Tools for Planning and Settling an Estate in Maryland

After a death in Maryland, the estate either qualifies for the simplified procedure for estates under $50,000 or goes through probate, where creditors have 6 months to file claims after notice.

All Planning ahead Settling an estate

36 tools for Maryland

How Much Does Probate Cost?

Probate on a $500,000 estate in Maryland costs an estimated $33,231. Attorney fees run 2.1% to 3.3% of the estate under a reasonable-compensation standard.

Use Calculator

How Much Can an Executor Charge?

Maryland sets executor compensation by statute — about $19,080 on a $500,000 estate, roughly 3.8%.

Use Calculator

Who Inherits Without a Will?

Without a will in Maryland, descendants divide what passes to them per stirpes, and an heir must survive the decedent by 720 hours to inherit.

Use Calculator

What's Fair Trustee Compensation?

In Maryland, 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?

Maryland levies an estate tax above $5,000,000 (top rate 16%) and an inheritance tax on beneficiaries; the federal estate tax applies above $15,000,000.

Use Calculator

How Many Death Certificates Do I Need?

In Maryland, certified death certificates come from the Maryland Department of Health - Division of Vital Records; the first copy costs $10, additional copies $12 each.

Use Calculator

Do I Need Probate?

In Maryland, estates valued at $50,000 or less qualify for the Petition for Administration of Small Estate, a court procedure short of full probate.

Check Now

What Does Estate Planning Actually Cost?

An attorney-prepared revocable trust in Maryland runs $4,250 to $6,375 and a simple will $1,110 to $2,220, 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 Maryland runs $4,250 to $6,375 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 Maryland runs $1,110 to $2,220, against $0 to $299 up front with an online service, and probate on a $500,000 estate adds about $33,231.

Compare Costs

How Much Life Insurance Do I Need?

In Maryland, four years at a public university cost about $95,872 and the cost of living is near the U.S. average; the state levies an estate tax above $5,000,000.

Use Calculator

What Taxes Apply to My Inheritance?

In Maryland, 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 9 months for a simple estate.

Learn More

How Does Step-Up in Basis Work?

Inherited assets in Maryland 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, plus a 2% surtax on the whole gain once federal AGI exceeds $350,000.

Use Calculator

Are My Beneficiary Designations Protected?

Maryland 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 Maryland costs an estimated $33,231 and takes 6 months to 9 months for a simple estate, with attorney fees of typically 2.1% to 3.3% of the estate. Estates under $50,000 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 Maryland, 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?

Maryland 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

Maryland allows estates valued at $50,000 or less to use the Petition for Administration of Small Estate, which avoids full probate administration. Maryland'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. The limit rises to $100,000 when the surviving spouse is the sole heir.

Probate costs in Maryland typically include attorney fees of typically 2.1% to 3.3% of the estate, executor fees, court filing fees, and publication costs. On a $500,000 estate, total costs run about $33,231, roughly 7% of estate value, varying with complexity. Estimate executor compensation separately with the Maryland executor fee calculator.

Maryland intestacy law decides. Maryland 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; Issue of your parents; Grandparents; Stepchildren; Maryland Department of Health or the county board of education.

Yes, two. Maryland imposes an estate tax on the estate above $5,000,000 before anything is distributed, and an inheritance tax on what each beneficiary receives, at a rate set by the relationship to the decedent. Both can reach the same estate.

A will in Maryland costs what the provider charges. An online service runs $0 to $299 up front. An attorney in Maryland charges around $370 an hour for wills and estates, which puts a simple will at $1,110 to $2,220. The document is only part of the cost: probate adds about $33,231 on a $500,000 estate in fees the heirs pay later.

Free Estate Planning Tools in Maryland

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 Maryland, probate on a $500,000 estate costs about $33,231, and a simple estate closes in 6 months to 9 months. Maryland sets executor compensation by statute — about $19,080 on a $500,000 estate, roughly 3.8%. Maryland levies an estate tax above $5,000,000 and an inheritance tax paid by the beneficiary at a rate set by relationship.

SimplyTrust Editorial·Updated October 15, 2026

Legal Sources

Show 5 more sources

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