Quick answer: Vermont's probate filing fee is a fixed dollar amount — not a percentage — set by estate-value band, and it's identical in all 14 counties because it's set entirely by state statute. See the full picture in the Vermont probate cost calculator.
The filing-fee bands (32 V.S.A. § 1434(a))
| Estate value | Filing fee |
|---|---|
| $10,000 or less | $50 |
| Through $50,000 | $110 |
| Through $150,000 | $265 |
| Through $500,000 | $500 |
| Through $1,000,000 | $1,000 |
| Through $5,000,000 | $1,750 |
| Through $10,000,000 | $2,500 |
| Above $10,000,000 | $3,250 |
Set statewide by statute, not by county. A separate line, § 1434(a)(30), prices the Rule 80.3(g) affidavit procedure at a flat $50 — a different, narrower route from the band fees above.
The small estate route pays full price
No fee discount: a Chapter 81 small estate ($45,000 or less, personal property only) pays the same band fee an ordinary estate of that value would pay — there's no separate, cheaper small-estate filing fee. The route saves process and paperwork, not money.
Other administration costs
- Publication to creditors — creditors generally have 4 months to present claims.
- Bond — may be required unless waived by the will; the small estate route requires a bond without surety.
- Additional certified copies — $5.00 each beyond what's included with the opening documents.
- Executor & attorney fees — the real variables, both reasonable amounts under 14 V.S.A. § 1065, with no statutory percentage.
Not the big cost: the filing fee is small next to the executor and attorney fees. Vermont has no inheritance tax; its separate $5 million estate tax is a different matter entirely, unrelated to these court fees.
Ways to keep costs down
- Waiver of administration — if there's a sole heir or beneficiary who's also the sole fiduciary, with no Vermont real property; the ordinary entry fee still applies, but paperwork drops sharply.
- Self-file — Vermont doesn't require an attorney for any route.
- Executor waives the fee if a family member and beneficiary.