Tools for Planning and Settling an Estate in Indiana

After a death in Indiana, the estate either qualifies for the simplified procedure for estates under $100,000 or goes through probate, where creditors have 3 months to file claims after notice.

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36 tools for Indiana

How Much Does Probate Cost?

Probate on a $500,000 estate in Indiana costs an estimated $24,871. Attorney fees run 1.8% to 2.8% of the estate under a reasonable-compensation standard.

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How Much Can an Executor Charge?

Indiana pays executors reasonable compensation, typically 2.2% to 3.8% of the estate.

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Who Inherits Without a Will?

Without a will in Indiana, a surviving spouse takes half of the estate when every child of either spouse is a child of both, and descendants divide what passes to them per capita with representation.

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What's Fair Trustee Compensation?

In Indiana, trustee compensation follows "reasonable compensation" (UTC § 708 or equivalent) unless the trust instrument sets a different amount.

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How Much Are Estate & Inheritance Taxes?

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

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How Many Death Certificates Do I Need?

In Indiana, certified death certificates come from the Indiana Department of Health - Division of Vital Records; the first copy costs $8, additional copies $4 each.

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Do I Need Probate?

In Indiana, estates valued at $100,000 or less skip probate with the Small Estate Affidavit, 45 days after death.

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What Does Estate Planning Actually Cost?

An attorney-prepared revocable trust in Indiana runs $2,720 to $4,080 and a simple will $945 to $1,890, against $0 to $549 up front plus a subscription with an online service.

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How Much Does a Revocable Living Trust Cost?

An attorney-prepared revocable living trust in Indiana runs $2,720 to $4,080 for an individual, against $0 to $549 up front plus a subscription with an online service.

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How Much Does a Will Cost?

An attorney-prepared will in Indiana runs $945 to $1,890, against $0 to $299 up front with an online service, and probate on a $500,000 estate adds about $24,871.

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How Much Life Insurance Do I Need?

In Indiana, four years at a public university cost about $84,064 and the cost of living is 7% below the U.S. average; no state estate or inheritance tax applies.

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What Taxes Apply to My Inheritance?

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

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How Does Step-Up in Basis Work?

Inherited assets in Indiana 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.

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Are My Beneficiary Designations Protected?

Indiana automatically revokes 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.

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What Are the Estate Laws in My State?

Probate on a $500,000 estate in Indiana costs an estimated $24,871 and takes 6 months to 9 months for a simple estate, with attorney fees of typically 1.8% to 2.8% of the estate. Estates under $100,000 can use a small-estate procedure instead.

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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.

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How Do I Name a Guardian for My Minor Children?

In Indiana, 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.

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What Are the Burial and Cremation Laws in My State?

Indiana 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.

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How Do I Sign Estate Documents?

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

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Will My Estate Documents Transfer?

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

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Indiana allows estates valued at $100,000 or less to use the Small Estate Affidavit, which avoids full probate administration. The Small Estate Affidavit is presented directly to the bank, employer, or other holder of the property — it is not filed with a court. The waiting period is 45 days after death.

Probate costs in Indiana typically include attorney fees of typically 1.8% to 2.8% of the estate, executor fees, court filing fees, and publication costs. On a $500,000 estate, total costs run about $24,871, roughly 5% of estate value, varying with complexity. Estimate executor compensation separately with the Indiana executor fee calculator.

Indiana intestacy law decides. Indiana 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, and their descendants; Descendants of brothers and sisters; Grandparents; Aunts and uncles and their descendants; The state.

No. Indiana 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 Indiana costs what the provider charges. An online service runs $0 to $299 up front. An attorney in Indiana charges around $315 an hour for wills and estates, which puts a simple will at $945 to $1,890. The document is only part of the cost: probate adds about $24,871 on a $500,000 estate in fees the heirs pay later.

Free Estate Planning Tools in Indiana

The tools are grouped by who you are. Planning ahead covers the questions that come before any document is drafted: what a will, a trust, or a full plan costs in your state, whether a trust or a transfer on death deed changes anything for you, and how documents are signed. Someone I love died covers the first weeks: death certificates, burial and cremation rules, and whether the estate needs probate at all. The executor and trustee groups follow an administration from appointment to distribution, and inheriting covers what a death triggers in estate, inheritance, and income tax.

In Indiana, probate on a $500,000 estate costs about $24,871, and a simple estate closes in 6 months to 9 months. Indiana pays executors reasonable compensation, typically 2.2% to 3.8% of the estate. Indiana levies no estate or inheritance tax; only the federal estate tax above $15,000,000 applies.

SimplyTrust Editorial·Updated October 15, 2026

Legal Sources

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Data sourced from Indiana statutes and official state code. How we research.