Tools for Planning and Settling an Estate in Mississippi

After a death in Mississippi, the estate either qualifies for the simplified procedure for estates under $75,000 or goes through probate, where creditors have 3 months to file claims after notice.

All Planning ahead Settling an estate

36 tools for Mississippi

How Much Does Probate Cost?

Probate on a $500,000 estate in Mississippi costs an estimated $23,712. Attorney fees run 1.6% to 2.5% of the estate under a reasonable-compensation standard.

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How Much Can an Executor Charge?

Mississippi 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 Mississippi, descendants divide what passes to them per stirpes, and the state sets no survival period for heirs.

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What's Fair Trustee Compensation?

In Mississippi, 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?

Mississippi 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 Mississippi, certified death certificates come from the Mississippi State Department of Health - Vital Records; the first copy costs $17, additional copies $6 each.

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Do I Need Probate?

In Mississippi, estates valued at $75,000 or less skip probate with the Small Estate Affidavit, 30 days after death.

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What Does Estate Planning Actually Cost?

An attorney-prepared revocable trust in Mississippi runs $3,680 to $5,520 and a simple will $849 to $1,698, 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 Mississippi runs $3,680 to $5,520 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 Mississippi runs $849 to $1,698, against $0 to $299 up front with an online service, and probate on a $500,000 estate adds about $23,712.

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How Much Life Insurance Do I Need?

In Mississippi, four years at a public university cost about $84,000 and the cost of living is 13% below the U.S. average; no state estate or inheritance tax applies.

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What Taxes Apply to My Inheritance?

Mississippi imposes no inheritance or estate tax; probate assets arrive when the estate closes, 6 months to 12 months for a simple estate.

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How Does Step-Up in Basis Work?

Inherited assets in Mississippi 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?

Mississippi 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 Mississippi costs an estimated $23,712 and takes 6 months to 12 months for a simple estate, with attorney fees of typically 1.6% to 2.5% of the estate. Estates under $75,000 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 Mississippi, 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, 21.

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What Are the Burial and Cremation Laws in My State?

Mississippi 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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Mississippi allows estates valued at $75,000 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 30 days after death.

Probate costs in Mississippi typically include attorney fees of typically 1.6% to 2.5% of the estate, executor fees, court filing fees, and publication costs. On a $500,000 estate, total costs run about $23,712, roughly 5% of estate value, varying with complexity. Estimate executor compensation separately with the Mississippi executor fee calculator.

Mississippi intestacy law decides. Mississippi 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 and siblings; Grandparents, uncles, and aunts; Next of kin in equal degree.

No. Mississippi 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 Mississippi costs what the provider charges. An online service runs $0 to $299 up front. An attorney in Mississippi charges around $283 an hour for wills and estates work, which puts a simple will at $849 to $1,698. The document is only part of the cost: probate adds about $23,712 on a $500,000 estate in fees the heirs pay later.

Free Estate Planning Tools in Mississippi

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 Mississippi, probate on a $500,000 estate costs about $23,712, and a simple estate closes in 6 months to 12 months. Mississippi pays executors reasonable compensation, typically 2.2% to 3.8% of the estate. Mississippi 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 Mississippi statutes and official state code. How we research.