Required for attorneysAttorneys must e-file estate and guardianship cases through an Indiana certified e-filing provider. On paper: Self-represented filers are not required to e-file.
Self-represented filing
AllowedThe court's forms page has an Estates section with the small estate affidavit and the clerk's certificate as to costs and claims, and a Guardianship section with petitions, the court's instructions to guardians and the biennial report.
Probate - Clerk's Certificate as to Costs/ClaimsThe clerk's certification that costs are paid and claims released, filed before a final account is approved or with an unsupervised closing affidavit.
Fax
1-812-349-2791
Departments
Clerk1-812-349-2614 · 301 North College Avenue, Suite 201 · Monday-Friday 8:00 AM-4:00 PMThe Clerk of the Circuit Court in the Justice Building takes estate and guardianship filings. Clerks share information about forms and filing but do not give legal advice.
About the court
The Circuit Court is one unified court with nine divisions in the Justice Building. Estate, trust and guardianship cases are assigned to Division I.
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 Monroe County, probate runs through the Circuit Court at 301 North College Avenue, Suite 302, Bloomington. The court sits in the Judicial District 20. The same Judicial District 20 also serves Greene, Lawrence and Owen.
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 Monroe County
What probate costs in Monroe 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 at 301 North College Avenue, Suite 302, Bloomington. The court is part of the Judicial District 20.
Procedures at this court that affect cost: A supervised estate that stays open past a year files an intermediate account within 30 days after each year; Fees in a supervised estate are paid only by court order after an interim or final account is approved.
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
Probate cases in Monroe County, Indiana are filed at the Circuit Court. The court sits in the Judicial District 20.
Beside the filing office, the court lists a separate line for 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.
An estate closes only after costs are paid and claims released, shown by the clerk's certification.
In a supervised estate the clerk's certification is filed before the final account is approved; in an unsupervised estate it is filed with the closing affidavit.
Every estate files a corporate surety bond of at least $15,000 before letters issue, unless an exception applies.
No bond is required where a corporate banking fiduciary serves, or in a solvent estate where the surviving spouse is personal representative and sole distributee. Where a will waives bond or all distributees consent, the court still sets a bond to protect creditors and taxing authorities.
The personal representative reviews the claim docket three months and fifteen days after first publication and files a notice allowing or disallowing each claim.
Filed with the opening petition at the Circuit Court: 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 Monroe County
In Indiana a death is registered locally, and in Monroe County certified copies of the death certificate are issued by Monroe County Health Department, Vital Records Division as well as by Indiana Department of Health - Division of Vital Records.
Vital Records Office Record
Local Health Department
Monroe County · Monroe County Health Department, Vital Records Division
The office holds Monroe County records from 1882 and may be able to provide records from other Indiana counties. Corrections to a death certificate go through the funeral director who provided the services.
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 Monroe County are recorded with the County Recorder at 100 West Kirkwood Avenue, Room 122, Bloomington, IN 47404. Phone: 1-812-349-2520. Hours: Monday-Friday 8:00 AM-4:00 PM.
Documents submitted by mail go to P.O. Box 1634, Bloomington, IN 47402-1634.
The County Recorder charges $25 flat, regardless of page count.
Monroe 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 Monroe County firm to quote a structure up front.
A probate attorney files the petition with the Circuit Court, 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.
Columbus firm serving Bartholomew County and south-central Indiana, started in 1985. Estate and trust administration work covers probate and trust administration, intestate estates where no will can be found, and litigation over the administration of an estate. Jeff Rocker expanded the firm's estate planning practice after joining in 2005.
Bloomington firm serving Monroe County with probate, estate, and trust administration. Guides families after a death through the probate process, administration of estates with and without a will, and trust-management questions, alongside elder-law, adult guardianships, and Medicaid/asset-protection planning. A Certified Dementia Friendly Business.
PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateElder Lawand 6 more
Bloomington firm founded in 1939 — the oldest continually operating practice in Monroe County — with Edward F. McCrea and Aaron E. McCrea leading its estate work. Handles probate and estate administration alongside estate planning for Monroe County families.
PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateGuardianshipand 3 more
Bloomington firm (Monroe County) whose probate practice represents personal representatives and trustees through estate and trust administration. Also handles will and trust contests, interference-with-inheritance claims, beneficiary representation, will-spread-of-record, and estate mediation, giving it a settlement-side litigation capability.
Bedford firm in Lawrence County, founded in 2022 by David A. and Patrick J. Smith. David handles probate and trust administration, elder law and long-term-care planning, special-needs and Miller trusts, and guardianships, and is also licensed in Florida for Indiana clients holding property there.
PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateElder Lawand 2 more
Madison firm (One W. 6th Street, Jefferson County), formerly Alcorn Sage Schwartz & Magrath, serving southeast Indiana and northern Kentucky since 1976. Estate work covers wills, trusts, healthcare directives, elder-care planning, probate planning and estate tax concerns. By-appointment offices in Columbus, Lawrenceburg and Louisville, Kentucky.
PracticesEstate PlanningProbateElder LawTax Planningand 2 more
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.
$
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.
