OptionalA filer who does not want an in-person appointment completes the probate by mail or email, starting with the office's online e-File submission. Use either the e-File or an appointment, not both, since doing both delays the case.
Filing in person
Appointment requiredThe office sees filers by appointment only. Book the New Brunswick office through the online scheduler or by calling 1-732-745-3055 if you need an accommodation; Tuesday appointments run until 6:00 PM. Satellite appointments in Monroe and Woodbridge are requested with the Estate Information Sheet.
Self-represented filing
AllowedThe office's When a Loved One Dies page lists what an executor or administrator brings: the original will, a certified death certificate, valid identification, the names and addresses of all next of kin, and payment.
Accepted payment
At the counterCheck, Credit card.Probate fees are paid by check or by Visa, Mastercard or Discover; cash and American Express are not accepted. A check in the decedent's name is accepted only from a joint spousal account, and checks are payable to Middlesex County Surrogate Court. Records requests also take money orders.
County forms
Estate Information SheetRequests a probate appointment at the Monroe or Woodbridge satellite office, sent by email or mail with the death certificate and will.
Mail
P.O. Box 790
New Brunswick, NJ 08903
Fax
1-732-745-4125
Departments
Records Department1-732-745-3310Handles exemplified copies, searches, copies of records and updated certificates. Requests go by mail with a check or money order.
About the court
Visitors to the County Administration Building show a photo ID at the door. Probate and letters issue only after the 10th day after the death, though a will may be brought in any time after the death.
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 Middlesex County, probate runs through the Surrogate's Court at County Administration Building, 75 Bayard Street, 1st Floor, New Brunswick. Middlesex County is one of 6 New Jersey counties that accept probate e-filing; most probate courts in the state still take filings on paper.
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 New Jersey intestacy law when there is no will.
Most New Jersey estates take 9 months to 12 months to move through this process. Creditors have 9 monthsN.J.S.A. 3B:22-2, 3B:22-4, 3B:22-8, 3B:22-10, 3B:22-33Verified Oct 18, 2026View source to present a claim, counted from the date of death.
What Probate Costs in Middlesex County
What probate costs in Middlesex County, New Jersey 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 Surrogate's Court at County Administration Building, 75 Bayard Street, 1st Floor, New Brunswick.
New Jersey charges $100N.J.S.A. 22A:2-30Verified 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 New Jersey are negotiated, typically 2.4%Modeled estimate under R. 4:42-9(a)(3) (counsel fee out of the estate); R. 4:42-9(b) (affidavit of services; RPC 1.5(a) factors; no statutory percentage); N.J.S.A. 3B:18-6 (attorney serving as fiduciary): the hours the statutory fee schedules imply, at the state's surveyed hourly rateVerified Sep 8, 2026View source to 3.9%Modeled estimate under R. 4:42-9(a)(3) (counsel fee out of the estate); R. 4:42-9(b) (affidavit of services; RPC 1.5(a) factors; no statutory percentage); N.J.S.A. 3B:18-6 (attorney serving as fiduciary): 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.
New Jersey sets executor compensation by statute — about $20,500 on a $500,000 estate, roughly 4.1%N.J.S.A. 3B:18-14Verified Sep 8, 2026View source. Family members who are also beneficiaries often waive the fee — executor pay is taxable income while inheritances are not.
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 N.J.S.A. 3B:15-1Verified Sep 8, 2026View source of estate value annually.
Probate in New Jersey typically runs 9 months to 12 months, and costs accrue throughout that period.
How to File Probate at the Surrogate's Court
Probate documents in Middlesex County can be filed in person at the Surrogate's Court, by mail, or electronically. Most families handling probate themselves prefer paper filing, though e-filing is available.
Beside the filing office, the court lists a separate line for Records Department.
Can You File Without an Attorney?
New Jersey has no statewide fill-in probate petition, so the opening petition is drafted as a legal pleading, and informal probate is not availableN.J.S.A. 3B:3-17, 3B:3-19; 2B:14-1 (Surrogate is the Judge and Clerk of the Surrogate's Court — no non-judicial/registrar track)Verified Sep 8, 2026View source.
Pleadings in Probate Part matters are delivered to the Surrogate's Court as originals, not submitted through JEDS. Copies are needed only when filed copies are to be returned.
On-street metered parking, street-level lots and multi-level parking decks are near the Administration Building; allow extra time to park.
What to Bring
Filed with the opening petition at the Surrogate's Court: Original will and any codicils (lodged with the Surrogate for probate); Certificate of death, or other competent proof of death — the requirement may be dispensed with for good cause, and does not apply to an application for substitutionary letters (County Surrogates in practice ask for a certified copy with a raised seal); Application identifying the heirs / next of kin and persons entitled to letters, with their addresses and relationshipsN.J.S.A. 3B:3-17 (probate of will & grant of letters), 3B:3-22 (10-day wait), 3B:10-1, 3B:10-2, 3B:10-13 (letters of administration)Verified Aug 24, 2026View source.
