OptionalNotices of estates, the Rule 10.5 certification of notice and the Rule 10.6 status report, can be filed online with the Orphans' Court. A new estate is probated at an in-person or virtual appointment.
Filing in person
Appointment requiredProbates are by 30-minute appointment, in person or virtual. For an in-person appointment, call the probate front desk at 610-891-4400 and bring the originals. For a virtual appointment, email the materials to the probate mailbox for review and scheduling; the originals and payment follow by mail.
Self-represented filing
AllowedThe office's Probate Appointment Information Guide lists what to bring to an in-person or virtual probate, and its forms page and video walkthroughs cover the documents for estates with and without a will. The Delaware County Bar Association gives lawyer referrals.
Accepted payment
At the counterCheck, Money order, Credit card.Probate fees are paid by check, money order or credit card, and the office takes no cash. Card payments carry a 3 percent administrative fee.
Probate1-610-891-4419 · Takes probate filings · probate@co.delaware.pa.usMaterials for a virtual probate appointment are emailed to this mailbox as PDF attachments in one message.
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 Delaware County, probate runs through the Orphans' Court at Government Center, 201 West Front Street, Media. Delaware County runs probate e-filing through delcopa.seamlessdocs.com, the only Pennsylvania county on that system.
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 Pennsylvania intestacy law when there is no will.
Most Pennsylvania estates take 9 months to 14 months to move through this process. Creditors have 12 months20 Pa.C.S. §§ 3162, 3381-3392, 3532Verified Oct 19, 2026View source to present a claim, counted from the first publication of the notice to creditors.
What Probate Costs in Delaware County
What probate costs in Delaware County, Pennsylvania 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 Orphans' Court at Government Center, 201 West Front Street, Media.
The Orphans' Court charges $50 - $950+ (based on estate value)42 P.S. § 21022.1; 42 Pa.C.S. § 3733; 204 Pa. Code § 29.351(c), (g)Verified 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 Pennsylvania are negotiated, typically 1.9%Modeled estimate under In re Trust Estate of LaRocca, 431 Pa. 542, 246 A.2d 337 (1968); In re Estate of Preston, 560 A.2d 160, 165 (Pa. Super. 1989); Estate of Andrews, 2026 PA Super 168 (no statutory fee schedule): the hours the statutory fee schedules imply, at the state's surveyed hourly rateVerified Sep 8, 2026View source to 3%Modeled estimate under In re Trust Estate of LaRocca, 431 Pa. 542, 246 A.2d 337 (1968); In re Estate of Preston, 560 A.2d 160, 165 (Pa. Super. 1989); Estate of Andrews, 2026 PA Super 168 (no statutory fee schedule): 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.
Pennsylvania allows executors 'reasonable compensation' — around 2.2%–3.8% of a $500,000 estate, judging by what the states with statutory schedules pay20 Pa.C.S. § 3537 (compensation "reasonable and just"; no statutory percentage); In re Estate of Sonovick, 541 A.2d 374, 376 (Pa. Super. 1988); Estate of Andrews, 2026 PA Super 168Verified Sep 8, 2026View source. Family members who are also beneficiaries often waive the fee — executor pay is taxable income while inheritances are not.
Pennsylvania 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 20 Pa.C.S. §§ 3171, 3174 (bond before letters except as § 3174 provides; a PA-resident PR named in the will or sole residuary legatee excused); § 3175 (bond may still be required)Verified Sep 8, 2026View source of estate value annually.
Probate in Pennsylvania typically runs 9 months to 14 months, and costs accrue throughout that period.
How to File Probate at the Orphans' Court
Probate documents in Delaware County can be filed in person at the Probate of the Orphans' Court, by mail, or electronically. Most families handling probate themselves prefer paper filing, though e-filing is available. Delaware County is one of 15 Pennsylvania counties that accept probate e-filing; most probate courts in the state still take filings on paper.
Can You File Without an Attorney?
In Pennsylvania, informal probate is available20 Pa.C.S. § 901 (register jurisdiction over probate and letters), § 3155 (register grants letters), § 908 (appeal from the register's decree to the Orphans' Court)Verified Sep 8, 2026View source, and a self-represented executor can usually handle it for a simple, uncontested estate.
These are specific requirements for filing probate in this county. Following these guidelines will help avoid delays or rejected filings.
Document Requirements
What to bring to a probate appointment
Bring the original death certificate, the original will if there is one, any witness oaths, original renunciations and codicils, a bond where the administrator lives outside Pennsylvania or is under 18, and government-issued photo identification for the personal representative. Materials are not sent ahead for an in-person appointment.
Filed with the opening petition at the Orphans' Court: Original will and any codicils, presented to the Register of Wills of the county of the decedent’s last family or principal residence (20 Pa.C.S. §§ 3131, 3132); Original (raised-seal) death certificate, presented at the county Register of Wills — county intake practice, not a statutory, rule, or statewide-form requirement for a grant of letters; Completed RW-02 Petition for Grant of Letters (rev. 10/11/2011), including the Oath of Personal Representative on page 220 Pa.C.S. §§ 3155-3157 (persons entitled; nonresidents); § 901 (register’s jurisdiction)Verified Aug 24, 2026View source.
