The Estate Planning Guide Est. 2026

How Much Does an Executor Get Paid in New Jersey?

Published June 11, 2026 7 min read

Quick answer

New Jersey sets executor pay by statute as a percentage of the estate, split into two parts: a 'corpus' commission on the assets and a separate 6% commission on income the estate earns. On a $500,000 estate the corpus commission is about $20,500. The estate's attorney is paid separately, and family executors often waive the fee because it is taxable income to them.

⚠️ 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 New Jersey 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 New Jersey

N.J. Stat. §3B:18-14 sets the corpus commission at 5% of the first $200,000 of estate corpus received, 3.5% of the excess over $200,000 up to $1,000,000, and 2% of the excess over $1,000,000 (a court may allow more on the amount over $1,000,000). Separately, N.J. Stat. §3B:18-13 allows a 6% commission on all income received by the estate. Multiple fiduciaries can share an additional 1% but no single fiduciary may exceed the one-fiduciary amount.

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 New Jersey example

On a $500,000 New Jersey estate, the statutory corpus commission is about $20,500 (5% of the first $200,000 = $10,000, plus 3.5% of the next $300,000 = $10,500). If the estate also earned, say, $10,000 of income during administration, the executor could take another 6% of that ($600). The estate's attorney is paid reasonable fees separately.

Statutory vs. “reasonable” — how New Jersey decides

These commissions may be taken without a court order, but a court may reduce them on application by an adversely affected beneficiary who shows the services were materially deficient or the work was substantially less than usual for an estate of that size (N.J. Stat. §3B:18-14).

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. New Jersey falls into the percentage camp.

Should a family executor in New Jersey 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 New Jersey 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 New Jersey 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 — New Jersey courts can approve additional compensation for work beyond routine administration.

Executor fees vs. total probate cost in New Jersey

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 New Jersey, read How Much Does Probate Cost in New Jersey?.

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 New Jersey, 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 New Jersey with what executors are paid in other states:

This page explains executor (personal representative) compensation in New Jersey 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 New Jersey attorney, and ask a tax professional before waiving or accepting a fee. Sources: New Jersey Revised Statutes, Title 3B (nj.gov / njleg.gov); N.J. Stat. §3B:18-14 (corpus commissions), N.J. Stat. §3B:18-13 (income commissions), N.J. Stat. §3B:18-24 (commissions on multiple fiduciaries).

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