Michigan Co-Personal Representatives: Fee Split?

Q: Do Michigan co-personal representatives each get their own reasonable compensation?

MCL 700.3719 contains no separate provision for multiple personal representatives; the same reasonable-compensation standard applies to the estate's administration as a whole, and each co-personal representative's compensation is assessed based on the value of their own actual services.

Q: Can each Michigan co-personal representative pay themselves without court approval?

The self-payment provision in MCL 700.3719(1) is not written specifically for multiple personal representatives, but nothing in the statute limits it to a sole personal representative; each co-personal representative would still need to account for their own payment as part of the estate's overall accounting.

Q: Does the attorney-personal-representative time-record rule apply if only one of several Michigan co-personal representatives is an attorney?

Yes, to that individual specifically. MCL 700.3719(2)'s time-record requirement applies when an attorney serves as personal representative - it does not automatically extend to a co-personal representative who is not an attorney.

Quick answer: No, Michigan co-personal representatives don't automatically each collect a separate full compensation with no relationship to what the other did. MCL § 700.3719 contains no separate provision for multiple personal representatives — the same "reasonable compensation" standard governs, and each co-personal representative's compensation is assessed on their own actual services, generally bounded by what reasonable compensation for the whole administration would be. Estimate the underlying reasonable range first with the Michigan executor fee calculator.

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

MCL § 700.3719(1): "A personal representative is entitled to reasonable compensation for services performed." Unlike states with an explicit statutory percentage and a numbered multi-fiduciary subsection (Florida, New York, Missouri, California), Michigan's reasonableness-only standard has nothing to say specifically about co-personal representatives — because it has nothing to say specifically about a percentage schedule at all.

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

Because reasonableness under § 700.3719 turns on the complexity of the estate, the time actually spent, and the work actually performed, a court reviewing compensation for co-personal 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.

Self-payment and time records still apply per person

§ 700.3719(1), (2): the ability to pay compensation periodically as earned without prior court approval isn't written specifically for a sole personal representative, so each co-personal representative would generally rely on the same self-payment mechanism for their own fee, subject to the same later accounting. If only one of several co-personal representatives happens to be an attorney, the § 700.3719(2) time-record requirement applies to that individual specifically, not automatically to the others.

Real coordination costs, same as anywhere

Co-personal representatives in Michigan 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-personal representatives of a Michigan 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 representative	Hours	Rate	Compensation
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.

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Michigan co-personal representatives — frequently asked questions

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

MCL § 700.3719 contains no separate provision for multiple personal representatives; the same reasonable-compensation standard applies to the estate's administration as a whole, and each co-personal representative's compensation is assessed based on the value of their own actual services.

Can each Michigan co-personal representative pay themselves without court approval?

The self-payment provision in MCL § 700.3719(1) is not written specifically for multiple personal representatives, but nothing in the statute limits it to a sole personal representative; each co-personal representative would still need to account for their own payment as part of the estate's overall accounting.

Does the attorney-personal-representative time-record rule apply if only one of several Michigan co-personal representatives is an attorney?

Yes, to that individual specifically. MCL § 700.3719(2)'s time-record requirement applies when an attorney serves as personal representative — it does not automatically extend to a co-personal representative who is not an attorney.

Does having co-personal representatives increase the total compensation available in Michigan?

Not automatically. Because compensation is tied to reasonableness for the estate's administration as a whole, adding a co-personal representative does not by itself create additional entitlement — the total is generally bounded by what reasonable compensation for that administration would be.

Can Michigan co-personal representatives be paid different amounts?

Yes. Because each co-personal representative's compensation reflects their own actual services under the reasonableness standard, one who did more of the work can reasonably receive more than one who contributed occasionally.

Estimate for general guidance only, not legal advice. Based on MCL § 700.3719. Michigan has no statutory formula for dividing compensation among co-personal representatives; each person's compensation is assessed on their own reasonable services, generally bounded by what reasonable compensation for the whole administration would be. Consult a Michigan probate attorney to resolve a specific dispute over compensation between co-personal representatives.

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