Tools for Planning and Settling an Estate in Pennsylvania

After a death in Pennsylvania, the estate either qualifies for the simplified procedure for estates under $50,000 or goes through probate, where creditors have 12 months to file claims after notice.

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36 tools for Pennsylvania

How Much Does Probate Cost?

Probate on a $500,000 estate in Pennsylvania costs an estimated $26,087. Attorney fees run 1.9% to 3% of the estate under a reasonable-compensation standard.

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How Much Can an Executor Charge?

Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania, a surviving spouse takes the first $30,000 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 with representation.

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What's Fair Trustee Compensation?

In Pennsylvania, 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?

Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania, certified death certificates come from the Pennsylvania Department of Health - Division of Vital Records; the first copy costs $20.

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Do I Need Probate?

In Pennsylvania, estates with personal property of $50,000 or less qualify for the Settlement of Small Estates on Petition, a court procedure short of full probate.

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What Does Estate Planning Actually Cost?

An attorney-prepared revocable trust in Pennsylvania runs $3,830 to $5,745 and a simple will $1,014 to $2,028, 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 Pennsylvania runs $3,830 to $5,745 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 Pennsylvania runs $1,014 to $2,028, against $0 to $299 up front with an online service, and probate on a $500,000 estate adds about $26,087.

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How Much Life Insurance Do I Need?

In Pennsylvania, four years at a public university cost about $114,932 and the cost of living is near the U.S. average; an inheritance tax falls on beneficiaries by relationship.

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What Taxes Apply to My Inheritance?

In Pennsylvania, 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 Pennsylvania 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?

Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania costs an estimated $26,087 and takes 6 months to 9 months for a simple estate, with attorney fees of typically 1.9% to 3% 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 Pennsylvania, 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?

Pennsylvania 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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Pennsylvania allows estates with personal property of $50,000 or less to use the Settlement of Small Estates on Petition, which avoids full probate administration. Pennsylvania'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.

Probate costs in Pennsylvania typically include attorney fees of typically 1.9% to 3% of the estate, executor fees, court filing fees, and publication costs. On a $500,000 estate, total costs run about $26,087, roughly 5% of estate value, varying with complexity. Estimate executor compensation separately with the Pennsylvania executor fee calculator.

Pennsylvania intestacy law decides. Pennsylvania 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; Brothers, sisters, or their issue; Grandparents (paternal and maternal halves); Uncles, aunts and their children and grandchildren; An endowed community fund, then the Commonwealth (escheat).

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

A will in Pennsylvania costs what the provider charges. An online service runs $0 to $299 up front. An attorney in Pennsylvania charges around $338 an hour for wills and estates work, which puts a simple will at $1,014 to $2,028. The document is only part of the cost: probate adds about $26,087 on a $500,000 estate in fees the heirs pay later.