Arizona Probate Guide: Laws, Process, Costs & Resources
Someone you love has died, and now you have to deal with an Arizona probate. You do not have to do it alone, and you do not have to pay for it out of your own pocket.
Arizona probate attorney and former CPA Richard C. Keyt handles uncontested informal Arizona probates for a $5,000 flat fee. The estate reimburses the personal representative, so the fee ultimately comes out of the estate, not you. The fee even includes the Superior Court filing fee, two certified copies of the Letters and the newspaper publication of the notice to creditors.
This page is KEYTLaw's Arizona Probate Center. Whether a loved one died yesterday or you have been putting off the probate for months, start below with the situation that fits you. Every guide was written by Ricky, and every one ends the same way: with a simple path to having an experienced Arizona probate attorney take the legal work and the legal risk off your shoulders.
- Start Here: What Is Your Situation?
- The Risk Nobody Tells the Personal Representative About
- What the $5,000 Flat Fee Includes
- Why Families Hire Richard C. Keyt
- How to Hire Ricky in 3 Steps
- Arizona Probate Deadlines at a Glance
- Small Estate? You May Not Need a Probate
- Arizona Probate Article Library
- Arizona Probate FAQs
Start Here: What Is Your Situation?
Pick the card that sounds like you. Each one takes you to the guide that answers the question you are asking right now.
What do I do first?
Find the original will and trust, order death certificates, protect the house and the accounts, and collect the benefits the family is owed. The After Death Checklist for an Arizona Decedent walks you through it.
Does this estate need a probate?
It depends on how each asset was titled on the date of death, not on whether there was a will. Do You Need an Arizona Probate? shows you how to check deeds, accounts and life insurance one asset at a time.
What is probate and how does it work?
Informal, formal and supervised probates, valid wills, who can serve, how long it takes and what it costs. Our must-read guide What Is Arizona Probate, When It's Required & How to Avoid It answers 38 questions in plain English.
I am the personal representative. What are my duties?
You become a fiduciary held to a professional trustee's standard of care. Read the Statutory Duties of Personal Representatives of an Arizona Probate before you sign anything.
Can I save money with a DIY probate?
Usually not, because the estate pays the lawyer anyway. See Arizona Probate Without a Lawyer and 13 Costly Arizona Probate Mistakes & How to Avoid Them.
I want Ricky to handle the probate.
Complete the Arizona Probate Questionnaire and Probate Legal Service Agreement. It takes a few minutes, and Ricky starts preparing the court papers to open the probate.
The Risk Nobody Tells the Personal Representative About
Most people think probate is paperwork. It is not. It is a Superior Court proceeding governed by roughly 200 sections of Title 14 of the Arizona Revised Statutes, the Arizona Rules of Probate Procedure and county local rules. The day the court signs your Letters, you stop being just a son, daughter or spouse in the eyes of the law. You become a fiduciary who manages other people's money.
Under A.R.S. § 14-3712, a personal representative who improperly exercises a power over the estate is personally liable to the heirs, devisees and creditors for the resulting loss, to the same extent as the trustee of an express trust. "I didn't know" is not a defense, and the money comes from your bank account, not the estate's.
These are the mistakes we see do-it-yourself personal representatives make most often:
- Paying the heirs before the creditors. Distribute early, run out of money, and the unpaid creditor sues you, not the beneficiary who already spent the money.
- Paying creditors in the wrong order. A.R.S. § 14-3805 sets a mandatory priority. Pay the loudest collector first and you can be personally liable for the shortfall.
- Missing a statutory deadline. Thirty days to notify heirs and devisees, 90 days to prepare the inventory, two separate creditor clocks, and a two-year window to open an informal probate at all.
- Distributing to the wrong people. Arizona is a community property state, blended families are common, and intestate succession often produces a result the family never expected.
- Mixing estate money with your own. The estate needs its own EIN and bank account before a single dollar moves.
Read all 13 in 13 Costly Arizona Probate Mistakes & How to Avoid Them, and the full case against going it alone in Arizona Probate Without a Lawyer.
You are not saving money by doing it yourself. Under A.R.S. § 14-3720, a personal representative acting in good faith is entitled to receive necessary expenses and reasonable attorney fees from the estate. So the real question is not "Can I afford a probate lawyer?" It is "Why would I accept personal liability for a job the estate will pay a professional to do?"
