Tools for Planning and Settling an Estate in New York

After a death in New York, the estate either qualifies for the simplified procedure for estates under $50,000 or goes through probate, where creditors have 7 months to file claims after notice.

All Planning ahead Settling an estate

36 tools for New York

How Much Does Probate Cost?

Probate on a $500,000 estate in New York costs an estimated $35,992. Attorney fees run 2.5% to 4% of the estate under a reasonable-compensation standard.

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How Much Can an Executor Charge?

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

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Who Inherits Without a Will?

Without a will in New York, a surviving spouse takes the first $50,000 plus half of the rest 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 York, 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 York levies an estate tax above $7,350,000 (top rate 16%) and no inheritance tax; the federal estate tax applies above $15,000,000.

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How Many Death Certificates Do I Need?

In New York, certified death certificates come from the New York State Department of Health - Vital Records Section; the first copy costs $30.

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Do I Need Probate?

In New York, estates with personal property of $50,000 or less use the Voluntary Administration, a court filing short of full probate.

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What Does Estate Planning Actually Cost?

An attorney-prepared revocable trust in New York runs $4,250 to $6,375 and a simple will $1,344 to $2,688, 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 York runs $4,250 to $6,375 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 York runs $1,344 to $2,688, against $0 to $299 up front with an online service, and probate on a $500,000 estate adds about $35,992.

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How Much Life Insurance Do I Need?

In New York, four years at a public university cost about $101,592 and the cost of living is 8% above the U.S. average; the state levies an estate tax above $7,350,000.

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What Taxes Apply to My Inheritance?

In New York, beneficiaries owe no inheritance tax and the estate pays any estate tax above $7,350,000; probate assets arrive when the estate closes, 7 months to 9 months for a simple estate.

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How Does Step-Up in Basis Work?

Inherited assets in New York 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 York 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 York costs an estimated $35,992 and takes 7 months to 9 months for a simple estate, with attorney fees of typically 2.5% to 4% of the estate. Estates under $50,000 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 York, 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.

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What Are the Burial and Cremation Laws in My State?

New York 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 York allows estates with personal property of $50,000 or less to use the Voluntary Administration, which avoids full probate administration. In New York 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.

Probate costs in New York typically include attorney fees of typically 2.5% to 4% of the estate, executor fees, and court filing fees. On a $500,000 estate, total costs run about $35,992, roughly 7% of estate value, varying with complexity. Estimate executor compensation separately with the New York executor fee calculator.

New York intestacy law decides. New York 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 and their issue; Great-grandchildren of your grandparents; New York State (abandoned property).

Yes. New York imposes a state estate tax on an estate above $7,350,000, separate from and in addition to the federal estate tax. New York has no inheritance tax on the beneficiary.

A will in New York costs what the provider charges. An online service runs $0 to $299 up front. An attorney in New York charges around $448 an hour for wills and estates work, which puts a simple will at $1,344 to $2,688. The document is only part of the cost: probate adds about $35,992 on a $500,000 estate in fees the heirs pay later.

Free Estate Planning Tools in New York

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 York, probate on a $500,000 estate costs about $35,992, and a simple estate closes in 7 months to 9 months. New York sets executor compensation by statute — about $19,000 on a $500,000 estate, roughly 3.8%. New York levies an estate tax above $7,350,000 and no inheritance tax.

SimplyTrust Editorial·Updated October 15, 2026

Legal Sources

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