In BC, a probate fee is collected by the Supreme Court of British Columbia before the grant of probate is issued to executors and administrators.  It is the same process whether there is a will or not. The probate fee is generally charged on the “gross value” of the estate, which is basically the total value of all assets not including liabilities.

What assets are subject to the probate fee in BC?  Usually jointly-held assets and beneficiary-designated assets are excluded from probate.  Generally, only assets that are in a deceased person’s name without a beneficiary designated are subject to probate.  There are some exceptions to this such as for a mortgage (which gets deducted from the value of the real estate) and real estate that is located outside of BC.

What is the probate fee in BC?  As of August 7th, 2019, the BC probate fee is roughly 1.4%.  More specifically, there is no probate fee for the first $25,000.  In between $25,000 and $50,000, the fee is 0.6%.  And for amounts over $50,000, the fee is 1.4%.  See the Probate Fee Act of British Columbia for the exact wording or simply use our probate fee calculator below to see how much probate fee is payable on BC estates.

Are there any other fees due in probate?   Yes, there is a $200 court application fee for estates with a gross value of over $25,000.  In addition, often executors and administrators need court-certified copies of the grant of probate, or the statement of assets and liabilities, which cost $40 for each copy.

Probate Fee Calculator

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