Updated September 7, 2026. Quick answer: Indiana charges a flat $120.00 probate costs fee in every one of its 92 counties.
If a trust could save your estate this fee in Indiana
A living trust avoids probate entirely in Indiana, which means the estate skips the $120.00 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 Indiana charges to open probate
This is a flat fee in Indiana: $120.00 is what it costs whether the estate is worth $40,000 or $4,000,000.
| Probate costs fee (flat, all 92 counties) | $120.00 |
| Total to open the estate | $120.00 |
| Fee whether the estate is $30,000 or $3,000,000 | same $120.00 (flat, doesn’t scale) |
Where this money goes and who sets it
The authority for this figure is Ind. Code § 33-37-4-7(a). In the source’s own words: “the clerk shall collect from the party filing the action a probate costs fee of one hundred twenty dollars ($120) for each action filed under any of the following: … (2) IC 29 (probate)”
What this fee doesn’t cover
Because Indiana’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: Ind. Code § 33-37-4-7(a).