Probate lawyer fees in New Zealand: the line items
The fee to file for probate or letters of administration in the High Court is $275, which a Registrar can waive, postpone or refund. A lawyer's charge for preparing the application is on top of that: one New Zealand firm publishes $2,500 plus GST for a straightforward probate application, and more as complexity rises. Administering the estate afterwards, paying debts and distributing assets, is charged separately and depends on the work involved (Ministry of Justice: Probate; PK Law: Pricing, as at 20 October 2026).
We could not find a published market range for probate lawyers. This page gives the sourced figures we have, names the one firm they come from and says what is missing. It is general information, not legal advice.
What are the two bills?
| Stage | What it covers | Who sets the price |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Getting the grant | Preparing the application and affidavit, checking the will, filing at the Wellington High Court | Court fee fixed ($275); lawyer's fee varies |
| 2. Administering the estate | Collecting assets, paying debts and tax, selling property, distributing under the will, reporting to beneficiaries | The lawyer or trust company, by the work involved |
A grant of probate gives the executor legal authority. It does not distribute anything. If a lawyer quotes "probate", ask whether the price covers only stage 1 or both stages.
What does each line cost?
| Line item | Published figure | Source and date |
|---|---|---|
| High Court fee, probate or letters of administration | $275 including GST; may be waived, postponed or refunded | Ministry of Justice, updated 22 July 2026 |
| Lawyer, probate application, complexity 1 | $2,500, excluding GST | PK Law, retrieved 20 October 2026 |
| Lawyer, letters of administration, complexity 1 | $3,300, excluding GST | PK Law |
| Lawyer, complexity 2 applications | From $4,500, excluding GST | PK Law |
| Lawyer, complexity 3 applications | From $7,000, excluding GST | PK Law |
| Will search (disbursement listed for letters of administration) | $86.25 | PK Law |
| Status of Children search for a male deceased (disbursement listed for letters of administration) | $35.70 | PK Law |
| Independent advice on the notice of choice of option (needed if a spouse is applying) | $1,500 | PK Law |
| Death certificate (official) | $35 | govt.nz |
| Full estate administration | No fixed figure published | PK Law; Public Trust |
PK Law's price list quotes an older $269 filing fee; the Ministry's current fee is $275. Add 15% GST to PK Law's figures: $2,500 becomes about $2,875. PK Law's "complexity 1" probate means the will was properly signed and stored and there are no issues; its "estate resolution" consultation, $600, is included in the cost if you engage the firm. These are one firm's prices. Other firms charge differently.
What does a probate application cost to prepare yourself?
The only cost the Ministry's guide sets out is the $275 court fee, for a straightforward estate. The Ministry of Justice's practical guide is written for people who want to apply themselves for a simple estate, and it applies when there is a will, the application is made by the executor named in it, all named executors apply together, and there is no dispute or unusual issue. The documents are an application without notice, an affidavit, the original will and any codicils, and the probate and copy probate. The guide says the forms are not "fill in the blank": you create your own documents from examples, and court staff cannot help draft them. It gives a typical timeframe of 15 working days "unless more information is required". If you are unsure about any part, it suggests a lawyer, a Community Law Centre or Citizens Advice (Applying for probate: a practical guide).
Do you need a probate lawyer?
Not always. It depends on the estate. The Ministry's guide says getting advice is especially important if there is no will, you are not the named executor, the will's validity is in doubt, the estate may be contested or you are unsure how to distribute. Letters of administration are outside the do-it-yourself guide altogether; see letters of administration.
On "can any lawyer do probate", we found no source that limits it to a particular kind of lawyer. The Ministry suggests using the New Zealand Law Society's website to find a lawyer who specialises in trust and estate law, or contacting a trust company such as Public Trust, Perpetual Guardian or NZ Trustee Services.
What does a trust company charge?
Public Trust says its fees "are based on the work we do, not the value of the estate". It charges a combination of fixed fees for standard work on all estates plus hourly rates for additional work, and gives a plan with an estimate at the start. For some services its fees are capped at 5% of the estate's total asset value plus the income Public Trust receives from it; special fees, including obtaining a grant of probate, managing property, carrying on a business and legal services, are outside the cap. Fees generally exclude GST and disbursements (Public Trust: Pricing; Estate administration). We did not find a sourced percentage-of-estate rate for lawyers, so we do not quote one.
What makes the bill rise?
PK Law ties its price to complexity: disagreement about who will apply, parties withholding consent or the parties having separated before death push an application to complexity 2; a likely contest, such as a caveat against the grant, or a paternity search revealing unknown children, pushes it to complexity 3. Public Trust lists many or hard-to-locate beneficiaries, property sales, overseas assets, legal issues and family disputes as drivers of cost. The Ministry also says delays are likely where information is missing or inconsistent, documents are poorly prepared or unsigned, or the estate is complex.
How can you keep fees down?
- Ask each firm for a fixed price for stage 1 (see probate in New Zealand and how long probate takes for what the court does) and a written estimate for stage 2.
- Check whether you need a grant. Many banks, KiwiSaver providers and insurers may release funds without one if the total they hold is under $40,000 per institution, though land, and shares or bonds over $15,000, usually need a court order (Ministry of Justice guide).
- You can ask the court to waive, postpone or refund the $275 fee; a Registrar assesses the request against the High Court fees regulations.
- Have the original will, death certificate and asset list ready, because incomplete information slows the application.
- Compare at least two quotes, including a trust company's estimate.
- Decide whether any disputes can be settled before the lawyer's work begins; see contesting a will.
If an estate cannot pay its debts in full, costs of administration rank first, ahead of reasonable funeral expenses (Insolvency Act 2006, s393, applied by Administration Act s31). See debts when someone dies and executor of a will for what executors are personally responsible for.
Where life insurance fits
Insurance does not remove an estate's own costs. For readers weighing cover later, the buttons on this page lead to Momentum Life's online quotes. Momentum's Funeral Insurance (ages 40 to 75) pays a fixed benefit of $3,000 to $30,000 towards costs, but for the first 24 months only for accidental death, and total premiums can end up larger than the benefit. Quick Life (ages 18 to 65, no health questions) excludes pre-existing conditions and suicide for its first 2 years. Momentum Life Limited is rated B (Fair) by A.M. Best (Momentum Life: Financial strength). Our funeral insurance guide compares the options.
Adviser's view
Two bills get mixed up. The first is getting the grant of probate: a $275 court fee plus, if you use a lawyer, a fee that starts around $2,500 plus GST at the firm we could check. The second is administering the estate afterwards, which is billed on the work done and is not published as a single number. Ask for the two quoted separately.
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Cite this page QuoteHub NZ (2026). Probate Lawyer Fees NZ: What You Pay and Why. www.quotehub.co.nz/guides/estate/probate-lawyer-fees-nz. Updated 2026-10-20.
References
- Ministry of Justice: Probate information and guidance
- Ministry of Justice: Applying for probate, a practical guide (PDF)
- PK Law: Pricing
- Public Trust: Pricing
- Public Trust: Estate administration
- govt.nz: Get a death certificate
- Administration Act 1969, New Zealand Legislation
- Insolvency Act 2006, New Zealand Legislation
- Momentum Life: Financial strength
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