More on Probate Fees. Death Duties were abolished in SA by the Tonkin government in 1979. This government didn’t get that memo. From 28 February 2016 the cost of filing an application for probate will increase significantly for the majority of estates. The present filing fee is $1,114. This rise makes SA the most expensive place in Australia to die. In WA the fee is $304, in VIC it’s $306
Worse, the fee now varies according to the gross amount of the estate, not the net! The work for the Probate Registry is the same regardless of the size of the estate, so this new regime is no longer just an expensive administration fee – it’s a death tax in disguise.
The median house price in Blackwood is currently $527,000. So, the filing fee just rocketed up from $1,114 to $2,000 – or almost 80% !!
I agree with Vickie Chapman when she said in parliament on 9.02.2015 “You cannot even die in this state without being taxed. It is an absolute disgrace”
Please refer to our page on Probate for more information on how we can assist you to obtain a Grant of Probate or Letters of Administration