Arizona Probate Cost & Timeline Estimator
Court costs in an Arizona probate are fixed and modest; attorney fees are the real variable, and the calendar is driven by statute. Answer a few questions to see a realistic cost build-up and a phase-by-phase timeline — including whether the estate can skip probate entirely.
Court fees verified against the Maricopa County Clerk fee schedule and Arizona statute text as of 2026-08-13. Other counties’ fees differ modestly — check your county clerk’s current schedule.
First — does this estate need probate at all?
Arizona’s small-estate affidavit (A.R.S. §14-3971) skips probate when the estate fits under two caps — raised substantially in 2025, so older articles quote figures that are now wrong.
The expanded limits took effect September 26, 2025. If the person passed away before that date and the estate fits only under the expanded limits, use the affidavit wizard and confirm the transition question before relying on this screening estimate.
Cap: $200,000 · usable 30 days after the person has passed away
Cap: $300,000 · usable 6 months after · uses the assessor’s full cash value, not market value
Court costs: about $411
| Filing to open the probate case | $306 |
| Certified Letters of Appointment × 3Each bank, brokerage, and title company generally wants its own certified copy. | $105 |
| Newspaper notice to creditorsRuns once a week for three successive weeks (A.R.S. §14-3801). Cost varies by paper — we have not verified a rate card. | — |
| Paid to the court | $411 |
Attorney fees: commonly $2,000–$5,000
Arizona does not use a percentage fee schedule. The personal representative and the attorney are each entitled to reasonable compensation, billed hourly or as a flat fee agreed up front — never a percentage of the estate. An interested person can ask the court to review any fee as unreasonable (A.R.S. §14-3719 (reasonable compensation) · §14-3721 (court review of fees)).
Ranges published by Arizona firms, not a verified fee survey. Arizona has no statutory fee schedule — fees are hourly or flat by agreement.
How long it takes
Not less than about 5 months — that floor follows from the statutes, because creditors get 4 months from first publication and publication itself runs 3 weeks. The typical 6–12 month range is our estimate, not an official figure.
Opening & appointmentTypically days to a few weeks (estimate)
Application to the court registrar; no hearing when nobody objects. Most Arizona estates take this lane. (A.R.S. §14-3301)
Notice to creditorsPublished once a week for three successive weeks
The personal representative publishes notice in an approved newspaper (A.R.S. §14-3801).
Claim window & inventory4 months from first publication
Creditors get 4 months to present claims. In parallel, the inventory of estate property is due within 90 days of appointment (A.R.S. §14-3706).
Administration & closingCommonly 6–12 months total (estimate)
Paying valid claims, selling or transferring property, and distributing what remains. The estate cannot safely close before the claim window shuts.
Where these numbers come from
Dollar figures are verified against the Maricopa County Clerk’s published fee schedule and the text of the Arizona statutes (azleg.gov) — most recently on 2026-08-13. Anything we have not verified (newspaper rates, bond premiums) is shown as “varies” rather than a made-up number. Attorney-fee ranges are what Arizona firms publish, labeled as estimates.
Keep reading
- How much does probate cost in Arizona? — the full cost breakdown in prose
- How long does probate take in Arizona? — what sets the calendar
- The small estate affidavit — the probate shortcut for qualifying estates
- Do you need probate at all?
Important
- This estimator provides general information about how Arizona probate works, not legal advice, and this website is not a law firm. Every estate has facts that change the answer.
- Court fees are set by administrative order and change without much notice. Figures are verified on the date shown and re-checked quarterly — confirm current fees with your county clerk before filing.