are based on reasonable compensation, billed hourly or as a flat fee. Ask a Hancock County firm to quote a structure up front.
A probate attorney files the petition with the Circuit Court or Superior Court 1, 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.
Indianapolis firm serving Marion, Hamilton, Boone, and Hancock Counties (Fishers, Carmel, Noblesville). Attorneys Martin Barnes and Jeffrey Cadwell handle probate and estate administration, sorting probate versus non-probate assets and walking executors through letters testamentary and creditor claims, plus creditors'-rights and asset-protection matters.
Indianapolis estate and elder-law firm serving Marion County and surrounding central-Indiana communities (Carmel, Fishers, Greenwood, Plainfield) through the local probate process. Handles will filing, estate asset identification and valuation, debt and tax settlement, executor guidance, beneficiary disputes, and trust administration. Offers a free consultation.
PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateElder Lawand 3 more
Office
135 N Pennsylvania St, Suite 1100Indianapolis, IN 46204
Fishers firm serving Hamilton County and the broader central-Indiana region (Marion, Hancock, Boone, Madison counties) with estate administration and probate representation. Handles decedent estates, will-contest litigation, transfer-on-death deeds, and non-probate asset transfers, as well as wills and powers of attorney.
PracticesEstate PlanningProbateProbate LitigationGuardianshipand 3 more
Greenfield firm serving Hancock County and the eastern Indianapolis metro, founded in 1986. Its estate lawyers work with executors and beneficiaries through the administration of a will or trust, draft wills and trusts, and also represent families contesting wills and trusts.
Greenfield firm serving Hancock County, Henry County, and Indianapolis. Handles probate administration and estate settlement, from identifying and appraising assets through paying debts and taxes to distributing property, and can run a trust distribution alongside the probate estate. Also takes guardianship proceedings and elder-law work including Medicaid eligibility and nursing-home planning.
PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateElder Lawand 6 more
South Bend firm led by Laura M. Longstreet, a former St. Joseph County Superior Court clerk and guardian ad litem, serving South Bend and Indianapolis. Represents individuals and families in probate proceedings and estate planning, with particular attention to LGBTQ+ and nontraditional families.
PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbatePowers Of AttorneyWills Trusts
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 Indiana 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 Indiana
Free tools for settling an estate in Indiana: whether probate is needed, executor and trustee pay, creditor deadlines and taxes. Run each tool for Indiana.
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.
See the Steps
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.
See the Steps
Can I Self-File Probate?
Indiana has no statewide fill-in probate petition, so the opening petition is drafted as a legal pleading, and informal probate is not availableIC 29-1-7-13(b) (court grants letters); IC 29-1-10-3 (clerk administers oath only)Verified Sep 8, 2026View source.
Enter the estate value to see Indiana 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 Indiana 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.
