Tools for Planning and Settling an Estate in Kentucky

After a death in Kentucky, the estate either qualifies for the simplified procedure for estates under $30,000 or goes through probate, where creditors have 6 months to file claims after notice.

All Planning ahead Settling an estate

36 tools for Kentucky

How Much Does Probate Cost?

Probate on a $500,000 estate in Kentucky costs an estimated $23,308. Attorney fees run 1.5% to 2.4% of the estate under a reasonable-compensation standard.

Use Calculator

How Much Can an Executor Charge?

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

Use Calculator

Who Inherits Without a Will?

Without a will in Kentucky, a surviving spouse takes the entire estate when every child of either spouse is a child of both, and descendants divide what passes to them per stirpes.

Use Calculator

What's Fair Trustee Compensation?

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

Use Calculator

How Much Are Estate & Inheritance Taxes?

Kentucky levies an inheritance tax, paid by the beneficiary at a rate set by relationship, and no estate tax; the federal estate tax applies above $15,000,000.

Use Calculator

How Many Death Certificates Do I Need?

In Kentucky, certified death certificates come from the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services - Office of Vital Statistics; the first copy costs $6.

Use Calculator

Do I Need Probate?

In Kentucky, estates with personal property of $30,000 or less qualify for the Petition to Dispense with Administration, a court procedure short of full probate.

Check Now

What Does Estate Planning Actually Cost?

An attorney-prepared revocable trust in Kentucky runs $3,440 to $5,160 and a simple will $819 to $1,638, 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 Kentucky runs $3,440 to $5,160 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 Kentucky runs $819 to $1,638, against $0 to $299 up front with an online service, and probate on a $500,000 estate adds about $23,308.

Compare Costs

How Much Life Insurance Do I Need?

In Kentucky, four years at a public university cost about $92,880 and the cost of living is 10% below the U.S. average; an inheritance tax falls on beneficiaries by relationship.

Use Calculator

What Taxes Apply to My Inheritance?

In Kentucky, an inheritance is subject to a state inheritance tax at a rate set by the beneficiary's relationship; probate assets arrive when the estate closes, 6 months to 12 months for a simple estate.

Learn More

How Does Step-Up in Basis Work?

Inherited assets in Kentucky 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?

Kentucky 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 Kentucky costs an estimated $23,308 and takes 6 months to 12 months for a simple estate, with attorney fees of typically 1.5% to 2.4% of the estate. Estates under $30,000 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 Kentucky, a parent names a guardian for a minor child in a will, 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?

Kentucky 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

Kentucky allows estates with personal property of $30,000 or less to use the Petition to Dispense with Administration, which avoids full probate administration. Kentucky's small estate shortcut is a court procedure: the court's own order authorizes collection. There is no affidavit to present to a bank. There is no statutory waiting period.

Probate costs in Kentucky typically include attorney fees of typically 1.5% to 2.4% of the estate, executor fees, court filing fees, and publication costs. On a $500,000 estate, total costs run about $23,308, roughly 5% of estate value, varying with complexity. Estimate executor compensation separately with the Kentucky executor fee calculator.

Kentucky intestacy law decides. Kentucky 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; Brothers and sisters and their descendants; Grandparents; Uncles and aunts and their descendants; Stepchildren; The state (escheat).

Yes. Kentucky imposes an inheritance tax, paid by the beneficiary rather than the estate, at a rate set by the relationship to the decedent. Kentucky has no separate state estate tax.

A will in Kentucky costs what the provider charges. An online service runs $0 to $299 up front. An attorney in Kentucky charges around $273 an hour for wills and estates work, which puts a simple will at $819 to $1,638. The document is only part of the cost: probate adds about $23,308 on a $500,000 estate in fees the heirs pay later.