Canadian Probate Fee Calculator
Probate fees (or estate administration tax) is calculated on the total value, in Canadian dollars, of a deceased person's estate.
Every Province and Territory in Canada has its own formula for calculating the probate fees payable.
Select the Province/Territory, then enter the total value of the estate.
What is Probate?
Probate is the official legal process that accepts a Will as your official Last Will and Testament,
and officially grants your Executor the power to serve as your Estate Administrator.
When your Will is probated, the person named as the Executor in your Will is given a
"Grant of Letters of Administration", or equivalent depending on your Province/Territory.
For example, in Ontario this is a "Certificate of Appointment of Estate Trustee".
Your Executor is responsible for gathering up your assets and distributing them according to the
instructions in your Will. The Grant of Administration is a critical document that is presented
to banks and other financial institutions by your Executor. The banks can then be assured that
they are giving the assets to the right person and that the Will has been accepted as the official
Last Will and Testament.
In Canada, almost all Wills are probated because the banks need to see the Grant of Letters of Administration.
The only exception is when all assets are passing to a joint asset holder and the bank is not exposed
to any risk of giving the asset to the wrong person.
We provide a more complete overview of
the probate process
and ways to reduce probate fees in our accompanying blog article.