Quick answer: HRS § 560:3-719 entitles a personal representative to "reasonable compensation" — no percentage, no schedule. What makes Hawaii distinctive isn't the absence of a formula itself, but that Hawaii law does set a percentage schedule for a related role — trustees — and specifically declines to extend it to personal representatives. Get an illustrative estimate with the Hawaii executor fee calculator.
Reasonable compensation, plain and simple
HRS § 560:3-719: "A personal representative is entitled to reasonable compensation for the personal representative's services." That's the whole operative rule — the bare Uniform Probate Code standard, gender-neutral in Hawaii's phrasing since the statute's 1996 enactment.
A real, deliberate line drawn against trustee percentages
HRS § 607-18: this separate statute sets percentage-based compensation for trustees — but explicitly cross-references personal representative compensation back to HRS § 560:3-719 through 3-721, rather than folding personal representatives into the trustee percentage scheme. Two fiduciary roles that both administer someone else's property, compensated on genuinely different tracks by explicit legislative choice.
The court can still review a self-determined fee
§ 560:3-721: lets an interested person petition the court to review the reasonableness of compensation a personal representative determined for their own services, with excessive amounts subject to refund.
The will's compensation, and renouncing it
§ 560:3-719: if the will sets compensation and there's no separate contract with the decedent about it, the personal representative may renounce that provision before qualifying and get reasonable compensation instead. A personal representative may also renounce all or part of the compensation generally, with a written renunciation filed with the court.
A cited example, treated cautiously
A $1,000,000 estate has been cited by secondary sources as yielding an executor commission around $25,000 — roughly 2.5%. This is an illustrative figure from outside commentary, not a statutory benchmark, and any particular court could reasonably land above or below it depending on the work actually involved.
Facing probate in Hawaii?A local probate attorney can review your estate — many offer a free consultation.
Talk to a Hawaii attorneyEstimate for general guidance only, not legal advice. Based on HRS § 560:3-719, § 560:3-721, and § 607-18. Hawaii sets no statutory percentage or fixed hourly rate for personal representatives; illustrative figures are not set by law. Verify with the probate court or a licensed Hawaii attorney.