What the $5,000 Flat Fee Includes
Arizona does not set probate attorney fees as a percentage of the estate, and most lawyers bill by the hour because they cannot predict how long a probate will take. Ricky charges one flat fee for an uncontested informal Arizona probate, so you know the cost before you start.
- Preparing and filing the court papers to open the probate and appoint the personal representative
- The Superior Court filing fee
- Two certified copies of the Letters of Appointment
- Newspaper publication of the notice to creditors
- The statutory notices to heirs, devisees and known creditors
- The estate's federal EIN application and the IRS and Arizona notices of fiduciary relationship
- The paperwork to collect and distribute the estate's assets, including a release and waiver for heirs to sign when they receive their distributions
- Ricky's advice to the personal representative on every step and every question along the way
The personal representative pays the $5,000 when hiring us, by check, credit or debit card. After the probate opens and the personal representative takes control of the estate's assets, the estate reimburses the personal representative.
The flat fee does not include tax returns, financial accountings, collecting assets outside Arizona, or contested or formal proceedings. If your situation needs any of those, Ricky will tell you so in your free consultation, before you pay anything.
Why Families Hire Richard C. Keyt
- He is an attorney and former CPA. Probate is as much a money job as a legal one: date-of-death values, community versus separate property, final income tax returns, estate income tax returns and the portability election that can save a surviving spouse millions. Ricky understands both sides.
- You know the price up front. One flat fee, not an hourly bill that grows while the house sits empty.
- He protects the personal representative. We represent you in your capacity as personal representative, keep you on the court's deadlines, and have heirs sign releases before they receive their distributions.
- You can reach him. Call Ricky directly at 480-664-7472 or email rck@keytlaw.com. We try to return calls within one business day.
- A family firm with a long track record. His father, Richard Keyt, has practiced law in Arizona since 1979, and together they have earned 433 five-star Google, Facebook & Birdeye reviews.
- Statewide service. Probates are filed in the Superior Court of the county where the deceased lived, and we handle informal probates for families throughout Arizona with free office, phone or Zoom meetings.
How to Hire Ricky in 3 Steps
Get your questions answered free
Call Ricky at 480-664-7472, email rck@keytlaw.com, or book a free office, phone or Zoom video consultation.
Complete the questionnaire
The person who will be personal representative completes and signs the Arizona Probate Questionnaire and Probate Legal Service Agreement online. You receive an emailed copy right away.
Pay the $5,000 flat fee
Pay on our secure online payment page, call legal assistant Michelle at 480-664-7413, or mail a check payable to KEYTLaw, LLC, to 7373 E. Doubletree Ranch Road, Suite 135, Scottsdale, AZ 85258.
If after reviewing your situation we decide we cannot represent you, we will tell you and immediately return the money you paid.
Arizona Probate Deadlines at a Glance
These are the dates that drive every Arizona probate. Missing one is how most personal representatives get into trouble.
| Deadline | What must happen | Statute |
|---|---|---|
| 10 days after learning of the death | Whoever has the original will must deliver it to the Superior Court | A.R.S. § 14-2516 |
| At the time of appointment | Begin publishing the notice to creditors once a week for three successive weeks | A.R.S. § 14-3801 |
| 30 days after appointment | Notify every heir and devisee of the appointment | A.R.S. § 14-3705 |
| 90 days after appointment | Prepare the inventory with date-of-death values, community or separate character and encumbrances | A.R.S. § 14-3706 |
| 4 months after first publication | Creditor claim period ends (known creditors: 4 months or 60 days after mailing, whichever is later) | A.R.S. § 14-3801 |
| 2 years after death | Outside deadline to open an informal probate, with limited exceptions | A.R.S. § 14-3108 |
Because of the four-month creditor period, even a simple Arizona probate cannot close in less than about five months. Most uncontested informal probates take six months to a year.
Small Estate? You May Not Need a Probate
Before anyone opens a probate, Ricky checks whether an Arizona small estate affidavit under A.R.S. § 14-3971 will do the job for a fraction of the cost. Families regularly spend months on a probate they never needed, and others use an affidavit they were not entitled to use and create a title problem.
Net of liens. Usable 30 days after death if no personal representative has been appointed. We prepare the affidavit for $800.
Net of liens. Usable six months after death, filed with the Superior Court and recorded. We prepare, file and record it for $1,600.
To have us prepare one, submit our small estate affidavit questionnaire. Not sure which applies? Ask Ricky in a free consultation.