Death Certificates and the Medical Examiner in Middlesex County
In Middlesex County certified copies of the death certificate come from the Local Registrar of the town or city where the death occurred, or from New Jersey Department of Health - Office of Vital Statistics and Registry.
Vital Records Office Record
New Jersey Department of Health - Office of Vital Statistics and Registry
From the Local Registrar of the town or city where the death occurred, or from New Jersey Department of Health - Office of Vital Statistics and Registry
Mail
Vital Record Mail Services
Attn: New Jersey Vital Records
P.O. Box 222130
El Paso, TX 79913
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 Middlesex County are recorded with the County Clerk at 75 Bayard Street, 4th Floor, New Brunswick, NJ 08901. Phone: 1-732-745-3002. Hours: Monday-Friday 8:30 AM-4:10 PM (must arrive by 4:00 PM).
Documents submitted by mail go to P.O. Box 1110, New Brunswick, NJ 08903.
The County Clerk charges $30 for the first page plus $10 for each additional page.
Middlesex County accepts electronic recording through the New Jersey County Recording portal.
New Jersey allows independent administrationN.J.S.A. 3B:14-23 (fiduciary powers without court authorization); 3B:16-2 (inventory only if the court requires it); 3B:17-2 (accounting only if required)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 New Jersey are based on reasonable compensation, billed hourly or as a flat fee. Ask a Middlesex County firm to quote a structure up front.
A probate attorney files the petition with the Surrogate's 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.
Cosner Law Group serves Middlesex County families from East Brunswick, handling probate, estate and trust administration, guardianships, and elder law before the Surrogate's Court. The firm represents executors and beneficiaries through estate settlement, will preparation, and long-term care planning, and has practiced in central New Jersey for more than 50 years.
PracticesEstate PlanningProbateElder LawGuardianshipand 2 more
Robert C. Nisenson practices from East Brunswick and files through the Middlesex County Surrogate in New Brunswick. He advises heirs, beneficiaries, personal representatives and estate administrators on probate and estate administration, and prepares wills and trusts. The initial consultation is free.
Wolfe Ossa Law serves Middlesex County from Metuchen, filing through the Middlesex County Surrogate in New Brunswick. Its estate administration practice covers probate, asset distribution, estate and inheritance tax filings, inventory and accounting, and will contests, backed by an elder law and Medicaid practice for families dealing with long-term care. Consultations are free.
PracticesEstate PlanningProbateElder LawGuardianshipand 2 more
Office
475 Main Street, 2nd Floor, Chase BuildingMetuchen, NJ 08840
Augulis Law Firm works from Warren in Somerset County and serves Somerset, Middlesex, Union, Hunterdon and Morris families. The practice covers trust administration, Medicaid and elder law, special needs planning, and asset protection for family-owned businesses, alongside wills, trusts, and incapacity documents. Estate planning consultations are free.
PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationElder LawSpecial Needs Planningand 2 more
Giuditta Law Firm provides estate planning and probate services to families in Union County and throughout New Jersey. Founding attorney Nicholas A. Giuditta III brings 30 years of experience and co-chairs the Union County Bar Association Elder Law Committee.
Founded in 1978, Hill Wallack is a Princeton firm serving Mercer County and central New Jersey. Its Trusts & Estates attorneys handle probate, collection of assets, payment of estate liabilities, estate tax returns, and distribution, guiding executors and trustees through estate administration alongside will and trust drafting.
PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateCharitable PlanningWealth Transfer
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 New Jersey 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 New Jersey
Free tools for settling an estate in New Jersey: whether probate is needed, executor and trustee pay, creditor deadlines and taxes. Run each tool.
How Do I Settle an Estate?
Settling an estate in New Jersey: creditors have 9 monthsN.J.S.A. 3B:22-2, 3B:22-4, 3B:22-8, 3B:22-10, 3B:22-33Verified 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 New Jersey happens outside court: the trustee acts under the state's Uniform Trust CodeN.J.S.A. 3B:31-1 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?
New Jersey has no statewide fill-in probate petition, so the opening petition is drafted as a legal pleading, and informal probate is not availableN.J.S.A. 3B:3-17, 3B:3-19; 2B:14-1 (Surrogate is the Judge and Clerk of the Surrogate's Court — no non-judicial/registrar track)Verified Sep 8, 2026View source.
Enter the estate value to see New Jersey 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 New Jersey 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.
