Illinois Co-Representatives: How Is the Fee Split?

Quick answer: No, Illinois co-representatives don't automatically each collect their own full compensation with a combined total that grows by headcount. 755 ILCS 5/27-1 contains no separate provision for multiple representatives — the same "reasonable compensation" standard governs, and the value of each co-representative's actual services determines what they're individually owed, generally bounded by what reasonable compensation for the whole administration would be. Estimate the underlying reasonable range first with the Illinois executor fee calculator.

No statutory split, because there's no statutory schedule to split

Each co-representative's work is assessed on its own

Because reasonableness under § 27-1 turns on the size and complexity of the estate, the time actually spent, and the skill required, a court dividing compensation among co-representatives would naturally look at what each person individually contributed — not an automatic even split, and not a separate full fee multiplied by however many people are serving.

Both still carry first-class claim priority

Real coordination costs, same as anywhere

Co-representatives in Illinois share fiduciary duties, and disagreements about pace, priorities, or how to divide tasks can slow administration or invite disputes — a practical consideration independent of how compensation eventually gets divided.

Worked example

Two siblings serve as co-representatives of an Illinois estate. One handles the bulk of the administrative work; the other contributes occasionally. A sole representative doing all the work might reasonably bill 40 hours at $40/hr, or $1,600.

Each figure reflects that person's own reasonable compensation for their own time, combining to roughly the same total a sole representative's full administration would have reasonably cost.

Illinois co-representatives — frequently asked questions