Probate Fees South Australia: Court Costs and What Executors Actually Pay

Before you can transfer a family home or distribute a bank account in South Australia, the Supreme Court needs to issue a grant of probate — and that grant comes with a filing fee that surprises almost everyone who hasn't looked it up. If you're managing an estate right now and trying to work out what this is going to cost, here is exactly what you're dealing with.

The CourtSA Filing Fee Scale

South Australia's probate fees are set by the Courts Administration Authority and scale with the gross value of South Australian assets at the date of death. The table below reflects the 2025/26 financial year rates:

These fees are indexed on 1 July each year, so verify the current schedule at courts.sa.gov.au if you're applying in a later financial year.

The median-house reality: Adelaide's median property value sits well above $700,000 in most suburbs. If the deceased owned even a modest family home, the estate will almost certainly land in the $2,628 fee bracket before you count any superannuation, vehicles, or bank balances. That is a meaningful sum before you've paid for a single hour of professional help.

The fee is paid by credit card during the online application at the CourtSA portal. You cannot lodge the physical will with the Probate Registry until the digital application — and the payment — are complete.

What Else You'll Pay

The Supreme Court filing fee is not the only cost. Once a grant is issued, you'll likely face at least two further expenses:

Land Services SA Transmission Application: If the deceased owned real property in their sole name or as a tenant in common, you must lodge a Transmission Application to transfer the title after probate. The registration fee at Land Services SA runs approximately $192 for 2025/26.

Sealed copies of the grant: Banks and financial institutions will not act on an unseal digital copy. The Supreme Court charges approximately $93.50 per sealed copy (exemplification) of the grant. Most estates need two or three copies for different institutions.

Death certificates: Consumer and Business Services (CBS) charges per copy of the death certificate, which you'll need for banks, superannuation funds, Land Services SA, and the ATO. Order more than you think you need at the outset — reordering later adds delays.

Total ballpark for a straightforward estate with one property: Allow $2,628 (court fee) + $192 (LTO) + $280 (three sealed copies) + $100–$150 in death certificates = roughly $3,200 before any professional involvement.

The Solicitor Calculation

If the estate is straightforward — valid will, one property, executor ready to act, no disputes — many South Australians are surprised to learn they can handle the CourtSA application themselves. The grant process is now fully digital through the CourtSA portal under Chapter 25 of the Uniform Civil Rules 2020, and it no longer requires sworn oaths or paper affidavits.

Fixed-fee legal technology providers in South Australia typically charge a minimum of $1,999 to $4,000 for a standard probate application, on top of the court filing fee. Traditional law firms can exceed this substantially. For an estate worth $250,000 — already in the $1,973 court fee bracket — adding $2,000 to $4,000 in solicitor fees consumes 2% to 3% of the estate's total value for what is largely an administrative exercise.

This is why many executors choose to apply personally. The risks of self-representation are real but manageable: the most common failure mode is triggering a "requisition" from the Probate Registry — a formal notice that something in the application is incomplete or incorrect, which stalls the grant until you fix it. The South Australia Probate Process Guide covers how to file a compliant application the first time.

How Probate Fees Are Calculated

The gross estate value used for fee purposes is not net of debts. If the house is worth $900,000 but carries a $600,000 mortgage, the fee is calculated on $900,000 — placing you in the $2,628 bracket, not the $1,973 bracket. This catches many executors off guard when they estimate costs.

The figure must also include all solely owned South Australian assets: real property, bank balances, vehicles, shares, and personal property. Superannuation and life insurance paid directly to a named beneficiary (not to the estate) are excluded — they don't form part of the probate estate and attract no filing fee.

Joint tenancy property is similarly excluded. If the deceased held the family home as a joint tenant with a surviving spouse, the property transfers automatically by survivorship outside the probate process, and that value doesn't enter the fee calculation at all.

The $15,000 Statutory Transfer Rule

Under Section 100 of the Succession Act 2023 (commenced 1 January 2025), any person or financial institution holding $15,000 or less of the deceased's money or personal property may transfer it directly to a surviving spouse, domestic partner, or child — without a grant of probate or letters of administration.

This is a genuine bypass for very modest estates. If the total estate is under $15,000 in liquid assets with no real property, there may be no court fee at all. But the moment assets exceed $15,000 or include real estate, you're back on the fee schedule above.

When Fees Are Zero: The Small Estate Route

For estates worth $100,000 or less with no real property whatsoever, Section 73 of the Succession Act 2023 allows the Public Trustee of South Australia to administer the estate by publishing a gazette notice — bypassing the Supreme Court entirely and avoiding the CourtSA filing fee.

The catch: the Public Trustee charges its own commission. For estates under $200,000, that's 4.4% of gross assets, plus $204 per year for ongoing active administration. On a $90,000 estate, the Public Trustee commission amounts to $3,960 — more than the court fee you'd pay to handle it yourself. See our comparison of both routes to understand which makes sense for your situation.

What the Grant of Probate Actually Does

A grant of probate is the Supreme Court's formal confirmation that the will is valid and the executor named in it has authority to administer the estate. Once issued, it unlocks:

• Bank accounts held solely by the deceased (above institutional thresholds)
• The ability to lodge a Transmission Application with Land Services SA
• The authority to sell real property
• Access to the deceased's share portfolio and investment accounts

Without the grant, most institutions — and certainly Land Services SA — will not act on the executor's instructions, regardless of what the will says.

Getting the Valuation Right

The fee bracket depends on the estate valuation you submit via the CourtSA portal, and the registry examines it. For real estate, the CourtSA rules are unambiguous: an executor's personal estimate of property value will be rejected. You need either the Valuer General's valuation (as listed on the council rates notice) or a formal appraisal from a licensed property valuer.

For bank accounts, use the balance at the exact date of death. For vehicles, a market estimate from an automotive valuation service is generally acceptable. Errors in valuation — even honest ones — trigger requisitions and delay the grant.

Getting the fee calculation and valuation right the first time is one of the main things a step-by-step guide can help with. The South Australia Probate Process Guide includes detailed worksheets for the Statement of Assets and Liabilities, so your application doesn't stall at the valuation step.

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