Probate Fees and Cost in New Zealand: The Full Breakdown

The $275 High Court filing fee is the number everyone quotes when they talk about probate costs in New Zealand. It's also the smallest line item on the bill.

If you're a named executor trying to figure out what you'll actually spend — from court fees to solicitor charges to the sneaky costs that nobody warns you about — here's the full picture.

The High Court Filing Fee

Every probate or letters of administration application filed with the Wellington High Court Probate Registry costs a flat $275. You pay this through the online File and Pay portal when you submit your physical application package.

This fee is the same whether the estate is worth $45,000 or $4.5 million. It covers the court's processing of your application — reviewing the forms, verifying the will, and issuing the sealed grant. If you need certified copies of the grant (and you will, because banks and LINZ each want their own), those cost $30 per copy.

Most executors need three to five certified copies, so add $90 to $150 on top of the filing fee.

Solicitor Fees: The Big Variable

This is where costs vary wildly. New Zealand law firms typically charge between $2,000 and $5,000 for a standard probate application — and complex estates with property, trusts, or disputes can push that well past $10,000.

What you're paying for:

• Drafting the Form PR1 application and Form PR2 affidavit (these aren't fill-in-the-blank forms — the registry requires precisely worded legal pleadings)
• Swearing the affidavit before an authorised officer
• Handling any registry requisitions (corrections the court demands before issuing the grant)
• Managing the estate bank account, LINZ property transfers, and final distributions

You can apply for probate yourself — the court doesn't require you to use a lawyer. But the Wellington registry rejects applications with formatting or procedural errors, and each rejection adds weeks to the timeline.

Corporate Executor and Trustee Fees

If the will names Public Trust, Perpetual Guardian, or Trustees Executors as executor, read that provider's fee terms carefully. Public Trust's standard administration fee is typically calculated as a percentage of the gross estate value:

• Setup/acceptance fee: Around $6,495 (Public Trust's current schedule)
• Administration fee: Public Trust typically charges 4% to 5% of the total estate value
• Annual management fees: If the estate holds ongoing assets like trusts or rental properties

At a 4% to 5% administration rate plus setup and other fees, charges on a $500,000 estate can reach around $25,000 to $30,000 — substantially more than a private solicitor. The will-maker chose this appointment, but beneficiaries often discover the fee structure only after the death, when it's too late to change.

The $40,000 Probate Threshold

Since September 2025, the probate threshold for non-land assets held at a single financial institution is $40,000 (up from $15,000). If no single institution holds more than $40,000 and there's no real property held solely or as tenants in common, you can usually access funds through a statutory declaration and indemnity form — no court application needed.

But three exceptions trap people:

1. Real property has no threshold — any land or buildings held in the deceased's sole name or as tenants in common requires probate regardless of value
2. Shares and bonds cap at $15,000 — the old threshold still applies to company shares, debentures, and government bonds
3. The threshold is per institution — $35,000 in KiwiSaver plus $10,000 in a savings account at the same provider means you're over the line

With the average KiwiSaver balance sitting at roughly $37,079, many New Zealanders are one modest bank account away from requiring formal probate.

Hidden Costs Most Executors Miss

Beyond the headline fees, executors commonly encounter:

• Death certificates: $35 each from BDM (you'll need several — banks, KiwiSaver providers, and insurance companies all want originals)
• Creditor advertising: Publishing a notice in local newspapers to protect yourself from unknown debts costs $200 to $400
• Valuation fees: Property valuations for estate purposes run $400 to $800
• Tax agent fees: If the estate earns income (rent, dividends, interest), you'll need an IR6 estate tax return filed annually — accountant fees range from $500 to $1,500 per year
• Conveyancing: LINZ property transfers require a solicitor or conveyancer, typically $800 to $1,500 per property

How to Minimise Probate Costs

A few practical steps can reduce what the estate pays:

• Spread assets across institutions to stay under the $40,000 per-institution threshold where possible
• Hold property as joint tenants rather than tenants in common — joint tenancy transfers automatically via survivorship, bypassing probate entirely
• DIY the probate application if you're confident with legal forms — you'll pay only the $275 filing fee plus certified copies
• Get a fixed-fee quote from a solicitor rather than agreeing to hourly billing — many firms offer fixed-fee probate packages
• Avoid corporate executors unless the estate genuinely needs institutional management (complex trusts, ongoing business assets, family disputes)

Our New Zealand End-of-Life Planning Guide walks you through the probate application process step by step, including the exact forms, the filing sequence, and how to handle registry requisitions — whether you're doing it yourself or want to understand what your solicitor should be doing.

What a Typical Estate Actually Pays

For a straightforward estate (one property, a few bank accounts, KiwiSaver, no disputes), expect to spend roughly:

The difference between DIY and professional help is real — but so is the risk of a requisition adding weeks to an already stressful process. Pick the path that matches the estate's complexity and your comfort with paperwork.

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