If you are settling a loved one’s estate on Long Island, the cost to probate a will at the Nassau County Surrogate’s Court has two main parts: a graduated court filing fee that scales with the size of the estate under the Surrogate’s Court Procedure Act (SCPA) §2402, and attorney’s fees that typically range from about $3,000 to $10,000 for
If you are settling a loved one’s estate on Long Island, the short answer is this: a small estate affidavit (voluntary administration under SCPA Article 13) is the faster, cheaper route available when the decedent’s personal property in their sole name totals $50,000 or less and there is no need to transfer real estate — while full probate is required
When a Long Island family loses a loved one, the named executor often needs to act long before the will is formally admitted to probate. Preliminary Letters Testamentary, authorized by Surrogate’s Court Procedure Act (SCPA) §1412, are the legal instrument that solves this problem: they grant the person nominated as executor in the will interim authority to begin managing and
For most families on Long Island, an uncontested probate in Nassau County takes roughly three to six months from the date the petition is filed with the Nassau County Surrogate’s Court to the day Letters Testamentary are issued and the executor can begin administering the estate. That is the realistic range when the original will is available, the named executor
When someone dies without a valid will in Long Island, their estate is settled under New York’s intestacy laws, and the Nassau County Surrogate’s Court appoints a relative to act as the estate’s administrator rather than honoring any private wishes the person may have expressed. In plain terms: the State of New York writes the “will” for you. The Estates,
Short answer: New York does not legally require you to hire a lawyer to probate a will, but in Nassau County the practical answer is almost always yes — you should retain one. The Nassau County Surrogate’s Court enforces the Surrogate’s Court Procedure Act (SCPA) and the Estates, Powers and Trusts Law (EPTL) strictly, and a single defective petition, an