How much does an executor get paid in New Jersey?
Short answer
New Jersey pays executors 5% of the first $200,000 of corpus, 3.5% of corpus from $200,000 to $1 million, and 2% above $1 million — plus 6% of any income the estate earns.
On a $500,000 estate that is $20,500.
Source: New Jersey N.J.S.A. §3B:18-14 and §3B:18-13. Not legal advice — the probate court has the final word.
The New Jersey fee schedule
| Portion of the estate | Rate |
|---|---|
| $0 – $200,000 | 5% |
| $200,000 – $1,000,000 | 3.5% |
| Above $1,000,000 | 2% |
What counts toward the fee
Corpus is the principal the executor takes in. Income earned during administration — interest, dividends, rent — is commissioned separately at 6% under §3B:18-13.
Each additional executor adds 1% of all corpus to the total commission, and no single executor may receive more than a sole executor would.
Worked examples
| Estate value | Executor fee | Effective rate |
|---|---|---|
| $250,000 | $11,750 | 4.7% |
| $500,000 | $20,500 | 4.1% |
| $1,000,000 | $38,000 | 3.8% |
| $2,000,000 | $58,000 | 2.9% |
Corpus commission only, one executor. Add 6% of estate income on top.
Taxes and waiving the fee
Yes. An executor commission is taxable income to the executor. An inheritance generally is not, which is why an executor who is also a beneficiary often waives the fee.
No. Executors can decline the commission. Whether waiving makes sense depends on whether the executor is also a beneficiary and on their tax situation — check with the estate’s attorney.
For the executor doing the work
Keep the record that justifies the fee
Estate Executor OS tracks every asset, account, receipt and payout, plus the probate deadlines — the same records a New Jersey court asks for in the final accounting. One offline file, one-time $29.00.
Executor pay in other states
Related: How to manage an estate as executor · Probate deadlines every executor must know · Free final estate accounting template