Mercer County Circuit Court Guide

Note: The Mercer County Circuit Clerk's official page links a 'July 1, 2019 New Filing Fee worksheet' as its fee schedule, but that document link returned an error when checked on 2026-07-18, so no single current filing-fee number is stored here; confirm the current decedent estate filing fee with the Circuit Clerk before filing. Illinois circuit clerk civil filing fees, including probate case filing fees, are set by county ordinance within the statutory maximums of 705 ILCS 105/27.1b (Clerks of Courts Act; civil Schedule 2 filing fees are capped at $266 outside Cook County), a $100 guardianship and advocacy operations fee under 705 ILCS 105/27.3f also applies to decedent estate administration filings, and Illinois charges no separate probate tax. Published all-in decedent estate filing totals in nearby Illinois counties run about $276 to $384. 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 of the claim notice is paid directly to the newspaper.