Simplified route
$50,000
Settlement of small estates on petition (20 Pa.C.S. § 3102); waiting period not verified.
Eligibility and caveatsPennsylvania estate administration
Pennsylvania probate: rules, process, costs, executor fees and deadlines
Small-estate limit: $50,000
This guide explains probate in Pennsylvania: In Pennsylvania, a will is probated and letters are granted by the county Register of Wills, with the Orphans' Court Division of the Court of Common Pleas handling disputes and small-estate petitions. Estates of $50,000 or less in personal property may be settled on petition; filing fees are set by each county.
Sources reviewed August 9, 2026. Latest primary-source re-fetch October 3, 2026.
Answer first
Pennsylvania simplified probate route
Up to $50,000; waiting period not verified. Source: 20 Pa. Cons. Stat. § 3102.
Settlement of small estates on petition (20 Pa.C.S. § 3102)Screen a specific Pennsylvania estate with the calculators on the small-estate page and the executor-fee page, or compare states in the full estate navigator.
What the reviewed rules establish
Court cost
Varies locally
Set locally; ask the receiving court.
Filing-cost detailExecutor compensation
Court-reviewed
No percentage schedule; the court decides what is reasonable. Source: 20 Pa. Cons. Stat. § 3537.
Compensation detailCreditor deadline
Multiple triggers
20 Pa. Cons. Stat. § 3532 (Pennsylvania General Assembly; reviewed August 9, 2026)
Timeline and creditor detailsStatutes read in full for Pennsylvania
Read on the enacting state’s own site, with the date each was read.
| Citation | What reading it established | Read on |
|---|---|---|
| 20 Pa.C.S. § 3392 | When a Pennsylvania estate is short, the statute fixes who goes unpaid — court and filing cost note | 2026-09-17 |
| 20 Pa.C.S. § 3537 | Pennsylvania leaves the percentage to the court, and says so in one sentence — representative pay note | 2026-09-17 |
Pennsylvania decision map
The four facts that change the Pennsylvania route
Each Pennsylvania answer below links to the page that sets out its source.
| Question | Recorded Pennsylvania answer |
|---|---|
| What route is being screened? | Settlement of small estates on petition (20 Pa.C.S. § 3102) |
| What property and basis count? | personal probate property only; gross value with statutory exemptions not classified by this worksheet. |
| What is the amount screen? | $50,000 |
| What is the time or deadline record? | No waiting-period number verified; creditor deadlines: separate clocks by triggering event |
| What does the cost record establish? | No single statewide amount is published here; confirm the receiving court's current schedule. |
| What does compensation use? | Reasonable compensation set by the court, measured on the estate accounting. |
Limits and unresolved costs
Continue
What Pennsylvania courts publish
Every link is probed before each release.
- Self-help centrePennsylvania Courts — Representing YourselfUnified Judicial System of Pennsylvania
Official self-help portal; probate is handled by the county Register of Wills / Orphans' Court Division.
Limits on court material
- Pennsylvania probate is opened at the county Register of Wills; contested matters go to the Orphans' Court Division of the Court of Common Pleas. Filing fees and many forms are county-specific and not published statewide.
Pennsylvania primary sources
- 20 Pa. Cons. Stat. § 3102 — 20 Pa.C.S. § 3102 - Settlement of small estates on petition
- 20 Pa. Cons. Stat. § 3537 — 20 Pa.C.S. § 3537 - Compensation
- 20 Pa. Cons. Stat. § 3532 — 20 Pa.C.S. § 3532 - At risk of personal representative (one-year advertisement)
Every quotation, edition label and machine check is on the Pennsylvania source record.
Pennsylvania record: 3/3 verified, 10 matched checks, latest source re-fetch October 3, 2026. Source record · method · report a correction