Tools for Planning and Settling an Estate in Minnesota

After a death in Minnesota, the estate either qualifies for the simplified procedure for estates under $75,000 or goes through probate, where creditors have 4 months to file claims after notice.

All Planning ahead Settling an estate

36 tools for Minnesota

How Much Does Probate Cost?

Probate on a $500,000 estate in Minnesota costs an estimated $26,108. Attorney fees run 1.9% to 3.1% of the estate under a reasonable-compensation standard.

Use Calculator

How Much Can an Executor Charge?

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

Use Calculator

Who Inherits Without a Will?

Without a will in Minnesota, 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 Minnesota, 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?

Minnesota levies an estate tax above $3,000,000 (top rate 16%) and no inheritance tax; the federal estate tax applies above $15,000,000.

Use Calculator

How Many Death Certificates Do I Need?

In Minnesota, certified death certificates come from the Minnesota Department of Health - Office of Vital Records; the first copy costs $13, additional copies $6 each.

Use Calculator

Do I Need Probate?

In Minnesota, estates valued at $75,000 or less skip probate with the Affidavit for Collection of Personal Property, 30 days after death.

Check Now

What Does Estate Planning Actually Cost?

An attorney-prepared revocable trust in Minnesota runs $3,530 to $5,295 and a simple will $1,035 to $2,070, 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 Minnesota runs $3,530 to $5,295 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 Minnesota runs $1,035 to $2,070, against $0 to $299 up front with an online service, and probate on a $500,000 estate adds about $26,108.

Compare Costs

How Much Life Insurance Do I Need?

In Minnesota, four years at a public university cost about $96,456 and the cost of living is near the U.S. average; the state levies an estate tax above $3,000,000.

Use Calculator

What Taxes Apply to My Inheritance?

In Minnesota, beneficiaries owe no inheritance tax and the estate pays any estate tax above $3,000,000; probate assets arrive when the estate closes, 4 months to 6 months for a simple estate.

Learn More

How Does Step-Up in Basis Work?

Inherited assets in Minnesota 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 1% surtax on net investment income above $1,000,000.

Use Calculator

Are My Beneficiary Designations Protected?

Minnesota 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.

Check Now

What Are the Estate Laws in My State?

Probate on a $500,000 estate in Minnesota costs an estimated $26,108 and takes 4 months to 6 months for a simple estate, with attorney fees of typically 1.9% to 3.1% of the estate. Estates under $75,000 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 Minnesota, 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?

Minnesota 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

Minnesota allows estates valued at $75,000 or less to use the Affidavit for Collection of Personal Property, which avoids full probate administration. The Affidavit for Collection of Personal Property is presented directly to the bank, employer, or other holder of the property — it is not filed with a court. The waiting period is 30 days after death. Estates up to $150,000 may qualify for Summary Assignment or Distribution.

Probate costs in Minnesota typically include attorney fees of typically 1.9% to 3.1% of the estate, executor fees, court filing fees, and publication costs. On a $500,000 estate, total costs run about $26,108, roughly 5% of estate value, varying with complexity. Estimate executor compensation separately with the Minnesota executor fee calculator.

Minnesota intestacy law decides. Minnesota 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; Descendants of parents; Grandparents and their descendants; Next of kin; The state (escheat).

Yes. Minnesota imposes a state estate tax on an estate above $3,000,000, separate from and in addition to the federal estate tax. Minnesota has no inheritance tax on the beneficiary.

A will in Minnesota costs what the provider charges. An online service runs $0 to $299 up front. An attorney in Minnesota charges around $345 an hour for wills and estates work, which puts a simple will at $1,035 to $2,070. The document is only part of the cost: probate adds about $26,108 on a $500,000 estate in fees the heirs pay later.

Free Estate Planning Tools in Minnesota

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 Minnesota, probate on a $500,000 estate costs about $26,108, and a simple estate closes in 4 months to 6 months. Minnesota pays executors reasonable compensation, typically 2.2% to 3.8% of the estate. Minnesota levies an estate tax above $3,000,000 and no inheritance tax.

SimplyTrust Editorial·Updated October 15, 2026

Legal Sources

Show 5 more sources

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