Publication
A court or statute may require creditor notice in a newspaper. Publisher pricing is set commercially and is not a statewide fee.
North Carolina court costs
North Carolina probate filing cost: $520
North Carolina charges $10 for facilities, $4 for court technology, and $106 for the General Court of Justice, plus $0.40 per $100 of gross estate, with the General Court of Justice assessment capped at $6,000.
$520 is the lowest statutory total when the amount this charge is assessed on is $100,000, which is not the same as the estate's value. Sources reviewed August 7, 2026.
What the statute charges
Every line below is computed from the statutory schedule quoted at the end of this page. These are court charges only. They are not an estimate of the total cost of settling an estate.
Administration of a decedent estate
The column headings are not estate values. This charge is assessed on personal property received plus the proceeds of real property that is sold, and real property that is not sold is excluded entirely. An estate of $100,000 that keeps the house is assessed on the personal property alone, which is a smaller figure and a smaller charge. Use the navigator to price a specific case.
| Charge | $25,000 assessable amount | $100,000 assessable amount | $400,000 assessable amount | $1,000,000 assessable amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Courtroom and judicial facilities | $10 | $10 | $10 | $10 |
| Court technology and connectivity | $4 | $4 | $4 | $4 |
| General Court of Justice, base | $106 | $106 | $106 | $106 |
| General Court of Justice, value charge ($0.40 per $100) | $100 | $400 | $1,600 | $4,000 |
| Total from this schedule | $220 | $520 | $1,720 | $4,120 |
Gross estate means personalty received plus proceeds of realty sold. The value of realty that is not sold is excluded. A remainder greater than half a unit is charged as a whole unit, which is how the statute’s “major fraction thereof” is applied here.
Not included in this total
- Certified copies
- Publication of notice to creditors
- Bond premium
G.S. 7A-307(a)(2) caps the $0.40 per $100 charge at $6,000. Subsection (2a) restates that same charge, with the same $6,000 limit and no $106 in the sentence, so the cap is read as applying to the value charge alone and the $106 base sits outside it; confirm the total with the clerk of superior court. Value received after the inventory is charged as its own filing, and the statute sets a $15 minimum for each filing, so later receipts can cost more than the $0.40 per $100 rate alone suggests. Each account or report is priced separately: three accounts of $1,000 are three $15 charges, not one charge on $3,000, so enter them individually. The $6,000 cap applies across the inventory and all later filings together. Enter each amount once: an asset already listed above, its sale proceeds, and the later-receipts figure are three different inputs and adding the same money twice will overstate the charge.
Source: N.C. Gen. Stat. § 7A-307, North Carolina General Assembly. Verified August 7, 2026.(2) For support of the General Court of Justice, the sum of one hundred six dollars ($106.00), plus an additional forty cents (40¢) per one hundred dollars ($100.00), or major fraction thereof, of the gross estate, not to exceed six thousand dollars ($6,000).
Costs no statute prices
These are the costs executors most often meet after the filing fee. None of them has a statewide statutory amount, so this site does not estimate them.
Bond
A bond may be required unless a will, consent, or court order waives it. Premiums depend on the bond amount, the estate, and the applicant.
Copies and local charges
Certified copies, recording, inventory, accounting fees, and county surcharges are billed separately from the filing charge.
Professional fees
Attorney, accountant, and appraiser fees are negotiated or court-reviewed. They are not part of any filing schedule.
State-specific limits
- The statute cited here applies when the decedent died intestate, meaning without a will. A separate section covers testate estates.
- Real property is not transferred through the affidavit procedure.
- Compensation is discretionary up to the statutory ceiling.
- The $30,000 surviving-spouse limit applies after any spousal allowance paid under G.S. 30-15 is deducted.
Use this as a starting point.
This is general information, not legal, tax, or financial advice, and it does not create an attorney-client relationship. Probate law varies by state and county and changes over time. Verify the current rule with the court or a licensed attorney in the relevant state.
Continue in North Carolina
Filing-cost source
Each legal input links to the government source reviewed for this page. Source text can change; confirm the current rule before acting.
N.C. Gen. Stat. § 7A-307
Reviewed source note: (2) For support of the General Court of Justice, the sum of one hundred six dollars ($106.00), plus an additional forty cents (40¢) per one hundred dollars ($100.00), or major fraction thereof, of the gross estate, not to exceed six thousand dollars ($6,000).