Quick answer: No, South Carolina co-personal representatives don't each collect a separate 5% commission. S.C. Code § 62-3-719(e) is explicit: "the total compensation for all personal representatives of an estate must not exceed the maximum compensation allowable under subsections (a) and (b) for an estate with a sole personal representative." One hard ceiling, apportioned among however many people are serving — at the court's discretion. Estimate the underlying ceiling first with the South Carolina executor fee calculator.
The rule: one ceiling, apportioned by the court
The court has real discretion over the split
The statute doesn't mandate an equal division — it leaves the apportionment to the court's discretion. In practice, a court could reasonably weigh how much work each co-personal representative actually performed, similar to how courts in other "reasonable compensation" states assess individual contribution, even though South Carolina's underlying commission is a percentage ceiling rather than an open-ended reasonableness standard.
Misconduct likely affects the individual, not the group
Why this differs from other states
South Carolina's single-ceiling model is genuinely different from New Jersey's additive +1%-per-fiduciary approach, and from Florida's or New York's per-person full-commission models for larger estates. Here, adding a second or third personal representative doesn't grow the total the estate pays — it only changes how the court divides the same maximum.
Worked example
Two siblings serve as co-personal representatives of a South Carolina estate with $500,000 in personal property, producing a $25,000 ceiling under § 62-3-719(a) for a sole personal representative.
| Approach | Sibling A | Sibling B | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Court apportions equally | $12,500 | $12,500 | $25,000 |
| Court apportions by actual work (A did more) | $18,750 | $6,250 | $25,000 |
The total stays capped at $25,000 in both scenarios — the same ceiling a sole personal representative would have received — only the division between the two co-personal representatives changes.
A local probate attorney can review your estate — many offer a free consultation.