Clear Money Guide
What this state guide covers
A quick view of the questions, practical details and source notes below.
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Updated August 19, 2026. Quick answer: Wyoming puts probate fees on a statutory percentage schedule, so the largest single cost is anchored to published numbers rather than to an hourly rate: the personal representative and the estate attorney follow the same statutory schedule — 10% of the first $1,000, 5% of the next $4,000, 3% of the next $15,000 and 2% above $20,000 of estate value (Wyo. Stat. §2-7-803 and §2-7-804) — and parties may negotiate lower. The second number is the small-estate threshold, at or under which an estate skips most of probate: $400,000, raised from $200,000 in 2025, and it reaches real property. Whether any of that reaches a solely owned house is answered below — it is where most published guidance goes wrong.
What probate costs in Wyoming
| Item | Wyoming |
|---|---|
| Fee model | statutory-percentage |
| What the fee is calculated on | Both PR and estate attorney fees follow the same statutory schedule: 10% of first $1,000; 5% of next $4,000; 3% of next $15,000; 2% of amounts above $20,000 of the estate value (PR: Wyo. Stat. §2-7-803; attorney: §2-7-804), plus court-allowed extraordinary fees; parties may negotiate lower. |
| Court filing fee | District court probate docket fee — commonly cited around $70, but not verified against an official Wyoming courts fee schedule this pass; treat as unverified/low confidence. |
| Small-estate threshold | $400,000 — raised from $200,000 by 2025 SF0104 (Enrolled Act 85, effective July 1, 2025): distribution by affidavit (Wyo. Stat. §2-1-201) and summary distribution procedure including real property (§2-1-205) both now use the $400,000 cap (entire Wyoming estate, less liens). |
Wyoming probate fees in real dollars
Because Wyoming publishes an actual schedule, the fee can be computed rather than estimated. Applying Wyo. Stat. §2-7-803 (PR) and §2-7-804 (attorney) to the estate value:
| Estate value | Statutory fee |
|---|---|
| $100,000 | $4,700 |
| $250,000 | $10,700 |
| $500,000 | $20,700 |
| $1,000,000 | $40,700 |
| $2,000,000 | $80,700 |
Both the PR and the estate attorney follow the same schedule, plus court-allowed extraordinary fees. Parties may negotiate lower.
Run any figure, and compare against a second state, with the probate cost calculator.
What is the small estate limit in Wyoming?
$400,000 — raised from $200,000 by 2025 SF0104 (Enrolled Act 85, effective July 1, 2025): distribution by affidavit (Wyo. Stat. §2-1-201) and summary distribution procedure including real property (§2-1-205) both now use the $400,000 cap (entire Wyoming estate, less liens).
This state’s small-estate route can reach real property, subject to the statutory cap shown above. Confirm the cap covers the property’s value before assuming the house passes without full administration.
Full thresholds for every state: small-estate limits by state.
If the estate is still being planned rather than settled, the usual way to keep a house out of probate entirely is a living trust, which carries its own upfront cost: whether a living trust is worth it in Wyoming.
Skipping probate entirely
The usual way to keep a house out of probate entirely is a living trust, which carries its own upfront cost: LawDepot builds a state-specific revocable living trust if that fits how you want to leave things to your heirs.
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Does a house have to go through probate in Wyoming?
Only if the estate is over the cap. Wyoming is one of the minority of jurisdictions whose small-estate route can reach real property at all, which makes the cap the number that decides everything. An estate just over it takes a completely different path from one just under, and property values move. A fiduciary advisor can price the exposure alongside the rest of the estate picture. talk to someone about the whole estate picture. You can also run the numbers yourself first with the probate cost calculator — no email required.
How Wyoming compares to the other 50
Wyoming’s small-estate threshold of $400,000 ranks 1 of 49 jurisdictions with a stated figure, and sits well above the national median of $75,000. The range runs from $15,000 at the bottom to $400,000 at the top, so where an estate falls relative to the line matters far more than any national “average probate cost” figure. On fee model, Wyoming is one of 7 of 51 jurisdictions using the statutory-percentage approach.
Death taxes in Wyoming, separately
Wyoming levies neither an estate tax nor an inheritance tax, which is true of 34 jurisdictions. That is a different question from probate cost and is decided by different statutes, but families routinely conflate the two.
What this does not include
The figures above are the probate cost — the court and compensation side of settling an estate. They are separate from any state estate tax or inheritance tax, which are taxes on the transfer itself and are owed whether or not the estate goes through probate. Appraisal, bond premium, publication, and real-estate commissions if property is sold are additional and are not set by the fee statute.
Before you hire anyone
- Ask which statute the fee is charged under, and get the citation. In Wyoming the governing provisions are below.
- Ask whether the quoted fee is calculated on gross value or net of debts. Gross-value states charge on the full house value even if a mortgage covers most of it.
- Ask whether the personal representative is also claiming compensation, and on what basis.
- Ask in writing whether the estate qualifies for the small-estate route, and if a solely owned house is involved, whether that route reaches it.
Primary sources
- Wyo. Stat. §2-7-803
- Wyo. Stat. §2-7-804
- Wyo. Stat. §2-1-201
- Wyo. Stat. §2-1-205
- 2025 Wyo. Sess. Laws SF0104 (Enrolled Act 85)
Wyoming in the rest of the picture
Probate cost is one of four things Wyoming decides for a retiree and their heirs. The other three — income tax on withdrawals, estate tax, and inheritance tax — are priced separately:
- Every tax Wyoming charges a retiree: Wyoming retirement taxes
Compare and calculate
Probate cost by state compares all 51 jurisdictions side by side. The probate cost calculator prices a specific estate. If a move is on the table, retirement tax relocation prices probate alongside the three other taxes that change with residency.
Cite or share this guide: “Wyoming Probate Cost (2026),” statute-cited; clearmoneyguide.com/wyoming-probate-cost/. Free to cite with attribution.
What the whole settlement costs here. On a $500,000 estate the statutory schedule alone comes to $20,700, and $40,700 on a $1,000,000 estate. No state estate tax and no inheritance tax reaches an estate this size here. The small-estate route stops at $400,000 and it reaches real property, which is unusual — most jurisdictions’ small-estate routes do not. No state charges estate tax at any of these estate sizes. All three lines computed for every state: the cost of dying index.
What the executor can be paid here. Wyoming sets executor compensation at Wyo. Stat. §2-7-803(a), and the leaf works it out on $100,000, $500,000 and $1,000,000 estates: executor fee in Wyoming.
A related question: when is probate required in Wyoming at all, and what the small-estate shortcut covers.