Executor Compensation and Fees (BC)

In British Columbia, estate executors are entitled to a fair and reasonable allowance, not exceeding 5% of the gross value of estate assets and any income generated.

Consideration Factors: Courts have interpreted "fair and reasonable" to mean that the following factors should be considered in determining a fee:

• Size of the estate
• Care and responsibility involved
• Time required
• Skill and ability demonstrated by the trustee
• How successful the trustee was

Typical Fee: All things considered, a typical fee for a $600,000 estate might be $20,000 (i.e., 3.3% of the value of the gross assets at death). All else being equal, the larger the estate, the smaller the percentage, and the more work the executor had to do, the larger the percentage.

Annual Fee: For estates that take a significant time to settle, the court may also allow an executor to take an annual fee up to 0.4% of the assets under management.

Note that assets which pass directly to named beneficiaries, such as life insurance policies, are generally not included in any of the above calculations.

See Trustee Act, RSBC 1996, c. 464 § 88.

EstateExec provides the following executor compensation estimator for BC estates, but please keep in mind that circumstances may vary, and that there may be special situations addressed by local custom or law. By using this estimator, you acknowledge that EstateExec provides any results as informational input only, not as legal advice, and cannot be held responsible for any inaccuracies for, or misunderstandings about, any given estate. See estimation methodology for calculation details.

You can use this calculator now, but if you use EstateExec to help you track the settlement process, it will automatically analyze your estate and suggest values for the Gross Assets and Income fields below (you can create an estate for free).