BC Probate Fee Calculator — Estimate Your Estate Probate Fees. BC probate fees are calculated under the Probate Fee Act and are payable when an executor applies to the BC Supreme Court for a Grant of Probate. The probate fee formula applies 0.6 percent on the portion of the estate between $25,000 and $50,000, and 1.4 percent on the portion of the estate above $50,000. There is no probate fee on the first $25,000 of estate value. The gross estate value for probate fee purposes includes real estate in BC, bank accounts, investment accounts, vehicles, and other personal property passing through the estate. Assets that pass outside the estate, such as jointly held property, RRSPs with designated beneficiaries, life insurance with named beneficiaries, and assets held in trust, are not subject to probate fees. Strategies to reduce probate fees include making beneficiary designations on RRSPs, TFSAs, and life insurance policies, holding assets jointly with right of survivorship, and establishing inter vivos trusts. On a one million dollar estate, the BC probate fee is approximately
3,450. On a two million dollar estate the fee is approximately $27,450. Andrew Liggett advises BC executors and estate planners on minimizing probate fees across all of BC. This calculator provides estimates only based on publicly available BC Probate Fee Act rates. Actual probate fees depend on the gross value of assets subject to probate. Independent legal advice from a BC estate lawyer is strongly recommended before relying on any estimate. Sea to Sky Law has served British Columbia families and businesses since 1991. Our approach combines practical legal advice with compassionate understanding of the human situations behind every legal matter. We serve all of BC by phone or secure video. Independent legal advice is always strongly recommended before making decisions that affect your family, your estate, or your business.