Probate is the court process that settles a person's affairs after they die: proving the will, appointing someone to act for the estate, paying debts, and distributing what is left. In Arizona it is required whenever someone dies holding assets in their name alone - no beneficiary, no joint owner, no trust.
The same estate, two paths
Unplanned: probate
6 to 12 months on a court calendar, $5,000 to $15,000 in typical attorney fees, all public record.
Planned: routed around the court
Trusts, deeds, and designations move everything privately, in weeks.
When probate is required - and when it is not
- Not required: assets with named beneficiaries (retirement accounts, life insurance, POD/TOD accounts), property held jointly with right of survivorship, homes with a recorded beneficiary deed, and anything in a living trust.
- Simplified path: estates at or under $200,000 in personal property and $300,000 in Arizona real estate can use transfer affidavits instead of full probate.
- Full probate: everything else.
What it costs and how long it takes
A typical uncontested Arizona probate runs 6 to 12 months - creditors alone get 4 months by law - and the combined court, attorney, and appraisal costs usually land in the thousands to tens of thousands. The calculator gives you a sourced estimate for your own numbers in about a minute.
Deeper guides
- Maricopa County Probate Court: locations, fees, forms, and the free help the court offers
- How long probate takes in Arizona, step by step
- Informal vs. formal probate: the fork that decides what your family pays
- Dying without a will: who gets what under Arizona's formula
- Every legal way to keep your family out of probate entirely
Source
- A.R.S. ยง 14-3971 (small estate collection by affidavit)(checked 2026-07-26)
- Published Arizona attorney fee guides (on file; ranges current as of 2025-2026)