Probate cost in New Zealand

Probate is a legal document issued by the High Court of NZ that confirms a deceased person's will is valid and gives the executor named in the will the authority to deal with the estate (collect assets, pay debts, distribute to beneficiaries). If there is no will, the equivalent document is "letters of administration" and is granted to a person entitled to administer the estate under the Administration Act 1969.

Probate is required when any single asset in the estate exceeds NZ$40,000 — the new threshold effective 24 September 2025, up from NZ$15,000 set in 2009. Real estate ALWAYS requires probate regardless of value. The old NZ$15,000 threshold still applies to government bonds, securities, and company shares.

Everyone pays the High Court filing fee of NZ$269. On top of that, the service fee depends on the path you choose: paperwork-only fixed-fee services (Kiwilaw, Simply Probate) charge NZ$490–$804 inclusive; a law firm fixed-fee for a straightforward application runs around NZ$2,950 + GST + filing (Cooper & Co); a corporate trustee like Public Trust handling full estate administration starts at NZ$9,356 with a 5% cap of estate value. All figures verified 2026-06-04.

The Ministry of Justice processing standard is for 75% of probate applications to be completed within 15 working days. As at June 2025, 89% of applications were completed in that timeframe. Full estate administration after the grant typically takes 6–12 months.

Yes. The executor named in the will can apply directly. The application is a structured court process (forms PR1 + PR2 plus supporting affidavits under the High Court Rules 2016). Paperwork-only services like Kiwilaw and Simply Probate prepare the paperwork at low fixed fees and you file it yourself. Many people use these services to keep total cost (paperwork + court fee) under NZ$1,100.

Public Trust's estate setup fee is NZ$6,355, applying for probate from NZ$1,152, and estate finalisation from NZ$1,849 — total starting around NZ$9,356 for a full administration. Additional hourly work runs NZ$307.05–$537.05 depending on staff seniority. Total fees and charges cannot exceed 5% of the estate value (excluding court filing fees). Pricing reference PTEL13 07/25, FY26 schedule.

Funeral costs come BEFORE probate in the order of estate payments — funeral expenses are paid first from the estate. Many banks will release funds directly to the funeral director from the deceased's account on production of an invoice + death certificate, even before probate is granted. See funeral costs in NZ for the funeral-cost side.

Contested probate (a family member disputes the will, claims under the Family Protection Act 1955, or claims under the Property (Relationships) Act 1976) is a separate matter and the fixed-fee paths do not apply. Legal costs for contested probate scale with the complexity and length of the dispute; expect lawyer hourly rates of NZ$300–$700+ depending on seniority.