The Estate Planning Guide Est. 2026

How Much Does an Executor Get Paid in Maine?

Published June 11, 2026 6 min read

Quick answer

Maine follows the Uniform Probate Code: a personal representative is entitled to 'reasonable compensation' for services (18-C M.R.S. §3-719), not a fixed percentage. On a typical $400,000 estate a reasonable fee often runs in the low single-digit percentages — roughly $8,000 to $16,000 depending on complexity. Attorney fees are separate, and family executors frequently waive the fee since it's taxable income.

⚠️ Educational information only — not legal, tax, or financial advice.

The figures on this page are general estimates. Laws, fees, thresholds, and prices differ by state and change often, and your own situation may change the result. Before you act, confirm the current numbers and rules for Maine with a licensed professional — an attorney, tax advisor, or licensed agent as appropriate. Reading this page does not create a professional relationship.

What an executor gets paid in Maine

18-C M.R.S. §3-719 entitles a personal representative to reasonable compensation for services. If a will sets a fee, the representative may renounce it and instead take reasonable compensation. Maine has no statutory percentage schedule — the amount turns on what is reasonable for the work performed.

The executor (in some states called the personal representative) is the person who settles the estate — gathering assets, paying debts and taxes, and distributing what’s left. The fee is their compensation for that work, paid out of the estate before the beneficiaries receive their shares.

A Maine example

There is no set formula, but on a $400,000 Maine estate a reasonable fee commonly lands in the low single-digit percentages — roughly $8,000 to $16,000 — with the amount tied to the time spent, the difficulty of the work, and the results achieved.

Statutory vs. “reasonable” — how Maine decides

'Reasonable' is judged on the size of the estate, time and effort, difficulty, and results. An interested party who thinks a fee is excessive can ask the probate court to review the compensation and the representative's use of professionals (18-C §3-721).

A quick map of how states handle this: some (like California, New York, Florida, and Ohio) set the fee by a statutory percentage; others (like Pennsylvania, Illinois, and Michigan) use a “reasonable compensation” standard with no fixed schedule. Maine falls into the reasonable camp.

Should a family executor in Maine even take the fee?

Here’s the part most guides skip. An executor’s fee is taxable income to the person who receives it. An inheritance, by contrast, is not taxed as income to the beneficiary.

So when the executor is also a main beneficiary — a spouse or child inheriting most of the estate — taking the fee often makes no sense. The same dollars come to them either way, but the fee is taxed and the inheritance isn’t. In that situation, many Maine executors simply waive the commission and take their inheritance instead.

Taking the fee usually makes sense when:

  • The executor is not a beneficiary (or only a small one), so waiving wouldn’t get them the money anyway.
  • The work is unusually heavy — a contested estate, a business to wind down, property to sell.
  • The executor is in a lower tax bracket than the bracket the inheritance would otherwise sit in (rare, but possible).

There’s no obligation to take the maximum — or to take anything. It’s a choice, and in Maine it’s often a tax decision more than anything else.

What the fee does and doesn’t cover

The commission compensates the executor for ordinary administration. Two things to keep separate:

  • The attorney’s fee is separate. The estate’s lawyer is paid on top of the executor’s commission — and in some states (California is the clearest example) the attorney is entitled to the same statutory amount as the executor, effectively doubling the statutory cost.
  • Extraordinary work can be billed extra. Selling real estate, running a business, handling litigation or a tax audit — Maine courts can approve additional compensation for work beyond routine administration.

Executor fees vs. total probate cost in Maine

The executor’s fee is only one line on the probate bill. Court costs, the attorney’s fee, appraisals, bonds, and publication all add up on top of it. To see the full picture for Maine, read How Much Does Probate Cost in Maine?.

And remember: assets that avoid probate entirely — through a funded living trust, beneficiary designations, or joint ownership — generally pay no executor commission at all, because they never pass through the estate the executor administers.

The honest takeaway

In Maine, an executor is entitled to compensation for real work — and they should be paid for it when they’ve earned it and aren’t already inheriting the money. But if you’re the executor and the main heir, run the simple comparison first: the fee is taxable; your inheritance isn’t. Often the smartest move is to waive the commission and take your share.

If you’re choosing an executor, pick someone trustworthy and organized over someone who’ll charge the most — and consider keeping assets in a trust or beneficiary designations where you can, so less of the estate runs through a fee-charging probate at all.

Executor fees in other states

Compare Maine with what executors are paid in other states:

This page explains executor (personal representative) compensation in Maine in general terms as of 2026. It is not legal or tax advice; fee rules, statutes, and figures change and depend on your situation. Confirm current rules with a licensed Maine attorney, and ask a tax professional before waiving or accepting a fee. Sources: Maine Legislature (legislature.maine.gov); 18-C M.R.S. §3-719 (compensation of personal representative), 18-C M.R.S. §3-721 (review of employment of agents and compensation).

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