How Much Does Probate Cost in Nevada

Most people overestimate the Nevada probate cost, often by a wide margin. National calculators describe probate as a percentage machine that eats tens of thousands of dollars and add a "death tax" on top. Nevada does not work that way. The county clerk filing fee to open an estate starts at a base $72 for estates worth more than $2,500, plus a value-based supplemental fee of $99 or $352 set by statute, so the court-side fee to file lands in the low hundreds of dollars, not a percentage of the estate. (Source: NRS 19.013; NRS 19.0302.) The personal representative's pay is a set statutory commission, the attorney's pay is a reasonable amount the court approves, and there is no Nevada estate tax, no Nevada inheritance tax, and no Nevada state income tax. (Source: NRS Chapter 375A.)

Use this as a planning map, not legal advice. Nevada probate is heard in the District Court, and you file with the County Clerk, who serves as Clerk of the District Court for the county where the person lived. There is no separate "probate court." Each clerk's office can set its own copy fees and payment methods, so confirm the exact figures for your county before you rely on a number.

The Short Answer

For a typical Nevada estate, the court-side cost is modest and predictable. Walk a $400,000 estate through the main charges:

The hard court cost to open a Nevada estate is small, the bracketed filing fee plus publication. The two biggest swing factors are the personal representative's commission, if it gets claimed, and the attorney's compensation. The Nevada probate guide covers the full process these costs attach to.

The County Clerk Filing Fee

When the executor or administrator petitions to open the estate, the County Clerk collects a filing fee. Nevada sets that fee by statute in two parts: a base fee under NRS 19.013 and a supplemental fee that steps up with the stated value of the estate under NRS 19.0302. Counties then add small court-facility and law-library assessments on top.

So the filing fee does step up with the estate, but in fixed brackets, not as a percentage. A $250,000 estate pays $171 in state fees to file the petition for letters; a $400,000 estate pays $424. County add-ons push the all-in total higher: in Clark County the published totals run about $185.50, $284.50, and $537.50 across those brackets, so confirm your own county's figure with the clerk. A will contest carries its own separate fee. The Nevada probate timeline shows where this filing sits in the overall sequence.

Publication and Notice Costs

After the personal representative qualifies, Nevada requires notice to creditors. The personal representative publishes notice on three dates in a qualifying newspaper and mails notice to creditors whose addresses are known. (Source: NRS 155.020; NRS 147.010.)

Newspapers charge for that publication, and the rate depends on the paper and the county. In urban counties the cost often lands between $100 and $300. Ask the clerk which papers qualify, since some counties have a designated legal newspaper. The Nevada executor duties guide covers the notice step in the broader task list.

Personal Representative Commission

Nevada fixes the personal representative's pay by statute. The commission runs on the total amount of the estate the personal representative accounts for, using a tiered rate. (Source: NRS 150.020.)

Here is the math on a $400,000 estate. The first $15,000 yields $600, the next $85,000 yields $2,550, and the remaining $300,000 yields $6,000, for a statutory commission of about $9,150. On a $700,000 estate, the figure climbs to roughly $15,150. The court can also allow extra pay for extraordinary services when the statutory commission does not reasonably cover the work. All of it is subject to court approval and gets paid from the estate. (Source: NRS 150.020.)

Many family members who serve as personal representative decline the commission, which removes this cost entirely. When a commission is claimed, it is usually the single largest line in the total. The Nevada executor duties guide lays out the work that pay reflects.

Attorney Compensation

The attorney for the personal representative is paid separately from the commission. Nevada does not lock the attorney into one fixed dollar figure. The compensation gets fixed by written agreement between the personal representative and the attorney, and the court approves it after a petition, notice, and a hearing. (Source: NRS 150.060.)

The statute lets the parties base that compensation on the attorney's hourly rate, on the value of the estate the personal representative accounts for, on a written agreement, or on another method the court approves in advance. When the value-of-the-estate method is used, the statute sets percentage tiers that start at 4 percent of the first $100,000 and step down for larger estates. Because the court reviews and approves the amount, the attorney fee on any given estate depends on the agreement, how involved the work is, and the judge, not on a single statewide number. Ask the attorney for a written fee agreement up front. The Nevada probate timeline shows when the court reviews and approves these fees.

No Estate Tax, No Inheritance Tax

This is the reassurance that surprises most readers. Nevada has no state estate tax and no state inheritance tax. Nevada also has no state income tax, so an estate files no Nevada income return.

Nevada's estate tax statute ties the tax to a federal credit that Congress repealed years ago, so the amount the statute would collect is now zero. (Source: NRS Chapter 375A.) A few tax tasks can still apply, and they sit apart from probate cost:

• A final federal individual income tax return for the person who died.
• A federal estate tax return (IRS Form 706) only for very large estates above the federal exclusion amount, which most estates never reach.
• Federal income tax on income the estate earns during administration.

So the "death tax" that out-of-state pages warn about does not exist at the Nevada level. The Nevada probate guide links the related tax and transfer topics.