Arizona Probate Article Library
Every Arizona probate guide Ricky has written, in the order most families need them.
- After Death Checklist for an Arizona Decedent. The tasks to handle after a loved one dies: locating the will and trust, the asset inventory, benefits to collect, appraisals, retitling assets, and estate and income tax issues.
- Do You Need an Arizona Probate? The asset-by-asset title analysis, including joint tenancy, tenancy in common, the two kinds of Arizona community property, POD and TOD accounts, and life insurance payable to the estate.
- Must Read: What Is Arizona Probate, When It's Required & How to Avoid It. Plain-English answers to the questions almost every family asks, from valid and handwritten wills to bonds, timelines and costs.
- Arizona Probate Attorney $5,000 Flat Fee. The complete overview: probate at a glance, informal versus formal probate, the 10-step process, who inherits without a will, and our flat fee service.
- Statutory Duties of Personal Representatives of an Arizona Probate. The actual statutes that impose fiduciary duties and personal liability on every personal representative.
- 13 Costly Arizona Probate Mistakes & How to Avoid Them. The deadline calendar, the 13 mistakes, the priority of claims and a statute quick-reference table.
- Arizona Probate Without a Lawyer: The Risks of Going DIY. Twenty-seven specific reasons a do-it-yourself Arizona probate goes wrong, and why the estate, not you, pays the lawyer.
- Arizona Probate Questionnaire. Ready to start? Complete the online Probate Legal Service Agreement to hire Richard C. Keyt.
Arizona Probate FAQs
How much does it cost to hire Richard C. Keyt to do an Arizona probate?
Ricky handles uncontested informal Arizona probates for a $5,000 flat fee. The fee includes the Superior Court filing fee, two certified copies of the Letters of Appointment and the newspaper publication of the notice to creditors.
Who pays the probate attorney's fee?
The estate. The personal representative pays the fee when hiring us, and the estate reimburses the personal representative after the probate opens. Under A.R.S. § 14-3720, a personal representative acting in good faith is entitled to reasonable attorney fees from the estate.
Can I do an Arizona probate without a lawyer?
Arizona law allows it, but the personal representative is personally liable under A.R.S. § 14-3712 for every mistake, including missed deadlines, defective notices, paying creditors in the wrong order and distributing to heirs too early. Because the estate pays the lawyer, doing it yourself rarely saves the family money.
How long does an Arizona probate take?
A simple uncontested informal probate commonly takes six months to a year. It cannot close until the four-month creditor claim period ends. Selling real estate, tax returns, locating heirs and family disagreements add time.
Does having a will avoid probate in Arizona?
No. A will tells the probate court who inherits and who should serve as personal representative, but the will itself must go through probate to be carried out. Whether probate is needed depends on how each asset was titled on the date of death.
Is there a deadline to open a probate in Arizona?
Yes. Under A.R.S. § 14-3108, an informal probate generally must be started within two years after the death. After that, the options are more limited and usually more expensive, so do not wait.
What if the estate is small?
If the deceased's personal property is worth $200,000 or less, or Arizona real estate is worth $300,000 or less, net of liens, a small estate affidavit under A.R.S. § 14-3971 may avoid probate entirely. We prepare the personal property affidavit for $800 and the real property affidavit for $1,600.
What happens after I submit the Arizona Probate Questionnaire?
You receive an emailed copy of the signed Probate Legal Service Agreement, and you pay the $5,000 flat fee. Ricky reviews the estate and begins preparing the court papers to open the probate. If we decide we cannot represent you, we tell you and immediately return the money you paid.
Hire Arizona probate attorney and former CPA Richard C. Keyt for a $5,000 flat fee the estate ultimately pays.
Call Ricky directly at 480-664-7472, email rck@keytlaw.com, or call our office at 480-664-7478.
Want to keep your own family out of probate? A will alone does not do it. A properly funded revocable living trust does. See our Arizona Wills, Trusts & Estate Planning Articles and the 36 documents and services in every KEYTLaw estate plan.
This page provides general information about Arizona probate law and is not legal advice for your specific situation. Reading it does not create an attorney-client relationship. Statutes and dollar thresholds change. KEYTLaw, LLC · 7373 E. Doubletree Ranch Road, Suite 135, Scottsdale, AZ 85258 · 480-664-7478 · © 2026
Created October 7, 2026