Probate Costs

Probate Costs in Australia

There are 3 costs associated with obtaining a grant of Probate in Australia.

1 - The cost of running the 14 day Notice of Intention advertisement stating that you are applying for a grant of Probate.
2 - The filing fee payable to the Court upon lodgment of your Probate application.
3 - The fee charged by the company or individual who prepares the paperwork for your Probate application.

The first cost - the 14 day Notice of Intention advertisement, costs between $24.50 (Victoria) and $161.70 (Queensland), depending on which state the deceased's assets are in. The notice is published in an online legal registry on the Supreme Court website in the state or territory in question. The wording is pretty much standardised ; it includes the full name of the deceased, the name of the executor(s), the date of passing, and states on the public record that an application for a grant of Probate will be made in relation to the will of the deceased.

The second cost - the filing fee for lodging a Probate application that is charged by the Court in your state or territory. The cost varies significantly depending in what state or territory the assets of the deceased person are held. In some states the Court charges a flat rate, in other states the Court filing fee is based on the total value of the assets. We generally pay these 2 Court costs on behalf of our clients and that add them onto our final $800 fee if that suits people.

The third cost is the professional fee you pay to the company or individual who prepares your application. Solicitors and Law Firms will charge you between $2,000 and $12,000 to prepare your application. Those fees do not include the 2 Court charges 1 and 2 listed above. And nor does ours. But our fee for preparing your entire Probate documentation is $800. As compared with $2000 - $12,000.