Updated September 7, 2026. Quick answer: Alaska charges a flat $250 statewide to open a probate case, no matter the estate’s size.
If a trust could save your estate this fee in Alaska
A living trust avoids probate entirely in Alaska, which means the estate skips the $250.00 above along with every other cost the court charges once a case is open. LawDepot builds a state-specific one.
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What Alaska charges to open probate
This is a flat fee in Alaska: $250.00 is what it costs whether the estate is worth $40,000 or $4,000,000.
| Filing fee to open probate (flat, statewide) | $250.00 |
| Total cost to open the estate | $250.00 |
| Fee for a $50,000 estate or a $2,000,000 estate | same $250.00 (flat, doesn’t scale) |
Where this money goes and who sets it
The authority for this figure is Alaska Court System fee schedule, effective 5/1/2023. In the source’s own words: “Probate of Estates – $250”
What this fee doesn’t cover
Because Alaska’s fee is flat, it doesn’t rise as the estate grows, but it also doesn’t shrink for a small, simple estate the way a percentage-based state’s fee would. Either way, this is the court’s own charge just to open the file and issue letters, separate from what an attorney charges to actually handle the estate and separate from any state estate or inheritance tax the estate itself might owe.
Sources
Source: Alaska Court System fee schedule, effective 5/1/2023.