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The estate is worth around $2.5 million. None of these children are lawyers or accountants.

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Expectations may differ where I live..? I never expected to be paid.

I am not saying everyone should take on those roles for free. Just what I did.

There was much time & effort involved.. I made adjustments & took extra time here & there from my paid employment hours, I missed out on time with my spouse, family, friends, definately my exercise & hobby time suffered (had to work hard to add that back in). It was just *life*. Kind of expected..

My sister also - zilch expected. My cousins also took no fee for their duties over the last few years. But like I said, expectations can differ. If we didn't have family, I guess we would have had to pay for accountants, probate lawyers & such people.
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Geaton777 Jun 18, 2025
I'm currently in an active Personal Representative role for my Aunt's estate and working with her elder law attorney. Being paid was never offered to me as an option by the attorney, not that I care or need it. I am being allowed to be reimbursed for expenses (like airfare) that relate to the estate work. But, she has a very humble estate and I wouldn't want to suck dry the funds that are intended for her inheritors.
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In a new version of ChatGPT, I used your question details as the parameters and here's what search results came back as: "In Arizona, there is no maximum percentage fee that an executor (known as a �personal representative� under state law) must charge. Instead, compensation must be �reasonable,� based on actual services provided�not a flat estate percentage. Here's how it works: 1. Compensation Must Be �Reasonable� Arizona Revised Statutes �?14?3719 states executors are entitled to reasonable compensation; any fee set by the will can be renounced in favor of a reasonable fee instead eldercarelawyer.com+13law.justia.com+13p-rlaw.com+13. In practice, courts do not allow percentage?based fees (e.g., 3?% or 5?%), and Arizona law prohibits charging fees based solely on estate value. 2. Fee is Based on Time, Effort & Complexity Executors typically document: Hours worked, with tasks like asset inventory, creditor notices, tax filings, property management. Hourly rate comparable to local standards�arbitrarily, $25�$50/hr is often deemed reasonable. The court considers experience level, estate size and complexity, time commitments, professional skills used, and challenges faced (e.g., disputes, litigation). 3. Fee Petition & Court Review A fee petition must be filed and served on all interested parties within 120 days of appointment. The executor must comply with Arizona Rules of Probate Procedure Rule?33 and Judicial Administrative Order 2012?63, including detailed time logs and itemized. The probate court reviews and approves or adjusts the fee, depending on what�s just and reasonable under the circumstances. 4. No Flat Cap, But Usual Rates Typical cases fall in the $25�$50/hr range. If an Executor tried charging 3% of a $1?million estate ($30K), expect pushback�the court will likely instead weigh actual hours and rates." IMO a $2.5 million dollar estate is probably complex enough.
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POA ends the minute a person dies so your husband has none now. Fees for executors vary by state. I was executor for my dad, and found out in my state an executor is paid nothing at all for doing the job. The lawyer I hired for the disbursements told me that immediately. I’m sorry for your loss and having to consider financial issues at such a time
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Reply to Daughterof1930
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The POAs should not be charging now husband has passed. POAs are revoked at time of death. The POA also needs to say they get paid and how much.

Executors get % of the estate. Does the Will say they get paid up front? I think you need to talk to an Estate lawyer to see what rights they have.
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Pjdela Jun 18, 2025
I am thinking that the POA might have a bit of time involved as they may have to gather financial records that they have been keeping, to give to executor to make sure they know all the info such as creditors, account balance statements, etc... But yes, ability and responsibility to act for the deceased person ends at their death.
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Since the estate is sizable, I wouldn't begrudge those fees. Much of their time and effort will be devoted to settling the estate, and many of the things they'd rather do will be sidelined until it's done.

Meantime, you can enjoy your life unfettered by this responsibility. Have fun! My sincere condolences on the loss of your husband.
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The documents and the attorneys they are using will be being paid as well. This is commonly done. Often the will stipulates payment; state laws allow payments to certain percentages. A Fiduciary hired would easily be more today that 150.00 an hour as in my brother's end of life work for his partner the fiduciary was 120.00 an hour five years ago.
Be glad you aren't saddled with this onerous hard work.
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Reply to AlvaDeer
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This may vary by state. I am currently acting as the Executor/Personal Representative for my late Aunt's estate. The elder law attorney I'm working with says I'm allowed to be reimbursed/compensated for certain related expenses but I'm currently not being paid by the hour. Some trusts are written so that the trustees can be compensated for their time, which I think is fair because it can be a lot of work for a long time.
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Yes, my husband has passed. Thank you.
All 3 children continue to work at their full time jobs.
The amount they are charging seems a bit excessive.
The POA is the Financial POA.
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Reply to ArizonaAnn
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Has your husband passed away and they are acting as executors of his will?

First of all, if that is the case, my sympathies on your loss.

My experience dealing with my mother’s will and estate is the executor can put in for time and expenses dealing with the estate. BUT, the probate judge must approve the amounts. Driving expenses were all I put in for, and used IRS mileage rates. The hourly rates for time would be evaluated, honestly, on the relative value of the executor’s time. A person taking time from a well-paying job, for example, would approved for a higher rate than a retired person.

POAs expire at the death of the person. To the best of my knowledge one is not supposed to be paid to be POA, but being reimbursed for expenses is acceptable.

And, by the way, probate of a will and estate is not a fearful thing, as many seem to think. It is effectively a legal audit to make sure the estate, finances, debts, and distribution of assets has been dealt with correctly. All involved parties can attend at least the first probate hearing (ours was a Zoom session).

A will/estate lawyer absolutely should be involved, especially at that estate value and with - apparently - already questions about everything being done correctly.
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ArizonaAnn Jun 17, 2025
Yes, my husband has passed away. Thank you.
All 3 children have well paying full time jobs. I just thought their fees were a bit excessive.
The POA is the Financial POA.
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