Community Property Shrinks the Probate Estate

Nevada is a community property state, and that fact directly lowers probate cost for married couples. (Source: NRS Chapter 123.) When one spouse dies, the survivor already owns one-half of the community property. Only the decedent's one-half can pass by will or by intestate succession, so the value that runs through probate, and the commission that gets calculated on it, is smaller than the couple's total worth.

This is why you sort community property from separate property early. The decedent's separate property descends under the Nevada intestacy rules, which do not follow a common-law share table. The Nevada intestate succession guide explains how separate and community property pass when there is no will.

Other Costs to Plan For

A handful of smaller costs round out a Nevada estate budget:

• Certified death certificates. The Nevada vital records office charges a set fee per certified copy, around $25. Order a few, since banks and title companies each want their own.
• Appraisement. The personal representative files an inventory and appraisement, and may hire a qualified appraiser to value assets whose worth is in real doubt, such as real estate or a business interest. Cash and bank accounts can be reported at face value without an appraiser. (Source: NRS 144.010; NRS 144.020.)
• Surety bond premium. The court may require a bond unless the will waives it or the heirs consent, and the court can reduce or dispense with it. The premium is a recurring cost while the bond is in force.
• Certified copies and recording fees. Certified copies of letters and recorded estate documents carry small per-page fees set by the clerk and the county recorder.

None of these is a fixed percentage of the estate, so they stay controllable.

How to Estimate Your Own Number

Work through this short checklist to size the cost for a specific estate:

1. Add up the probate assets, the property that passes through the estate rather than by survivorship, beneficiary form, or trust. For a married couple, count only the decedent's half of community property plus the decedent's separate property.
2. Start with the county clerk filing fee: $0 if the estate is $2,500 or less, $72 up to $20,000, $171 up to $300,000, or $424 at $300,000 or more, plus county add-ons.
3. Add the cost of newspaper publication, often $100 to $300.
4. Decide whether the personal representative will claim the statutory commission, then run the tiers: 4 percent of the first $15,000, 3 percent of the next $85,000, and 2 percent above $100,000.
5. Get a written fee agreement from any attorney, since the court still has to approve that amount.
6. Add appraisement, certified copies, and any bond premium.

Start with the Nevada probate hub to find the right County Clerk of the District Court, then confirm the local figures before you file. The surest way to cut these costs is to keep assets out of probate in the first place, so see what avoids probate in Nevada for survivorship title, beneficiary forms, and a recorded deed upon death. A will alone does not change these costs, but a valid will controls who serves and who inherits, so review the Nevada will requirements guide too.

This guide is general information about Nevada estates. It is not legal advice. Confirm anything that affects your situation with the County Clerk acting as Clerk of the District Court, or with a licensed Nevada attorney.

Sources

• Title: NRS 19.013, Fees of county clerk (district court base filing fee). Publisher: Nevada Revised Statutes (Nevada Legislature). Publication Date: Current official code, accessed 2026-06-22. URL: https://www.leg.state.nv.us/nrs/nrs-019.html
• Title: NRS 19.0302, Additional filing fee for petitions for letters testamentary or letters of administration (value-based supplement). Publisher: Nevada Revised Statutes (Nevada Legislature). Publication Date: Current official code, accessed 2026-06-22. URL: https://www.leg.state.nv.us/nrs/nrs-019.html
• Title: NRS 150.020, Compensation of personal representative. Publisher: Nevada Revised Statutes (Nevada Legislature). Publication Date: Current official code, accessed 2026-06-22. URL: https://www.leg.state.nv.us/nrs/nrs-150.html
• Title: NRS 150.060, Attorney compensation for ordinary services. Publisher: Nevada Revised Statutes (Nevada Legislature). Publication Date: Current official code, accessed 2026-06-22. URL: https://www.leg.state.nv.us/nrs/nrs-150.html
• Title: NRS 147.010, Notice to creditors. Publisher: Nevada Revised Statutes (Nevada Legislature). Publication Date: Current official code, accessed 2026-06-22. URL: https://www.leg.state.nv.us/nrs/nrs-147.html
• Title: NRS 155.020, Notice; publication and mailing. Publisher: Nevada Revised Statutes (Nevada Legislature). Publication Date: Current official code, accessed 2026-06-22. URL: https://www.leg.state.nv.us/nrs/nrs-155.html
• Title: NRS 144.010 and 144.020, Inventory and appraisement. Publisher: Nevada Revised Statutes (Nevada Legislature). Publication Date: Current official code, accessed 2026-06-22. URL: https://www.leg.state.nv.us/nrs/nrs-144.html
• Title: NRS Chapter 375A, Tax on estates. Publisher: Nevada Revised Statutes (Nevada Legislature). Publication Date: Current official code, accessed 2026-06-22. URL: https://www.leg.state.nv.us/nrs/nrs-375a.html
• Title: NRS Chapter 123, Rights of married couples (community property). Publisher: Nevada Revised Statutes (Nevada Legislature). Publication Date: Current official code, accessed 2026-06-22. URL: https://www.leg.state.nv.us/nrs/nrs-123.html

It is not legal advice.