Quick answer: Connecticut has no statute setting executor or fiduciary compensation at all. The controlling authority is Hayward v. Plant, 98 Conn. 374 (1923) — still cited "in just about every decision on fees" — embodied procedurally in Probate Court Rules of Procedure Rule 39.2, which requires an itemized 9-point task statement. As informal practice, many judges look for combined fiduciary/attorney/accountant fees under roughly 5% of the gross taxable estate. Get an illustrative estimate with the Connecticut executor fee calculator.
A century without a fee statute
Hayward v. Plant, 98 Conn. 374 (1923): Connecticut's landmark fiduciary-compensation case, over 100 years old and still the controlling authority. Probate and superior court judges cite it in nearly every fee decision today — there has simply never been a statutory percentage schedule enacted to replace it.
The 9-point task statement, in full
Probate Court Rules of Procedure, Rule 39.2: a fiduciary's invoice should reflect: (1) size of the estate; (2) responsibilities involved; (3) character of the work required; (4) special problems and difficulties met in doing the work; (5) results achieved; (6) knowledge, skill and judgment required; (7) manner and promptness in which the matter was handled; (8) time required; and (9) other relevant and material circumstances. A bare statement of hours (factor 8) alone, without the other eight factors reflected, generally isn't enough to convince a judge to approve the invoice.
The informal 5% yardstick
Widely described probate court practice (not law): many judges use a rough yardstick where combined invoices from the fiduciary, the lawyer, and the accountant totaling less than 5% of the gross taxable estate are generally approved without much additional scrutiny. Above that threshold, judges want a clear task statement explaining why. Some individual judges reportedly apply a stricter informal presumption around 3-4% for the fiduciary's own fee specifically. None of this is binding law — it's observed practice, and it varies by judge.
A real, documented example
Estate of Macgonical: Judge F. Paul Kurmay, applying the Hayward standard, allowed two individual executors a combined $125,000 — 3.9063% of the $3,200,000 estate — plus a separate $60,000 in attorney fees. A genuine, citable application of the framework to an actual, sizable estate.
What hourly rates actually look like in practice
Courts have approved rates as low as $25/hour for a modest, successfully managed estate, and as high as $150/hour for lay executors on an estate over $2 million, when all nine Rule 39.2 factors were clearly documented in the task statement.
Estimate for general guidance only, not legal advice. Based on Hayward v. Plant, 98 Conn. 374 (1923), and Probate Court Rules of Procedure Rule 39, 39.2. Connecticut has no statutory fee schedule; the informal ~5% yardstick and hourly-rate figures described here reflect widely observed practitioner and probate court practice, not binding law. Verify with your probate court or a licensed Connecticut attorney.