Tools for Planning and Settling an Estate in New Jersey

After a death in New Jersey, the estate either qualifies for the simplified procedure for estates under $20,000 or goes through probate, where creditors have 9 months to file claims after notice.

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36 tools for New Jersey

How Much Does Probate Cost?

Probate on a $500,000 estate in New Jersey costs an estimated $35,885. Attorney fees run 2.4% to 3.9% of the estate under a reasonable-compensation standard.

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How Much Can an Executor Charge?

New Jersey sets executor compensation by statute — about $20,500 on a $500,000 estate, roughly 4.1%.

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Who Inherits Without a Will?

Without a will in New Jersey, 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 capita at each generation.

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What's Fair Trustee Compensation?

In New Jersey, trustee compensation follows a statutory fee schedule unless the trust instrument sets a different amount. The schedule is an annual commission on principal.

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How Much Are Estate & Inheritance Taxes?

New Jersey 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.

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How Many Death Certificates Do I Need?

In New Jersey, certified death certificates come from the New Jersey Department of Health - Office of Vital Statistics and Registry; the first copy costs $25, additional copies $2 each.

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Do I Need Probate?

In New Jersey, estates valued at $20,000 or less use the Affidavit of Surviving Spouse or Next of Kin, a court filing short of full probate.

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What Does Estate Planning Actually Cost?

An attorney-prepared revocable trust in New Jersey runs $4,440 to $6,660 and a simple will $1,305 to $2,610, 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 New Jersey runs $4,440 to $6,660 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 New Jersey runs $1,305 to $2,610, against $0 to $299 up front with an online service, and probate on a $500,000 estate adds about $35,885.

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How Much Life Insurance Do I Need?

In New Jersey, four years at a public university cost about $117,568 and the cost of living is 9% above the U.S. average; an inheritance tax falls on beneficiaries by relationship.

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What Taxes Apply to My Inheritance?

In New Jersey, 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.

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How Does Step-Up in Basis Work?

Inherited assets in New Jersey 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?

New Jersey 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 New Jersey costs an estimated $35,885 and takes 6 months to 9 months for a simple estate, with attorney fees of typically 2.4% to 3.9% of the estate. Estates under $20,000 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 New Jersey, a parent names a guardian for a minor child in a will, 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?

New Jersey 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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New Jersey allows estates valued at $20,000 or less to use the Affidavit of Surviving Spouse or Next of Kin, which avoids full probate administration. In New Jersey the affidavit is filed with the Surrogate's Court, and holders honor the court's certified copy — but no letters testamentary or of administration issue. There is no statutory waiting period. The limit rises to $50,000 when the surviving spouse is the sole heir.

Probate costs in New Jersey typically include attorney fees of typically 2.4% to 3.9% of the estate, executor fees, and court filing fees. On a $500,000 estate, total costs run about $35,885, roughly 7% of estate value, varying with complexity. Estimate executor compensation separately with the New Jersey executor fee calculator.

New Jersey intestacy law decides. New Jersey 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; Descendants of grandparents; Step-children and their descendants; No taker (unclaimed property).

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

A will in New Jersey costs what the provider charges. An online service runs $0 to $299 up front. An attorney in New Jersey charges around $435 an hour for wills and estates work, which puts a simple will at $1,305 to $2,610. The document is only part of the cost: probate adds about $35,885 on a $500,000 estate in fees the heirs pay later.

Free Estate Planning Tools in New Jersey

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 New Jersey, probate on a $500,000 estate costs about $35,885, and a simple estate closes in 6 months to 9 months. New Jersey sets executor compensation by statute — about $20,500 on a $500,000 estate, roughly 4.1%. New Jersey levies an inheritance tax, paid by the beneficiary at a rate set by relationship, and no estate tax.

SimplyTrust Editorial·Updated October 15, 2026

Legal Sources

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