Executor Fee in New Jersey (2026)

Updated August 3, 2026. Quick answer: New Jersey pays the executor two statutory commissions, not one: a corpus commission on the estate’s principal and a separate 6% income commission on income the estate earns during administration. Almost every summary online mentions only the first.

The corpus commission

Under N.J.S.A. 3B:18-14, the commission on estate corpus is 5% of the first $200,000, 3.5% on the excess above $200,000 up to $1,000,000, and 2% on everything above $1,000,000. Where there are multiple fiduciaries the statute provides for an additional allowance, apportioned among them.

The income commission almost nobody mentions

Separately, N.J.S.A. 3B:18-13 allows the fiduciary a commission of 6% on income received by the estate. On an estate that takes a year to settle and holds income-producing assets, that is a real second number, and it is calculated on a different base than the corpus commission. Treating New Jersey as a simple 5% state understates it.

The attorney is a separate bill

New Jersey sets no percentage schedule for attorney fees — those are reasonable and court-reviewable. Two charges, two rules, two recipients.

What the whole process costs in this state: New Jersey probate cost. Every state’s fee model side by side: probate cost by state.

Work out the number: the executor fee calculator. How the standard is applied where no schedule exists: reasonable-compensation states. Whether to take the fee at all: when the executor is also an heir, and how the fee is taxed.

Statutory text read at each state’s own legislature or official code publisher. General information, not legal advice; a court retains the final say on what compensation is allowed.