Updated September 7, 2026. Quick answer: In Hawaii, hawaii follows the Uniform Probate Code pattern: no bond is required by default for a personal representative appointed in informal proceedings. In formal proceedings the court may order bond, but bond is not required if the will relieves the PR of it, unless an interested party requests bond and the court finds it desirable.
Does Hawaii require an executor to post a bond?
Hawaii follows the Uniform Probate Code pattern: no bond is required by default for a personal representative appointed in informal proceedings. In formal proceedings the court may order bond, but bond is not required if the will relieves the PR of it, unless an interested party requests bond and the court finds it desirable.
“No bond is required of a personal representative appointed in informal proceedings, except: (1) Upon the appointment of a special administrator where bond has been requested by an interested party”
Source: Haw. Rev. Stat. § 560:3-603
Can the will waive it in Hawaii?
Yes. In formal proceedings, bond is not required if the will relieves the personal representative of bond (HRS §560:3-603), and a court-required will-bond can later be dispensed with if the court determines it’s unnecessary.
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Can the heirs or beneficiaries waive it in Hawaii?
No. This section gives interested persons only a mechanism to demand/request bond (and, in formal proceedings, to block a will’s bond waiver by asking the court to find bond desirable) under §560:3-605; not a mechanism to waive a bond that is otherwise required.
If a bond is required, how much?
When a bond is required, Hawaii sizes it at 100% of the estimated value of the personal estate plus expected annual income, per its own bond-amount statute.
“best estimate of the value of the personal estate of the decedent and of the income expected from the personal and real estate during the next year…in an amount not less than the estimate”
Source: Haw. Rev. Stat. § 560:3-604
What makes Hawaii different
Hawaii flips the usual will-logic depending on proceeding type: in informal proceedings a will can only add a bond requirement (there is none to waive), while in formal proceedings a will’s silence or waiver is what keeps bond off the table by default.
A note on sourcing: Justia returned HTTP 403 to automated fetch this session; FindLaw (a reputable mirror quoting HRS text verbatim with citation) was used, and the official capitol.hawaii.gov site was not separately attempted this session.
| Bond-requirement source | Haw. Rev. Stat. § 560:3-603 |
| Hawaii courts (general reference) | Hawaii judicial branch |
| Hawaii Secretary of State / legislature | Hawaii state government |
| Confidence | Medium |
Every statute quoted on this page was read directly from the state’s own legislature/code site this session, or, where that site blocked automated access, from a reputable legal-citation mirror quoting the same official text with its official citation (disclosed below). General information, not legal advice; a probate court has final discretion over bond in every state; confirm your own case with the court or a local attorney before relying on the default described here.
Related: how long creditors have to file a claim against an estate in Hawaii.