Maine Co-Personal Representatives: How Is the Fee Split?

There's no formula here either — just the same six statutory factors, applied to each co-personal representative's own work.

18-C M.R.S. § 3-719, § 3-721 FigureMyTax Editorial Team

Quick answer: No, Maine co-personal representatives don't automatically each collect their own full compensation with a combined total that grows by headcount. 18-C M.R.S. § 3-719 contains no separate provision for multiple personal representatives — the same "reasonable compensation" standard governs, tested against the six factors in § 3-721(2) for each co-personal representative's own actual services. Estimate the underlying reasonable range first with the Maine executor fee calculator.

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

18-C M.R.S. § 3-719: "A personal representative is entitled to reasonable compensation for the personal representative's services." Unlike states with an explicit statutory percentage and a numbered multi-representative subsection, Maine's reasonableness standard has nothing to say specifically about co-personal representatives — because it has nothing to say specifically about a formula at all, even for a sole personal representative.

The six factors point naturally toward individual assessment

18-C M.R.S. § 3-721(2): several of the six factors are inherently about the individual performing the work — factor B (whether the job precluded that person's other employment) and factor F (that person's own experience, reputation, and ability) can't sensibly be applied to a group as a single unit. A court weighing these for co-personal representatives would naturally look at what each individual actually contributed.

Self-determined fee review likely works the same way, per person

§ 3-721(1): the refund remedy for excessive compensation is tied to "the compensation determined by the personal representative for the personal representative's own services" — language that points toward assessing each co-personal representative's situation individually, rather than treating the group as a single unit for this purpose.

Real coordination costs, same as anywhere

Co-personal representatives in Maine 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 assessed.

Worked example

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

Co-personal representativeHoursRateCompensation
Sibling A (primary administrator)32 hrs$40/hr$1,280
Sibling B (occasional support)8 hrs$40/hr$320

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

Facing probate in Maine?

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Maine co-personal representatives — frequently asked questions

Do Maine co-personal representatives each get their own reasonable compensation?

18-C M.R.S. § 3-719 contains no separate provision for multiple personal representatives; the same reasonable-compensation standard applies, tested against the six § 3-721(2) factors for each person's own actual services.

Do the six Maine reasonable-fee factors apply separately to each co-personal representative?

They apply naturally to each person's own contribution — factors like time and labor required, and experience and ability, are inherently about the individual performing the work.

Can one Maine co-personal representative be ordered to refund compensation while another keeps theirs?

Likely yes — the review mechanism is tied to compensation a person determined for their own services, individually.

Do Maine co-personal representatives need a written agreement on how to split duties?

Not required by statute, but a clear understanding of who handles which tasks helps each person's later compensation claim reflect their actual contribution.

Does one Maine co-personal representative doing all the work reduce the other's compensation to zero?

Not automatically to zero, but the factors weighing actual contribution would generally support a smaller amount for the co-personal representative who did less.

Estimate for general guidance only, not legal advice. Based on 18-C M.R.S. § 3-719 and § 3-721. Maine has no statutory formula for dividing compensation among co-personal representatives; each person's compensation is assessed on their own reasonable services. Consult a Maine probate attorney to resolve a specific dispute over compensation between co-personal representatives.