How Much Does a Will Cost in Delaware?

Probate on a $500,000 estate in Delaware costs about $31,921 — roughly 6% of estate value — including attorney fees, executor fees, court filing fees, and publication costs.delcode.delaware.gov: 12 Del. C. § 2305 (commissions & attorney fees per Court of Chancery rules), § 2306 (distribution without letters / small estate $50K, 30-day wait, no DE real estate; most recent amendment 85 Del. Laws, c. 281, § 1, which raised the ceiling from $30K to $50K), § 2308 (surviving spouse $7,500 allowance), § 2101 (creditor notice within 40 days; 3 newspaper insertions over 3 successive weeks; waivable for ≤$30K personal/≤$35K total; most recent amendment 77 Del. Laws, c. 229, § 1), § 2102 (creditor claims 8-month bar from death for pre-death; 6-month bar for post-death; most recent amendment 81 Del. Laws, c. 150, § 1), § 1521 (bond filing), § 1522 (bond not required by default), § 1523 (bond amount = best estimate of personal estate), § 1524 (demand for bond by interested party with >$2,000 stake), § 2510 (county-set filing fees). County closing-cost percentages re-confirmed against current published schedules: New Castle 1.75% + 0.25% tech fee (newcastlede.gov DocumentCenter fee schedule + probate instructions PDF, deaths on/after 7/1/2018); Kent 1.75% (kentcountyde.gov schedule-of-fees-rev.-4.3.2025.pdf); Sussex 1.25% (sussexcountyde.gov/various-fees). Re-verified 2026-06-20 against delcode.delaware.gov §§ 2306, 2305, 2308, 2101, 2102, 1521-1524 (each statute fetched and quoted verbatim). CORRECTION: § 2306 small-estate ceiling is $50,000 (section title and subsection (a)(3) both read $50,000); prior $30,000 value was stale — raised to $50,000 by 85 Del. Laws, c. 281, § 1. Re-verified 2026-07-14 against delcode.delaware.gov §§ 1302, 1303, 1502, 1505 (Register of Wills proves the will and grants letters; proof taken without notice unless an interested person petitions the Court of Chancery), § 1904/§ 1905 (PR self-values; appraisers permissive), § 2301(a) (annual account to the Court of Chancery until final account passed), §§ 2305, 2306, 2101, 2102, 1521-1524 — each fetched and quoted verbatim. CORRECTION 2026-07-14: informalProbateAvailable was false; the appointment mechanism in Delaware is administrative (Register of Wills, a non-judicial elected county officer per Del. Const. art. IV, § 11(c)), so the field is true. independentAdministration remains false (§ 2301(a) court accounting). All other statutory values confirmed unchanged.Verified Jul 14, 2026 These costs are paid by the estate before assets transfer to beneficiaries, reducing the total inheritance. Estimate the full cost with the Delaware probate calculator.

A will does not avoid probate in Delaware — probate is the court-supervised process that validates the will, pays debts, and distributes assets. Estates under $50,000 may qualify for a simplified small-estate procedure instead of full probate. A revocable living trust transfers assets to beneficiaries without probate at any estate size.

Online will services cost $30-$300 upfront compared to $1,425-$2,850 for an attorney in Delaware. Either way, the will goes through the same probate process. Total cost depends on subscription fees, amendment charges, and the eventual probate expenses heirs will pay.

Life events like marriage, divorce, or having a child require updating your will. Some online providers require purchasing a new document. Attorney amendments in Delaware cost $439 to $878 for minor changes and $1,756 to $3,512 for major restructuring.

Delaware has specific requirements for executing a valid will, including witness and notary rules. A will that does not meet these requirements may not be accepted during probate. See the full requirements with the Delaware signing requirements tool.