How much does probate cost in Iowa?
19 Jul 2026
Iowa caps the ordinary fee for both the attorney and the personal representative at 6% of the first $1,000, 4% of the next $4,000 and 2% of everything above $5,000. On a $500,000 estate that ceiling is $10,120 each.
It is a ceiling, not a fixed price: the court allows what is reasonable up to it. Iowa also charges no flat fee to open probate — court costs are two-tenths of one percent of the probate assets, which is $1,000 on a $500,000 estate.
Iowa Code §633.198 — Iowa Legislature · Verified 19 Jul 2026
Informational only, not legal advice. Figures verified on the date stamped. Details: /disclaimer/
Work it out on your own number
The calculator applies the §§633.197 and 633.198 ceiling to the value you enter and shows the working, with the statute cited underneath.
Enter any estate value and the calculator works the Iowa schedule to the dollar, with the statute cited under the result and the verification date stamped on it. It opens on the calculator page, already set to Iowa and to a $500,000 estate.
What each part costs
Every row is one figure, one source, one date. Where Iowa fixes no price, the row says so instead of guessing.
| Fee | Amount or formula | Set by | Source | Verified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Attorney feeOrdinary services | 6% · 4% · 2% — a ceilingA reasonable amount set by the court, capped at 6% of the first $1,000, 4% of the next $4,000 and 2% of everything above $5,000. Extraordinary services are separate under §633.199. | Statute — maximum | Iowa Code §633.198 | 19 Jul 2026 |
| Personal representative feeThe executor or administrator | 6% · 4% · 2% — a ceilingThe same schedule caps the personal representative’s ordinary fee. On a $500,000 estate that ceiling is $10,120. | Statute — maximum | Iowa Code §633.197 | 19 Jul 2026 |
| Court costsCharged on the inventory | 0.2% of the probate assetsIowa charges no flat fee to open probate. Court costs are two-tenths of one percent of the probate assets listed in the report and inventory — $1,000 on a $500,000 estate — plus fixed clerk charges such as $15 to probate a will without administration, $50 to file and index a transcript and $20 to take and approve a bond. | Statute — a percentage, not a flat fee | Iowa Code §633.31(3)(a) | 20 Jul 2026 |
| Newspaper publicationNotice to creditors | Set by law, but not by the figure in printIowa is the only one of our first five states that sets the price of a legal notice at all. The cents figure printed in §618.11 is a base rate: the statute directs that a new rate be calculated every year against the consumer price index and published in the Iowa Administrative Bulletin. The rate in force for the current year is what you pay, so this page does not print the statutory cents figure as today’s price. | Statute, recalculated annually | Iowa Code §618.11 | 23 Jul 2026 |
| BondPersonal representative’s bond | A stated sumThe penalty is the value of the estate’s personal property plus the estimated gross annual income during administration, fixed once and not changed after. It can be reduced by property deposited with an Iowa financial institution, and waived by the will or by the distributees. | Stated sum, fixed by the clerk | Iowa Code §633.170 | 23 Jul 2026 |
The publication rate is not a fixed cash figure. §618.11 prints a base rate and then directs that it be recalculated each year for inflation and published in the Iowa Administrative Bulletin. We will publish the current year’s rate here once it has its own verified official source.
What changes YOUR number in Iowa
- These are ceilings, not entitlements
- §§633.197 and 633.198 cap the ordinary fee. The court allows what is reasonable up to that cap, so the figure a small, simple estate actually pays can be well under it.
- What the percentages are charged on
- The gross assets of the estate listed in the probate inventory for Iowa inheritance tax purposes, excluding life insurance proceeds unless they are payable to the estate.
- Court costs are a percentage, so they scale
- Two-tenths of one percent of the probate assets. Excluded from that base: joint tenancy property, property transferred during the decedent’s lifetime, life insurance, annuities, IRAs, retirement plans and transfer-on-death or payable-on-death accounts payable to someone other than the estate, real estate outside Iowa, and assets already charged in a conservatorship.
- Extraordinary services are separate
- Work beyond the ordinary administration is allowed on top, under §633.199.
- The bond is a stated sum, and it can shrink
- The clerk fixes it at personal property plus one year’s estimated gross income, and cannot later move it. §633.176 reduces it by the value of personal property deposited with an Iowa financial institution. §633.172 and §633.173 waive it where the will or the distributees say so. The premium itself is a private surety rate, not a figure set by law.
Estates of $200,000 or less use small-estate administration
Where the gross value of the probate assets subject to Iowa’s jurisdiction is $200,000 or less, the estate can be handled under chapter 635 — a shorter, simpler court administration than full probate.
- Limit $200,000, measured on the gross value of the probate assets.
- This is a simplified court administration, not an out-of-court affidavit: the court still appoints a personal representative and issues letters.
- If the inventory later shows assets above the limit, the estate converts to ordinary administration under chapter 633.
- The limit rose from $100,000 on 1 July 2018 and is not indexed for inflation.
Iowa Code §635.1 — Iowa Legislature · Verified 20 Jul 2026
Three tools, in the order most people need them
Iowa probate cost questions
How much does a probate attorney cost in Iowa?
The ordinary fee is a reasonable amount set by the court, capped by §633.198 at 6% of the first $1,000, 4% of the next $4,000 and 2% of everything above $5,000. On a $500,000 estate that ceiling is $10,120. Extraordinary services are allowed separately.
Does the executor get paid the same in Iowa?
The same schedule caps the personal representative’s ordinary fee under §633.197. Both are maximums, not fixed amounts.
What are Iowa’s probate court costs?
Iowa charges no flat opening fee. Court costs are two-tenths of one percent of the probate assets listed in the report and inventory — $1,000 on a $500,000 estate — plus fixed clerk charges. Joint tenancy property, payable-on-death accounts and real estate outside Iowa are not in that base.
How much is the newspaper notice in Iowa probate?
Iowa sets the rate by law, but not at the cents figure printed in §618.11. That figure is a base rate the statute directs be recalculated each year against the consumer price index and published in the Iowa Administrative Bulletin, so the rate in force for the current year is what is charged.
How is the bond set in Iowa?
The clerk fixes it at the value of the estate’s personal property plus the estimated gross annual income during administration, and may not afterwards increase or decrease it. It can be reduced by property deposited with an Iowa financial institution, and waived by the will or by the distributees.
Sources & verification
Every figure on this page was checked against the official source on the date shown. Statutory figures are re-checked annually.
- Attorney fee — Iowa Code §633.198Verified 19 Jul 2026 · annual statutory re-check
- Personal representative fee — Iowa Code §633.197Verified 19 Jul 2026 · annual statutory re-check
- Court costs — Iowa Code §633.31(3)(a)Verified 20 Jul 2026 · annual statutory re-check
- Small-estate administration — Iowa Code §635.1Verified 20 Jul 2026 · annual statutory re-check
- Publication rate — Iowa Code §618.11Verified 23 Jul 2026 · rate recalculated annually and published in the Iowa Administrative Bulletin
- Bond — Iowa Code §633.170Verified 23 Jul 2026 · annual statutory re-check
Researched and verified by John Terra · Methodology
This page is information, not legal advice. Reading it does not create an attorney-client relationship. Laws and fee schedules change; every figure here was verified on the date stamped beside it. For advice about your own situation, consult an attorney licensed in Iowa. Full terms: /disclaimer/
Every state, one standard: How much does probate cost? →
Nearby and often compared: Arkansas, California, Missouri and Montana
When a figure changes, know first
Statutes get amended and fee schedules get updated. Once a month, we send a short note listing every figure that changed and every page we re-verified. Reference, not marketing.