McDonough County Circuit Court Guide

Note: McDonough County's circuit clerk fee schedule effective July 1, 2019 files probate on civil Schedule 2 at $256.00 and lists the probate (decedent estate) total at $356.00, with the probate and guardianship appearance fee at $181.00, each account other than the final at $25.00, estate claims at $25.00 ($150 to $500), $40.00 ($500 to $10,000), and $60.00 (over $10,000), equitable-relief claims at $60.00, certified copies of letters of office at $2.00 per page, and exemplification at $15.00. The decedent-estate total is the civil Schedule 2 case filing fee set by the county board under 705 ILCS 105/27.1b (probate cases are assigned to Schedule 2 by Illinois Supreme Court order M.R. 29741) plus the flat $100 guardianship and advocacy operations fee charged on decedent estate administration filings under 705 ILCS 105/27.3f. The small estate affidavit (755 ILCS 5/25-1) is presented directly to banks and other asset holders, not filed with the court, so it has no court filing fee. Newspaper publication costs are paid directly to the newspaper. County fee schedule accessed 2026-07-18. Verify the current amounts with the McDonough County Circuit Clerk before filing.