Northern Territory Probate Fee Calculator

How the Northern Territory calculates the probate fee

Unlike most other Australian jurisdictions, the Northern Territory does not tier its probate court fee by estate value. It charges one flat total, currently $1,585 for FY2026-27, made up of a $1,548 filing fee for the originating process and a $37 search fee.

Estate value still matters for the Territory's small estate mechanisms, described below, even though the fee itself does not depend on it.

Letters of administration and reseal fees

Letters of administration and letters of administration with the will annexed use the identical fee and application process as a probate application. The Court's page says a reseal follows the same process and fee, but its reseal paragraph still shows the 2025-26 figure of $1,542, so confirm the reseal fee with the Probate Officer.

What else you pay

The flat filing and search fee is the only Court charge identified for a Northern Territory probate application. The required notice is published on the Supreme Court's own website, and nothing on the Court's official page indicates a separate charge for that step.

How to apply for probate in the Northern Territory

The Northern Territory has no online lodgement portal. You must publish your intention to apply for a grant of representation on the Supreme Court's website by filing the appropriate notice, and that notice must be published for 14 days before you can file your application.

Application forms are downloadable templates, completed and submitted by email to the Probate Officer at the Supreme Court. Registry staff can confirm procedural questions but cannot provide legal advice and cannot help you complete affidavits or forms, so consider legal advice if you are unsure, although a lawyer is not formally required.

Fee concessions

An Application for Fee Waiver, Deferral or Payment by Instalment is available where payment of the Court fee would cause financial hardship. This is a general Court fee relief mechanism rather than a probate specific concession.

Small estate options

Part IV of the Administration and Probate Act 1969 (NT) sets out small estate mechanisms, and the two main dollar thresholds are both limited to a professional personal representative, meaning the Public Trustee, a trustee company or a legal practitioner, not an ordinary executor acting alone.

Under section 110A, a professional personal representative need not apply for a grant if the net value of the property in the Territory does not exceed the prescribed amount, currently 70,000 monetary units (about $87,500 at the 2026-27 unit value of $1.25), and only after advertising that intention in a Territory newspaper. Under section 110B, the same kind of representative may instead file an election to administer an estate up to 130,000 monetary units net value (about $162,500).

Separately, section 106 allows any applicant, not only a professional personal representative, to apply for representation directly to the Registrar where the estate does not exceed a further prescribed amount. The Regulations set that amount at 20,000 monetary units, about $25,000 at the 2026-27 unit value.

How long it takes

No official Northern Territory Supreme Court processing time figure for probate applications was confirmed. How long an application takes will depend on the estate's complexity and how quickly the 14 day notice period and paperwork are completed.

What this calculator does not cover

This calculator estimates the flat Supreme Court filing and search fee only. It does not cover Public Trustee or trustee company administration charges, legal fees, or any private cost of publishing a notice beyond the Court's own website process.

It also does not tell you whether a grant is required for a particular estate. The Territory's small estate mechanisms above are limited to professional personal representatives, or to a Registrar application under section 106 for estates up to about $25,000, and neither is a general exemption from probate.