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DC Copersonal Representatives: How Is the Fee Split?

DC's statute is silent on splitting the fee itself — but explicit about how copersonal representatives must act together, which shapes how a court ends up dividing compensation in practice.

D.C. Code § 20-512 FigureMyTax Editorial Team

By the FigureMyTax Editorial Team · How we calculate

Quick answer: DC's compensation statute doesn't give a formula for splitting the fee between multiple personal representatives the way some states' statutes do. What DC has instead, in D.C. Code § 20-512, is a detailed governance rule for how copersonal representatives must act — and that governance structure, together with the general reasonableness factors in § 20-753, is what a DC court draws on when more than one person has served. Model an estimate first with the DC executor fee calculator, then split it based on each copersonal representative's actual share of the work.

What DC's statute actually says about multiple personal representatives

D.C. Code § 20-512(a): "When two or more persons are appointed copersonal representatives, the concurrence of all is required on all acts connected with the administration and distribution of the estate; except, for: (1) giving receipts for or receiving property due the estate; (2) in emergency situations, when all personal representatives cannot reasonably be consulted in the time available; (3) when a personal representative has validly delegated power to act to a copersonal representative; and (4) when the will or a statute provides otherwise." This is a genuine joint-action requirement, not a default that either copersonal representative can act alone.

Delegation doesn't shed responsibility

§ 20-512(c): "If a personal representative delegates power to act to a copersonal representative, such delegation shall not reduce such representative's fiduciary responsibility." A copersonal representative who hands off day-to-day tasks to a co-serving representative remains just as accountable as before — delegating work doesn't delegate away liability.

Protection for third parties

§ 20-512(b): "Persons dealing with a copersonal representative without knowledge that such representative is not the sole personal representative shall be as fully protected as if the person with whom they dealt had been the sole personal representative." A bank or title company that reasonably didn't know a second copersonal representative existed is protected as though it had dealt with the only one.

How this connects to compensation

Section 20-512 governs authority — who has to sign off, who can act alone in an emergency, what delegation does and doesn't excuse. It says nothing about how much each copersonal representative is paid. For that, DC falls back on the general standard: § 20-751's reasonable compensation, assessed against § 20-753(b)'s named factors — most directly, factor (1), "the reasonable relationship of the compensation to the nature of the work performed." Applied to two or more personal representatives, that factor naturally supports splitting compensation by what each one actually did, not by a fixed formula.

In practice: how a split tends to get decided

  • Equal split. Common when copersonal representatives share the work roughly evenly — both attending hearings, both signing off, both handling correspondence with heirs.
  • Work-based split. More defensible when duties were divided unevenly — one copersonal representative managing real estate and business interests, the other largely limited to consenting under the joint-action rule. Time records help here.
  • One total award, apportioned. Since § 20-751 speaks to "a personal representative" entitled to reasonable compensation for services, and doesn't provide for a duplicated award simply because more than one person served, the practical framing in most estates is one reasonable total, apportioned between the copersonal representatives according to their contribution — not each one separately claiming a full fee.

A written agreement heads off disputes

Practical step, not a statutory requirement: nothing in Title 20 requires copersonal representatives to agree on a split in advance, but doing so — in writing, ideally reviewed by counsel — avoids a dispute months into administration about who did what. Given the joint-action requirement in § 20-512(a), copersonal representatives are already going to be coordinating closely; settling the compensation split early is a natural extension of that coordination.
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DC copersonal representatives — frequently asked questions

Does DC law set a formula for splitting compensation between copersonal representatives?

No. DC applies the general reasonable-compensation standard and factors to the group, weighing what each one actually did.

Do copersonal representatives in DC have to act together on every decision?

Generally yes, with four exceptions under section 20-512(a): receiving property, emergencies, valid delegation, and cases where the will or a statute says otherwise.

If one DC copersonal representative delegates power to another, does that reduce their responsibility?

No. Section 20-512(c) keeps the delegating representative's fiduciary responsibility fully intact.

What protects someone who deals with only one of several DC copersonal representatives?

Section 20-512(b) fully protects a person who reasonably didn't know a sole personal representative wasn't actually sole.

Keep going

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Estimate for general guidance only, not legal advice. Based on D.C. Code § 20-512, § 20-751, and § 20-753. DC has no statutory fee-split formula for copersonal representatives; the approaches described above reflect how the general reasonable-compensation standard tends to apply, not a rule the statute states directly. Verify with the DC Superior Court, Probate Division, or a licensed DC attorney.