Death Certificates and the Medical Examiner in Delaware County
In Delaware County certified copies of the death certificate come from Pennsylvania Department of Health - Division of Vital Records; the Local Registrar files the certificate and issues no copies to the public.
Vital Records Office Record
Pennsylvania Department of Health - Division of 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 Recorder of Deeds.
Deeds and other real property documents for Delaware County are recorded with the Recorder of Deeds at Government Center, Room 108, 201 West Front Street, Media, PA 19063. Phone: 1-610-891-4152. Hours: Monday-Friday 8:30 AM-4:30 PM.
The Recorder of Deeds charges $117 for the first 4 pages plus $4 for each page beyond 4.
Delaware County accepts electronic recording through Simplifile, CSC, ePN and Indecomm.
County fee schedule adopted under the Recorder of Deeds Fee Law (Act 87 of 1982, 16 P.S. § 11011-1 et seq.), 42 Pa.C.S. § 3733(a.1)(1)(v), and 53 Pa.C.S. § 6011
Pennsylvania allows informal probate, so many families settle straightforward estates in Delaware County without hiring an attorney. 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 Pennsylvania are based on reasonable compensation, billed hourly or as a flat fee. Ask a Delaware County firm to quote a structure up front.
A probate attorney files the petition with the Orphans' 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.
Center City Philadelphia firm with a second office in Media, representing individuals since 1960 and assisting clients throughout Philadelphia and Delaware County. Takes estates through probate from the petition and notice to heirs to the inventory, payment of creditors and estate taxes, and final distribution. Also handles estate planning, tax planning, special needs planning, and business succession.
PracticesEstate PlanningProbateTax PlanningSpecial Needs Planningand 2 more
Office
1608 Walnut Street, Suite 900Philadelphia, PA 19103
Media firm, serving Delaware County since 1964 with a second office in West Chester, whose estates department handles estate and trust administration, probate, inheritance tax and fiduciary income tax returns, accountings, and guardianships. Its estate litigators represent clients in will contests and other estate and trust disputes in the Orphans' Courts of Philadelphia, Delaware, Chester, and Montgomery counties. Also prepares wills, revocable trusts, and estate tax plans.
PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateProbate Litigationand 6 more
West Conshohocken trust and estate firm in Montgomery County, founded in 1994, that appears before the Register of Wills and Orphans' Courts throughout Pennsylvania. Represents executors and trustees in probating wills, filing federal estate, state death and fiduciary income tax returns, and discharging the executor by family agreement or formal audit, and litigates will and trust contests, fiduciary accountings, surcharge and removal, and contested guardianships for beneficiaries and fiduciaries alike.
PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateProbate Litigationand 4 more
Office
1001 Conshohocken State Road, Suite 1-300West Conshohocken, PA 19428
Philadelphia firm on Walnut Street handling estate probate and administration in Philadelphia County and across Southeastern Pennsylvania. Serves executors, administrators, heirs and trustees from appointment and estate advertising through inventory, tax returns, final accounting and distribution, and readies inherited homes for sale for out-of-state fiduciaries who settle the estate remotely.
PracticesEstate PlanningProbate
Office
1845 Walnut Street, Suite 1300Philadelphia, PA 19103
Eagle Road firm in Wayne, with a West Chester office by appointment, serving families in Chester, Delaware and Montgomery counties. Guides personal representatives from letters at the Register of Wills through asset gathering, notice to heirs, creditor advertising, debts and final accounting, and prepares the Pennsylvania inheritance tax return (REV-1500) and federal estate tax return (Form 706) in house. Also handles trust administration, guardianships and contested guardianships, special needs trusts and long-term care planning.
PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateElder Lawand 3 more
Multi-practice firm with its main office in Norristown, minutes from the Montgomery County Courthouse, and offices in Doylestown and Feasterville-Trevose serving Montgomery, Bucks and Delaware counties. Handles probate from the petition for grant of letters at the Register of Wills through inventory, payment of liabilities and distribution, and litigates will contests and trust disputes over administration, breach of fiduciary duty and trustee inaction, alongside wills, trusts, powers of attorney and guardianships.
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 Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania
Free tools for settling an estate in Pennsylvania: 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 Pennsylvania: the personal representative files the estate inventory within 270 days20 Pa.C.S. §§ 3301-3303Verified Sep 15, 2026View source of appointment; creditors have 12 months20 Pa.C.S. §§ 3162, 3381-3392, 3532Verified Oct 19, 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 Pennsylvania happens outside court: the trustee acts under the state's Uniform Trust Code20 Pa.C.S. § 7701 et seq.Verified Oct 17, 2026View source, notifies the beneficiaries within 30 days20 Pa.C.S. § 7780.3Verified Sep 15, 2026View source, then pays the debts and distributes under the trust's terms.
See the Steps
Can I Self-File Probate?
In Pennsylvania, informal probate is available20 Pa.C.S. § 901 (register jurisdiction over probate and letters), § 3155 (register grants letters), § 908 (appeal from the register's decree to the Orphans' Court)Verified Sep 8, 2026View source, and a self-represented executor can usually handle it for a simple, uncontested estate.
Enter the estate value to see Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania 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.
