Estates Not Exceeding $15,000

When a person dies and the value of their estate is $15,000 or less, and you are administering the estate yourself, the staff at the Court of King's Bench will assist you in preparing the necessary application for a grant of probate or grant of administration.

Section 7 of The Administration of Estates Act provides:

• Duty of local registrar re documents
  • 7(1) On the request of an individual described in clause (b), the local registrar shall prepare the necessary papers leading to a grant of letters probate or letters of administration, as the case may require, and the bond required, if any, and administer the oaths where: (a) the value of the estate of the deceased person does not exceed the amount prescribed in the regulations; (b) letters probate or letters of administration are sought by an individual who: (i) is a resident of Saskatchewan; and (ii) is a person, other than a creditor, entitled to seek letters probate or letters of administration; and (c) the individual who makes the request provides the material required by the local registrar and pays the fee prescribed in the regulations.
  • (2) When letters probate or letters of administration are granted in an estate where the value of the estate of the deceased person does not exceed the amount prescribed in the regulations, the local registrar shall endorse the letters probate or letters of administration with the notation prescribed in the regulations.

Section 6 of The Administration of Estates Regulations 2020 provides:

• Amount and notation for section 7 of the Act
  • 6 For the purposes of subsection 7(1) of the Act, the prescribed amount is $15,000.
  • (2) For the purposes of subsection 7(2) of the Act, the prescribed notation is the following: "The affidavit of value filed in this estate states that the value of the property in this estate does not exceed $15,000."

Where the person requests the local registrar to prepare the necessary papers leading to a grant of letters probate of letters of administration, and the value of the estate does not exceed $15,000.  The person will be required to pay the Local Registrar Fee of $300 as per Table 1 in The Administration of Estates Regulations 2020 as well as a levy payable to the court of $7.00 per $1,000.00 (or portion thereof) of the Total Part 1 Assets listed in the Statement of Property form as per section 51 of The Administration of Estates Act.