Updated September 12, 2026. Quick answer: New Hampshire prices probate on a statutory tiered fee schedule: $150.00 to open an estate worth $10,000 or less, $205.00 for an estate of $10,001 to $25,000, and $305.00 for any estate over $25,000.
If a trust could save your estate this fee in New Hampshire
A living trust avoids probate entirely in New Hampshire, which means the estate skips the $150.00 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 New Hampshire charges to open probate
New Hampshire sets this fee on a statutory tier tied to the estate’s value, starting at $150.00 for estates of $10,000 or less and rising in steps as the estate gets larger.
| Estates of $10,000 or less | $150.00 |
| Estates of $10,001 to $25,000 | $205.00 |
| Estates over $25,000 | $305.00 |
Where this money goes and who sets it
The authority for this figure is N.H. Circuit Court – Probate Division Rule 169(I)(c),(j),(k), FEES. In the source’s own words: “(k) Petition Estate Administration for estates having a gross value of $10,000 or less $150.00 … (j) Petition Estate Administration for estates having a gross value of over $10,000 to $25,000 $205.00 … (c) Petition Estate Administration for estates with a gross value greater than $25,000 $305.00”
What this fee doesn’t cover
Because New Hampshire prices this by tier, the fee jumps at each threshold in the table above rather than climbing smoothly with the estate’s value. 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: N.H. Circuit Court – Probate Division Rule 169(I)(c),(j),(k), FEES.