The Estate Planning Guide Est. 2026

How Much Does an Executor Get Paid in Tennessee?

Published June 11, 2026 7 min read

Quick answer

Tennessee has no statutory fee percentage — an executor (personal representative) is entitled to 'reasonable compensation' set by the probate court based on the work actually done. In practice that often lands in the low single-digit percent of the estate; on a $400,000–$500,000 estate a court might approve roughly $10,000–$20,000, but there's no fixed formula. The estate's attorney is paid separately, and family executors frequently waive the fee because 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 Tennessee 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 Tennessee

Under Tenn. Code Ann. §30-1-407 (and the accounting-credit provision of §30-2-606), the personal representative is allowed reasonable compensation for services, determined case-by-case by the court in light of all the circumstances — the extent of the responsibilities assumed, the time and effort involved, the promptness and adequacy of the services, and the value of the benefit conferred on the estate. Tennessee courts have expressly rejected any fixed-percentage-of-the-estate formula.

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 Tennessee example

On a $500,000 Tennessee estate there is no statutory number: a court reviews the actual work and might approve something in the roughly $10,000–$20,000 range (about 2%–4%) for ordinary administration, more if there was litigation, a business, or real estate to sell. The estate's attorney fee is separate.

Statutory vs. “reasonable” — how Tennessee decides

Because the standard is reasonableness rather than a schedule, the court can award more for extraordinary work and less for a simple estate. If the will fixes the executor's pay, that generally controls unless the executor renounces it. Some local courts publish informal guidelines, but they're suggestions, not binding percentages.

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. Tennessee falls into the reasonable camp.

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

Executor fees vs. total probate cost in Tennessee

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 Tennessee, read How Much Does Probate Cost in Tennessee?.

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 Tennessee, 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 Tennessee with what executors are paid in other states:

This page explains executor (personal representative) compensation in Tennessee 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 Tennessee attorney, and ask a tax professional before waiving or accepting a fee. Sources: Tennessee Code (Justia) / Tennessee courts; Tenn. Code Ann. §30-1-407 (compensation for services), Tenn. Code Ann. §30-2-606 (reasonable compensation credited on accounting).

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