RCW 36.18.020(2)(f)
Reviewed source note: (f) In probate proceedings, the party instituting such proceedings, shall pay at the time of filing the first document therein, a fee of $200.
Washington court costs
Washington probate filing cost: $290
Formal probate costs $290 statewide: a $200 base fee plus $40 and $50 surcharges that the same section makes mandatory for probate filings.
$290 is the amount the statute states. Sources reviewed August 7, 2026. Latest primary-source re-fetch October 3, 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.
Instituting probate proceedings
| Charge | $25,000 estate | $100,000 estate | $400,000 estate | $1,000,000 estate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Superior court filing fee, first document | $200 | $200 | $200 | $200 |
| Judicial stabilization surcharge, subsection (5)(c) | $40 | $40 | $40 | $40 |
| Clerk operations surcharge, subsection (6) | $50 | $50 | $50 | $50 |
| Total from this schedule | $290 | $290 | $290 | $290 |
Not included in this total
- County law library charges
- Certified copies
- Publication of notice
The surcharges are not optional. Subsection (5)(c) applies to all fees under this section except (2)(b), (d) and (h), and subsection (6) lists (2)(f) expressly, so both attach to a probate filing.
Source: RCW 36.18.020(2)(f), Washington State Legislature. Edition/currentness: Section history through 2025 c 357 s 1. Verified October 3, 2026.
What the $290 is made of
Washington’s $290 figure is not a single line. It is the sum of the separate charges below, each set by its own part of the Washington fee provision. Every one is a permanent, statewide charge on opening this kind of case, which is why they combine into one number a filer can check rather than take on trust.
- $200Probate filing fee, RCW 36.18.020(2)(f)
- $40Surcharge, RCW 36.18.020(5)(c)
- $50Surcharge, RCW 36.18.020(6)
Added together, these come to $290 — the figure this page headlines. If any component changed in the source, the sum would no longer match, and the build withholds the total rather than publishing a number whose parts no longer add up.
Charges the $290 figure leaves out
These amounts appear in or beside the same Washington schedule, so a reader can easily mistake one for part of the fee. Each is held out of the figure above for the specific reason given, which is the difference between an honest total and an inflated one.
A fee for a different filing
- Unlawful-detainer case-initiating filing fee, RCW 36.18.020(2)(a)
- the $45 is the reduced fee for unlawful-detainer actions, a different proceeding; probate pays the $200 fee under (2)(f).
- Antiharassment protection order fee, RCW 36.18.020(2)(d)
- the $53 is the filing fee for an antiharassment protection order, a different proceeding.
- Appeal-fee surcharge, RCW 36.18.020(5)(b)
- the $30 surcharge is levied only on the (2)(b) appeal fee; a probate filing under (2)(f) is not subject to it.
- Civil-action initial-document fee, RCW 36.18.020(2)(a)
- the $200 in (2)(a) is the general civil-action filing fee (restitution, adoption, change of name, counterclaims); probate is filed under (2)(f), which carries its own $200 fee.
- Appeal from court of limited jurisdiction / civil appeal fee, RCW 36.18.020(2)(b)
- the $200 in (2)(b) is the fee for an appeal from a court of limited jurisdiction or any civil appeal, a different proceeding.
- Petition for judicial review fee, RCW 36.18.020(2)(c)
- the $200 in (2)(c) is the fee for a petition for judicial review under RCW 34.05.514, a different proceeding.
- Crime-victim notice-of-debt fee, RCW 36.18.020(2)(e)
- the $200 in (2)(e) is the fee for filing the notice of debt due for compensation of a crime victim under RCW 7.68.120, a different proceeding.
- Will-contest / petition-to-admit-rejected-will fee, RCW 36.18.020(2)(g)
- the $200 in (2)(g) is the fee to contest a will admitted to probate, admit a rejected will, or object to a written agreement under RCW 11.96A.220 — a contested filing distinct from instituting the probate proceeding priced under (2)(f).
- Criminal-conviction fee, RCW 36.18.020(2)(h)
- the spelled "two hundred dollars" in (2)(h) is the fee imposed on an adult defendant upon conviction in a criminal case, a different proceeding.
What the Washington figure leaves out
The Washington caveats are listed once, on the Washington overview.
Other costs: probate cost lines.
Filing-cost source
Washington record: 5/5 verified, 19 matched checks, latest source re-fetch October 3, 2026. Source record · method · report a correction