Western Australia Probate Fee Calculator

How the Western Australian probate fee is set

Western Australia charges a single flat filing fee, currently $418, regardless of the value of the estate. A gross value at the date of death is still sworn in the supporting affidavit, covering worldwide movable property and any Western Australian real estate for an original grant, or Western Australian property only for a reseal, with debts listed separately rather than deducted from that value. This sworn value serves an evidentiary purpose, not fee calculation.

The same $418 fee covers an original grant of probate or administration, a second or subsequent grant for the same deceased person, and a reseal of a grant made elsewhere.

What else you pay

Western Australia is the outlier among these four states: there is no requirement to publish a public notice of an intended application, and no advertising fee. The only notice used is a private one, from an applying executor to a co executor named in the will who is not applying, preserving that person's right to apply later; it is not published anywhere.

Other possible court costs include $133.50 to deposit a will, a $68.00 search fee, and separate fees for copies, certification and exemplification of a grant. A guarantee or bond is required only in specific risk circumstances or at the Registrar's discretion, not as a routine part of every application.

If the Public Trustee already holds an earlier grant for the same estate, a narrower rule requires at least 7 days' written notice to the Public Trustee before applying, separate from the private co executor notice described above.

How to apply for probate in Western Australia

An application is filed in person at the Registry or by post; the application itself cannot be e filed. A separate online tool, the Probate Wizard, helps prepare the supporting documents but does not lodge them.

The application is made by filing a motion, an executor's affidavit, and a statement of assets and liabilities, along with the original will, any codicils, and the original death certificate. Documents must be typed, not handwritten.

No lawyer is required, and self filing with the Probate Wizard is explicitly supported for straightforward applications. The Court recommends legal advice where the Probate Wizard is not suitable or the application is more complex, such as most letters of administration matters.

Small estates

Western Australia has a simplified filing channel, not an exemption, for smaller estates. Under sections 55 and 56 of the Administration Act 1903, where a person leaves property not exceeding $10,000 in value, an application can be made directly to the Principal Registrar or a district agent, who must provide, free of cost, the information needed to complete the affidavits. A grant is still issued and court fees are still payable; this channel only simplifies where and how you apply.

Separately, general Western Australian Government guidance notes that for a very small estate, such as a single small bank account, an institution may agree to release funds informally, for example to help pay funeral costs, without sighting a grant. No dollar figure accompanies this, and it is entirely at each institution's discretion.

How long it takes

The Supreme Court of Western Australia aims to process an application within four weeks of receiving it. The Court is explicit that this is an aim, not a guarantee, and that complex applications, or applications affected by a requisition, may take longer.

What this calculator does not cover

This tool estimates only the Supreme Court of Western Australia's flat filing fee for the 2026 to 2027 financial year. It does not include the will deposit fee, search fee, certification or exemplification fees, solicitor's fees, or any cost specific to a contested matter.

It does not confirm whether a fee reduction applies to the probate filing fee itself for concession card holders or on hardship grounds; the Court's general fee reduction process may or may not extend to this particular fee, and this page does not assume that it does. It also does not tell you whether a grant is required for a particular estate.