Louisiana Co-Executors: How Is the Fee Split?

Q: Does the will's own compensation clause still control with co-executors?

Yes. Article 3352 apportions 'the compensation provided by Article 3351,' and Article 3351's hierarchy - will provision first, then heir agreement, then the 2.5% default - still determines the total pool being divided among co-representatives.

Quick answer: No, Louisiana co-executors don't each collect a separate 2.5% commission. La. C.C.P. § 3352 is explicit and short: "If there is more than one succession representative, the compensation provided by Article 3351 shall be apportioned among them as the court shall direct." One commission, one pool — the court decides the split. Estimate the underlying commission first with the Louisiana executor fee calculator.

A short statute, doing real work

§ 3352: unlike states that say nothing about co-representatives, Louisiana addresses it directly — and does so by cross-referencing § 3351 rather than restating the whole hierarchy. That means the same three-tier structure (will provision, then heir agreement, then the 2.5% default) determines the total pool; § 3352 only governs how that total is divided when more than one representative is serving.

The court decides the division

Louisiana's statute leaves the division entirely to the court's determination, without a stated default of an equal split. In practice, a court would likely weigh how much of the administrative work each co-representative actually performed — the same logic as the compensation-reduction rule for a single representative's misconduct, applied here to comparative contribution.

The will's compensation clause still governs the pool

§ 3352 apportions "the compensation provided by Article 3351" — meaning if the will sets a specific total compensation figure for the executor role, that figure (not the 2.5% default) is what gets divided among co-executors, per § 3351's own hierarchy.

Worked example

Two siblings serve as co-succession-representatives of a Louisiana estate with a $500,000 inventory, producing a $12,500 commission under § 3351 for a sole representative.

Approach	Sibling A	Sibling B	Total
Court apportions equally	$6,250	$6,250	$12,500
Court apportions by work done (A did more)	$7,500	$5,000	$12,500

The total stays at $12,500 in both scenarios — the same amount a sole representative would have received — only the division between the two co-representatives changes, entirely at the court's discretion.

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Louisiana co-executors — frequently asked questions

Do Louisiana co-executors each get their own 2.5%?

No. Code of Civil Procedure article 3352 is explicit: when there's more than one succession representative, the compensation provided by article 3351 is apportioned among them as the court directs — one 2.5% commission, divided, not multiplied per person.

Who decides how Louisiana co-executors split the commission?

The court. Article 3352 leaves the division among multiple succession representatives to the court's determination rather than a fixed statutory formula or an automatic equal split.

Must Louisiana co-executors split the fee equally?

No. Since article 3352 sets no default equal split, the court apportioning the single commission can reasonably weigh how much of the administrative work each co-representative actually performed.

Does having co-executors increase the total commission in Louisiana?

No. Because article 3352 treats multiple representatives as sharing the one commission calculated under article 3351, adding a co-executor doesn't grow the total — it only affects how that one amount gets divided.

Does the will's own compensation clause still control with co-executors?

Yes. Article 3352 apportions "the compensation provided by Article 3351," and article 3351's hierarchy — will provision first, then heir agreement, then the 2.5% default — still determines the total pool being divided among co-representatives.

Estimate for general guidance only, not legal advice. Based on La. C.C.P. § 3351 and § 3352. The court has discretion over how to divide the single commission among co-succession-representatives; there is no statutory default split. Consult a Louisiana succession attorney to resolve a specific dispute over compensation between co-representatives.