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What would probate cost your estate?
Probate in Arizona usually runs five figures and takes six to twelve months. A living trust avoids it entirely for $1,200. See the math.
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Arizona probate cost calculator
Home equity, retirement, investments, life insurance, vehicles, valuables. A rough number works.
Contested probate (family members fighting over the will) costs 3 to 4 times more and takes years instead of months.
Estimated probate cost
$12,060 to $28,260
Of which attorney fees
$8,000 to $14,000
Court & filing
$560
Time
6 to 12 months
See where the money goes
Attorney fees
Counsel for the personal representative from petition through closing.
$8,000 to $14,000
Court & filing fees
Petition filing, publication of notice to creditors, certified copies.
$560
Personal representative compensation
AZ permits reasonable compensation for the executor (~0.5% to 2% of probate estate). Family PRs sometimes waive.
$2,500 to $10,000
Appraisal & inventory
Real property + non-standard personal property valuation for the inventory.
$400 to $1,200
Estate accounting & tax prep
Final 1040 for the decedent, Form 1041 if the estate has income during administration.
$600 to $2,500
Probate is public record. Anyone can look up your estate's inventory and family at the county courthouse. Including the value of every account, every property, every personal item over the appraisal threshold.
The trust alternative
A living trust avoids probate entirely
Properly funded, your estate transfers privately and without court involvement. Weeks, not months. Private, not public.
Living trust
$1,200 to $1,500
one-time, single or married
Estimates based on typical Arizona probate fees. Actual costs vary by county, complexity, and attorney. Not legal advice. Talk to us for a specific quote.
Common questions
About Arizona probate.
What is probate?
Probate is the legal process Arizona uses to inventory a deceased person's assets, pay their debts, and distribute what's left to heirs. It happens whether you have a will or not (a will just tells the probate court how to distribute). The process takes 6 to 12 months for uncontested estates, longer if disputed, and creates a public record of your finances.
How much does Arizona probate cost?
For a typical uncontested estate, Arizona probate costs $5,000 to $15,000 in attorney fees plus a few hundred in court fees. Contested probate (when family members disagree) can run $25,000 to $50,000 or more. Costs scale with estate complexity, not just value.
Can I avoid probate?
Yes. The two cleanest ways: (1) a properly funded revocable living trust, which holds your assets and passes them outside probate, and (2) beneficiary designations on accounts that allow them (retirement accounts, life insurance, joint accounts with right of survivorship). Most estates need a trust for the assets that don't have built-in beneficiary options like a home.
What's the Arizona small-estate threshold?
Arizona allows a simplified "small estate affidavit" process when the estate is under $100,000 in real property and $75,000 in personal property. Below those thresholds, heirs can skip formal probate. Above them, full probate applies. A homeowner with even modest equity is usually above the real-property threshold.
What does "contested probate" mean?
Contested probate happens when family members or potential heirs disagree about the will's validity, the distribution, or the personal representative's actions. It involves court hearings, possibly trials, and significantly higher legal fees. A clean estate plan (will or trust) drafted by an attorney reduces the likelihood of a contest.
How accurate is this calculator?
It's a rough estimate based on typical Arizona probate fees. Actual costs vary by county, attorney, estate complexity, and whether anyone contests. For a specific quote, talk to a probate attorney in your county. For an alternative to probate, talk to us about a living trust.
Spend $1,200 once. Save your family the rest.
A living trust costs less than a single year of probate. Free 30-minute consultation, flat fee, fully remote.