How much does probate cost in Ontario?

Updated 2026-08-17 · 5 minute read · checked against official Ontario sources

Probate in Ontario has two costs. The first is a tax the government charges on the value of the estate. The second is whatever you pay for help with the paperwork — anywhere from nothing to thousands of dollars. The tax is set by law and is the same for everyone. The help part is a choice. Here are both, with real numbers.

One naming note first: Ontario’s official name for the tax is the Estate Administration Tax. Many people call it “probate fees” or “probate tax.” Same thing.

Part 1: the tax

The formula is short:

The first $50,000 of the estate is tax-free. An estate worth $50,000 or less pays no tax at all.
Above $50,000, the tax is $15 for every $1,000 — and a part of a thousand counts as a full thousand. It rounds up before you multiply.

Here is the government’s own worked example, an estate worth $240,000:

$240,000 − $50,000 = $190,000
$190,000 ÷ $1,000 = 190
190 × $15 = $2,850

A few more numbers, done the same way:

Estate value	Tax
$50,000	$0
$50,001	$15 (that one dollar rounds up to a full $1,000)
$150,000	$1,500
$240,000	$2,850
$500,000	$6,750

The formula is the same whether you use the small estate path or the standard one. Our free calculator does this math for any number, with the round-up step shown. No email needed.

What counts as “the estate”

Almost everything the person who died owned: bank accounts, investments, vehicles, and real estate in Ontario. A few things do not count — real estate outside Ontario, assets owned jointly that pass straight to the other owner, and insurance paid to a named person.

Only one thing comes off the total: a mortgage or loan registered against real estate. Funeral costs, credit cards, and other unregistered debts do not come off.

When you pay it

You pay when you file the application, as a deposit equal to the tax. If the court grants the certificate, the deposit becomes the tax. If no certificate is issued, you can ask for the deposit back. It is paid to the “Minister of Finance” — a certified cheque or bank draft is the usual way. Your courthouse can confirm what it accepts.

Part 2: what filing itself costs

The court forms are free. Anyone can download them from the official Ontario court forms website, linked below. Nobody has to buy them.

So the money the filing step asks for is the tax deposit above. The everyday extras — printing, postage or courier for sending copies — are yours, and they are small.

Part 3: what help costs

This is where the numbers spread out. There are three honest ways to do it.

Do it all yourself: $0. The forms are free and the rules are public. The catch is risk, not money: court staff send back applications with mistakes, and a bounce can add months. We wrote about the common mistakes in why probate applications get sent back.

Software: $199 or $449, plus HST. That’s us. ProbatePrep is self-help software: you answer plain questions, and it fills the current official forms, does the tax math with the round-up, and builds a checklist for your courthouse. Estates up to $150,000 use the small estate package at $199 + HST. Larger estates with a valid will use the standard package at $449 + HST. There is also an optional $79 + HST automated check of your finished package. Flat prices, shown before you pay — details on the pricing page.

A lawyer: about $1,475 and up. Some Ontario law offices publish fixed prices for probate paperwork; the published menus we track start at $1,475 and go up from there (checked 23 July 2026). Many others bill by the hour. For some estates, this is money well spent — see below.

When a lawyer is the right cost

Some situations are not a paperwork problem: there is no will, the will is handwritten or altered, a beneficiary is a minor, someone plans to fight, or the estate crosses borders. For those, the right help is a lawyer licensed in Ontario, and the fee buys real judgment, not form-filling. Our software checks for these situations early and says so — before you pay.

The takeaway

The tax is fixed: nothing on the first $50,000, then $15 per $1,000 with the round-up. Nobody can shop that down. The forms are free. The only cost you control is help — $0 and very careful, $199 or $449 + HST for software, or $1,475 and up for a lawyer. The right pick depends on the estate, not on fear. The one number you can know today is the tax: run yours through the free calculator.

Sources

Official sources last checked 14 July 2026. The published lawyer fixed-fee menu last checked 23 July 2026.

When you are ready

Need to apply for probate? We can build the whole package.

Court staff send applications back over small slips — and a bounce can cost months. You answer plain questions; the software does the rest. Free to start — no account, no email, no card.

$199 or $449

+ HST · $199 for small estates, $449 for others. The free questions tell you which.

We fill every form for you

Answer plain questions. The software fills the official court forms for your application, works out the tax, and writes filing steps for your courthouse.

Start the free fit check

Free to start. You only pay at the end, if your estate qualifies.

Filling the forms yourself instead? For $79 + HST, the automated Package Check looks at your facts before you file.

And everything free here stays free — the guides, the tax calculator, all of it. No email needed.

After probate, one report is still owed — the Estate Information Return. For $49 + HST we get it ready from your answers. Included free in every package.

This guide is legal information, not legal advice. For advice about your specific situation, consult a lawyer licensed in Ontario.