Alberta Probate Fees: 2026 Surrogate Court Fee Schedule

Alberta charges a flat, capped surrogate court fee for probate, ranging from $35 to a maximum of $525, regardless of how large the estate is.

How Alberta's probate fee schedule works

Most Canadian provinces charge a probate fee that rises as a percentage of the estate value, so a bigger estate always pays a bigger fee. Alberta does the opposite. The Surrogate Rules set a flat fee schedule with five value tiers, and the fee stops climbing once the estate crosses $250,000.

The result is that Alberta's probate cost is entirely predictable before an executor files anything. There is no per-dollar calculation, no rounding rule, and no marginal rate to apply above a threshold. The executor simply finds which tier the estate's value falls into and pays that flat amount.

Alberta surrogate court fee schedule

This schedule applies to an application for a Grant of Probate (where there is a valid will) and to a Grant of Administration (where there is no will, or no executor named or willing to act). The fee is set out on the Government of Alberta's court fees page and confirmed through the Surrogate Rules that govern estate applications in the Court of King's Bench.

Why a large Alberta estate pays so little

The $525 cap is the single most important fact for anyone comparing provinces. Once an estate passes $250,000, Alberta's fee does not move again. A $300,000 estate, a $2 million estate, and a $20 million estate all pay the identical $525 surrogate fee.

Compare that to a province that charges by percentage. Ontario's Estate Administration Tax has no first-dollar exemption above $50,000 and no ceiling at all, so it keeps growing with the estate.

Large-estate comparison: Alberta vs. a percentage-based province

Ontario's tax works out to roughly 1.5% on the value above $50,000. Alberta's flat cap means the more an estate is worth, the smaller the fee becomes as a percentage of that estate. For a modest estate, the two provinces land in a similar range. For a large estate, Alberta's cap makes it one of the cheapest jurisdictions in the country to obtain a grant. See Ontario Probate Fees for the full Ontario calculation and examples.

Use the Canada Probate Fee Calculator to compare Alberta's flat fee against every other province and territory for a specific estate value.

Few other provinces cap the fee this way. British Columbia and Saskatchewan keep adding a percentage past the half-million-dollar mark, and Ontario's Estate Administration Tax has no ceiling at any value. Alberta's flat $525 ceiling means an executor settling a multi-million-dollar estate pays the same court fee as one settling an estate just over a quarter million dollars, which is why Alberta ranks among the least expensive provinces to probate a large estate.

Who pays the fee, and when

The surrogate fee is paid by the estate, not personally by the executor or the beneficiaries. It is submitted with the application for the grant, filed at the Surrogate Court office in the judicial district where the deceased lived. The executor typically pays it from estate funds once the deceased's bank has released enough to cover the filing, or advances it personally and is reimbursed from the estate later.

The fee is a one-time charge tied to the value of the estate at the date of death, calculated from the sworn estate inventory the applicant files with the court. There is no annual fee and no separate charge for a second application unless the estate requires a resealing or an ancillary grant in another province.

Applying for the grant is a paper-based court process rather than a hearing. The executor files a package of Surrogate Rules forms, including an application, a notice to the beneficiaries and next of kin, and a sworn inventory of the estate's assets and debts, along with the flat fee from the schedule above. A registrar or Court of King's Bench judge reviews the filing on the documents alone and issues the Grant of Probate or Grant of Administration without requiring the executor to appear in person.

What counts toward the estate value

Only assets that flow through the estate, meaning assets that need the Grant of Probate to be transferred or sold, count toward the fee tier. Common examples that DO count:

• Real estate held in the deceased's name alone
• Bank and investment accounts with no named beneficiary and no joint owner
• Personal property such as vehicles, business interests, and valuables

Assets that typically DO NOT require probate, and so fall outside the fee calculation, include property held in joint tenancy with right of survivorship (which passes automatically to the surviving joint owner), and life insurance policies, RRSPs, RRIFs, and TFSAs with a named beneficiary (which pay out directly to that person). A well-structured estate plan that uses joint ownership and named beneficiaries deliberately can reduce the value that passes through probate, and therefore keep the estate in a lower fee tier, though Alberta's $525 cap means this planning matters far less here than in provinces without a ceiling.

No inheritance tax in Alberta

Alberta has no provincial inheritance tax and no estate tax. The surrogate fee is a court administration charge for processing the application, not a tax on what beneficiaries receive. The estate may still owe federal income tax on a final T1 return (including deemed disposition of capital property at death) and the executor must obtain a clearance certificate from the Canada Revenue Agency before the final distribution, but neither of those obligations is connected to the surrogate fee schedule above.

When probate isn't required at all

Not every estate needs a Grant of Probate. If the deceased held everything jointly, or all major assets had named beneficiaries, or the estate is very small, the executor or next of kin may be able to deal with financial institutions directly using a death certificate and the will, without ever filing a surrogate application. Financial institutions set their own thresholds for when they will release funds without a grant, so this varies by bank rather than by a fixed rule in the Surrogate Rules.

For an overview of how probate works across the rest of the country, including intestacy, executor duties, and the CRA clearance certificate step, see Probate in Canada. For the full menu of will, POA, and estate topics, start at the Canada Wills and Probate hub.

Disclaimer: This article provides general information about Alberta's surrogate court probate fees and is not legal or tax advice. Court fee schedules and estate administration rules can change. Confirm current figures with the Government of Alberta or a lawyer before relying on them for a specific estate.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does probate cost in Alberta?

Alberta charges a flat surrogate court fee based on the estate's value: $35 for estates of $10,000 or less, $135 for $10,000 to $25,000, $275 for $25,000 to $125,000, $400 for $125,000 to $250,000, and a maximum of $525 for any estate over $250,000.

Is there a maximum probate fee in Alberta?

Yes. The Alberta surrogate court fee is capped at $525. An estate worth $300,000 and an estate worth $10 million both pay the same $525 fee, since the fee schedule has no tier above $250,000.

Does Alberta charge probate fees as a percentage of the estate?

No. Unlike Ontario or Nova Scotia, Alberta does not calculate probate fees as a percentage of estate value. It uses a flat, tiered fee schedule set out in the Surrogate Rules, so the exact dollar amount is known in advance.

Who do you pay Alberta probate fees to?

The fee is paid to the Surrogate Court, which is part of the Alberta Court of King's Bench, when the executor or administrator files the application for a Grant of Probate or Grant of Administration.

Is there an inheritance tax in Alberta?

No. Alberta has no inheritance tax and no provincial estate tax. The surrogate fee is a court filing fee based on estate value, not a tax on what beneficiaries inherit. The estate may still owe federal income tax on its final return.

What assets count toward the Alberta probate fee calculation?

Only assets that must pass through the estate to be transferred, such as sole-name real estate, bank accounts with no joint owner or named beneficiary, and personal property. Jointly held assets and accounts with a named beneficiary, like RRSPs or life insurance, generally bypass probate and are excluded.