Updated September 7, 2026. Quick answer: Nebraska’s common path, informal probate, costs a flat $22.00; formal probate scales up to $1,500 for the largest estates.
If a trust could save your estate this fee in Nebraska
A living trust avoids probate entirely in Nebraska, which means the estate skips the $22.00 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 Nebraska charges to open probate
Nebraska sets this fee on a statutory tier tied to the estate’s value, starting at $22.00 for informal probate (commenced and closed informally) and rising in steps as the estate gets larger.
| Informal probate (commenced and closed informally) | $22.00 |
| Formal probate, estates under $1,000 | $22.00 |
| Formal probate, estates over $5,000,000 | $1,500.00 |
Where this money goes and who sets it
The authority for this figure is Neb. Rev. Stat. § 33-125. In the source’s own words: “Twenty-two dollars for probate proceedings commenced and closed informally.”
What this fee doesn’t cover
Because Nebraska 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: Neb. Rev. Stat. § 33-125.