Tools for Planning and Settling an Estate in Georgia

After a death in Georgia, the estate either qualifies for the simplified procedure for estates under $15,000 or goes through probate, where creditors have 3 months to file claims after notice.

All Planning ahead Settling an estate

36 tools for Georgia

How Much Does Probate Cost?

Probate on a $500,000 estate in Georgia costs an estimated $38,748. Attorney fees run 2.1% to 3.4% of the estate under a reasonable-compensation standard.

Use Calculator

How Much Can an Executor Charge?

Georgia sets executor compensation by statute — about $25,000 on a $500,000 estate, roughly 5.0%.

Use Calculator

Who Inherits Without a Will?

Without a will in Georgia, descendants divide what passes to them per stirpes, and the state sets no survival period for heirs.

Use Calculator

What's Fair Trustee Compensation?

In Georgia, trustee compensation follows a statutory fee schedule unless the trust instrument sets a different amount. The schedule is an annual commission on principal.

Use Calculator

How Much Are Estate & Inheritance Taxes?

Georgia levies no estate or inheritance tax; only the federal estate tax applies above $15,000,000.

Use Calculator

How Many Death Certificates Do I Need?

In Georgia, certified death certificates come from the Georgia Department of Public Health - State Office of Vital Records; the first copy costs $25, additional copies $5 each.

Use Calculator

Do I Need Probate?

In Georgia, estates with personal property of $15,000 or less skip probate with the Bank Deposit Affidavit.

Check Now

What Does Estate Planning Actually Cost?

An attorney-prepared revocable trust in Georgia runs $2,980 to $4,470 and a simple will $1,146 to $2,292, against $0 to $549 up front plus a subscription with an online service.

Compare Costs

How Much Does a Revocable Living Trust Cost?

An attorney-prepared revocable living trust in Georgia runs $2,980 to $4,470 for an individual, against $0 to $549 up front plus a subscription with an online service.

Compare Costs

How Much Does a Will Cost?

An attorney-prepared will in Georgia runs $1,146 to $2,292, against $0 to $299 up front with an online service, and probate on a $500,000 estate adds about $38,748.

Compare Costs

How Much Life Insurance Do I Need?

In Georgia, four years at a public university cost about $74,696 and the cost of living is near the U.S. average; no state estate or inheritance tax applies.

Use Calculator

What Taxes Apply to My Inheritance?

Georgia imposes no inheritance or estate tax; probate assets arrive when the estate closes, 6 months to 9 months for a simple estate.

Learn More

How Does Step-Up in Basis Work?

Inherited assets in Georgia take a basis reset to fair market value on the date of death, and the gain on a later sale faces ordinary income tax at the state's regular rates.

Use Calculator

Are My Beneficiary Designations Protected?

Georgia does not revoke an ex-spouse as beneficiary at divorce; employer plans under ERISA follow federal rules either way, so a 401(k) beneficiary changes only by a new designation.

Check Now

What Are the Estate Laws in My State?

Probate on a $500,000 estate in Georgia costs an estimated $38,748 and takes 6 months to 9 months for a simple estate, with attorney fees of typically 2.1% to 3.4% of the estate. Estates under $15,000 can use a small-estate procedure instead.

Check Your State

How Does SimplyTrust Compare to LegalZoom, Trust & Will, and Other Services?

Compare what it costs to make a trust official across SimplyTrust, LegalZoom, Trust & Will, Rocket Lawyer, and Quicken WillMaker.

Compare Services

How Do I Name a Guardian for My Minor Children?

In Georgia, a parent names a guardian for a minor child in a will or a separate signed writing, and the nomination covers the child until the age of majority, 18.

Check Your State

What Are the Burial and Cremation Laws in My State?

Georgia allows you to name your own agent in a signed, written document, and that designation takes priority over the statutory order of next of kin who otherwise control disposition of the remains.

Check Your State

How Do I Sign Estate Documents?

Find witness, notary, and remote signing requirements for all 50 states.

Check Requirements

Will My Estate Documents Transfer?

Check if estate planning documents signed in one state are valid in another.

Check Portability

1 2

Georgia allows estates with personal property of $15,000 or less to use the Bank Deposit Affidavit, which avoids full probate administration. The Bank Deposit Affidavit is presented directly to the bank, employer, or other holder of the property — it is not filed with a court. There is no statutory waiting period.

Probate costs in Georgia typically include attorney fees of typically 2.1% to 3.4% of the estate, executor fees, court filing fees, and publication costs. On a $500,000 estate, total costs run about $38,748, roughly 8% of estate value, varying with complexity. Estimate executor compensation separately with the Georgia executor fee calculator.

Georgia intestacy law decides. Georgia follows separate property rules: the surviving spouse's share depends on whether children survive and whose children they are. The estate passes to the closest surviving relatives, in most cases the spouse and children first, then in order: Parents; Siblings; Grandparents; Uncles and aunts, then first cousins; More remote degrees; County board of education (escheat).

No. Georgia imposes no state estate tax and no inheritance tax. Only the federal estate tax applies, on an estate above $15,000,000, an exemption the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (P.L. 119-21 §70106) set permanently from 2026 and indexes for inflation.

A will in Georgia costs what the provider charges. An online service runs $0 to $299 up front. An attorney in Georgia charges around $382 an hour for wills and estates work, which puts a simple will at $1,146 to $2,292. The document is only part of the cost: probate adds about $38,748 on a $500,000 estate in fees the heirs pay later.