Updated September 7, 2026. Quick answer: Iowa charges 0.2% of the probate assets listed in the estate inventory; a $250,000 estate costs $500.00 in court costs.
If a trust could save your estate this fee in Iowa
A living trust avoids probate entirely in Iowa, which means the estate skips the 0.2% 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 Iowa charges to open probate
Iowa prices this as a percentage of the estate’s value rather than a flat amount, so the total scales up continuously as the estate gets larger.
| Rate on inventoried probate assets | 0.2% |
| Example: a $250,000 estate | $500.00 |
| Example: a $100,000 estate | $200.00 |
Where this money goes and who sets it
The authority for this figure is Iowa Code § 633.31(3)(a). In the source’s own words: “the clerk shall charge and collect court costs equal to two-tenths of one percent of the value of the probate assets listed in the report and inventory”
What this fee doesn’t cover
Because Iowa prices this as a percentage, a larger estate pays proportionally more just to open the file, before any attorney is even hired. 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: Iowa Code § 633.31(3)(a).