Quick answer: Neb. Rev. Stat. § 30-2480 entitles a personal representative to "reasonable compensation for his services" — no percentage, no schedule. The 2014 Nebraska Supreme Court case In re Estate of Gsantner supplies the real substance: courts weigh time and labor required, the novelty/difficulty of the work and skill needed, the fee customarily charged locally, and the amount involved and results obtained together with the person's experience and ability. Get an illustrative estimate with the Nebraska executor fee calculator.
A bare standard, with a companion section doing the real work
Neb. Rev. Stat. § 30-2480: "A personal representative is entitled to reasonable compensation for his services." That's the whole operative rule. The section doesn't define "reasonable" itself — that job fell to case law.
The case that supplies the missing content
In re Estate of Gsantner, 288 Neb. 222, 846 N.W.2d 646 (2014): the Nebraska Supreme Court held "the factors in section 30-2482 provide an indication of what facts the Legislature intended to be considered when determining a reasonable fee," and confirmed "it is within a trial court's discretion to weigh the factors that are relevant to a determination of the reasonableness of a fee." This is genuinely notable: § 30-2482 wasn't written specifically to define the personal representative's own fee — it's framed around reviewing compensation of employed agents (attorneys, auditors, investment advisors) and a personal representative's self-determined pay. Gsantner is what connects its factor list to the § 30-2480 reasonableness question in the first place.
The factors themselves
Drawn from § 30-2482, as applied in Gsantner: the time and labor required; the novelty and difficulty of the questions involved and the skill required to perform the service properly; the fee customarily charged locally for similar services; and the amount involved and the results obtained, together with the experience, reputation, and ability of the person performing the services.
A right that doesn't depend on the estate's own luck
Gsantner: "A personal representative's right to reasonable compensation under this section exists independently of the rights of the estate." Even where the estate itself is thin, contested, or otherwise limited, the personal representative's own compensation right stands on its own footing.
Review and refund, for self-determined amounts
§ 30-2482: 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.
A sense of typical figures
Because there's no statutory number, hourly rates for a family personal representative's own time in Nebraska vary by county and complexity; illustrative estimates commonly fall in the $30-$60/hr range for non-professional, family-member administration, with professional fiduciaries charging considerably more. These aren't statutory figures — only the Gsantner factors are.
Facing probate in Nebraska?A local probate attorney can review your estate — many offer a free consultation.
Talk to a Nebraska attorneyEstimate for general guidance only, not legal advice. Based on Neb. Rev. Stat. § 30-2480, § 30-2482, and In re Estate of Gsantner, 288 Neb. 222 (2014). Nebraska sets no statutory percentage or fixed hourly rate; illustrative rate ranges are not set by law. Verify with the county court or a licensed Nebraska attorney.