Probate · AZ
Arizona probate: fees and how long it takes
Arizona follows the Uniform Probate Code: most estates open before a registrar without a hearing and can close by sworn statement once the creditor window shuts.
Rules read on official Arizona pages on · Checked by Radif Partners · How we calculate
- Creditor claim period
- 4 months
- Small-estate limit
- $200,000
- Executor and attorney fees
- “Reasonable”, court-approved
- Court filing fee
- $149
Arizona probate fees have no statutory percentage: the personal representative and the attorney are entitled to reasonable compensation under A.R.S. §§ 14-3719 and 14-3720, which the court reviews only if someone petitions, and the base clerk fee for an informal probate application is $149, before surcharges the county may add. Arizona is one of the faster states. Under the Uniform Probate Code model it adopted, a will can be admitted and a personal representative appointed informally by the probate registrar, usually without a court hearing. Creditors then have 4 months from the first publication of the notice, which runs once a week for three weeks, and the representative may close the estate by a sworn closing statement no earlier than 4 months after appointment. A clean Arizona estate can therefore close within months rather than years. Many never reach court at all: personal property worth up to $200,000 passes by affidavit 30 days after death, and Arizona real estate up to $300,000 by an affidavit of succession after six months.
Court filing fee in Arizona
$149
0.0% of the estate · at least 10 months before final distribution
| Court filing fee | $149 |
| Creditor claim period | 4 months |
| Small-estate limit | $200,000 |
Arizona does not set a percentage schedule: the personal representative and the attorney are paid a reasonable fee approved by the court, often hourly.
Estimate under the Arizona probate statutes. Publication, bond, appraisal, extraordinary services and the estate's own taxes are extra. How this is calculated.
Two affidavits, two waiting periods
A.R.S. § 14-3971 offers two separate shortcuts, and an estate can use both. Personal property, net of liens, up to $200,000 is collected with an affidavit presented to the bank or holder 30 days after death, provided no personal representative has been appointed. Real property in Arizona, up to $300,000 of assessed full cash value net of liens, passes by an affidavit of succession filed with the court no sooner than six months after death. Consider a Mesa household with $185,000 in accounts and a car and a house assessed at $260,000. The personal property is within the first limit and the house is within the second, so the family can avoid opening a probate case. Neither limit is indexed, and the azleg.gov text shows no date for when these amounts took effect.
How the calendar fits together
Two clocks run in parallel. Suppose the registrar appoints the personal representative on February 10, 2026 and the notice first appears in a Maricopa County newspaper on February 20, 2026. Claims are barred after June 20, 2026, 4 months from first publication; known creditors who received written notice get 60 days from mailing if that ends later. The closing statement under A.R.S. § 14-3933 cannot be filed before June 10, 2026, 4 months after appointment. The later date wins, so June 20, 2026 is the earliest this estate could close. Whatever happens, pre-death claims are barred two years after death.
Reasonable, and prudent
Arizona adds a rule of its own: A.R.S. § 14-1104 tells fiduciaries and their lawyers to manage the costs of administration prudently, in proportion to what is at stake. An heir who thinks the bill is out of line can petition under § 14-3721 for review, and the court can order a refund of excessive compensation. Hourly billing is the norm; no Arizona statute sets a percentage.
About the $149
The figure is the statutory class C fee of A.R.S. § 12-284 for an informal probate application or a formal petition. Clerks add statutory surcharges and local fees, and the Maricopa County fee pages could not be read when this page was researched, so the total paid at the counter there was not verified. A supervised or contested case adds further filings. West of the Colorado River, California sets fees by percentage instead.
The Arizona probate rules this calculator applies
Creditor claims. The personal representative publishes notice once a week for 3 weeks; claims must be presented within 4 months after first publication, or for known creditors given written notice within the later of that period or 60 days after mailing (A.R.S. § 14-3801). Pre-death claims are in any event barred 2 years after death plus any remaining notice period (A.R.S. § 14-3803). source
Closing the estate. Outside supervised administration, a personal representative may close the estate by sworn closing statement no earlier than 4 months after the original appointment of a general personal representative, after determining that the claims period has expired (A.R.S. § 14-3933). source
Small estates. Thirty days after death, successors may collect personal property by affidavit if no personal representative has been appointed and all personal property, less liens and encumbrances, does not exceed $200,000 (A.R.S. § 14-3971(B)); real property in Arizona up to $300,000 net of liens (assessed full cash value) can pass by affidavit of succession filed with the court no sooner than 6 months after death (A.R.S. § 14-3971(E)). Not indexed. source
Simplified procedure. Informal probate and appointment before the registrar (A.R.S. Title 14, ch. 3, art. 3) and closing by sworn statement 4 months after appointment (A.R.S. § 14-3933); affidavit collection for personal property up to $200,000 and affidavit of succession for real property up to $300,000 (A.R.S. § 14-3971). source
Filing fee. Statutory clerk fee of $149.00 for an application for informal probate or appointment, or a petition in formal testacy or appointment proceedings (A.R.S. § 12-284(A), class C); statutory surcharges and local fees may be added by the clerk. source
Personal representative. A personal representative is entitled to reasonable compensation (A.R.S. § 14-3719); the court may review its reasonableness on petition (A.R.S. § 14-3721). source
Attorney. No statutory schedule: the estate pays reasonable attorneys' fees (A.R.S. § 14-3720), which the court may review (A.R.S. § 14-3721); fiduciaries and their attorneys must manage costs prudently (A.R.S. § 14-1104). source