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Cumberland County, PA Probate Information
Quick facts
| Category | Current rules |
|---|---|
| Where probate begins | The Cumberland County Register of Wills, which admits the will to probate, grants letters testamentary (with a will) or letters of administration (without one), and receives the Pennsylvania inheritance tax return (REV-1500). In Cumberland County the Register of Wills and the Clerk of the Orphans' Court are one combined office run by a single elected official |
| Who supervises administration | The Cumberland County Orphans' Court Division of the Court of Common Pleas (9th Judicial District), whose filing office is the Clerk of the Orphans' Court in the same combined office; it handles inventories, accounts, distributions, guardianships, adoptions, and disputes, including appeals from the Register of Wills |
| Filing office | Register of Wills and Clerk of the Orphans' Court, Cumberland County Courthouse, 1 Courthouse Square, 1st Floor, Suite 102 (Room 102), Carlisle, PA 17013 |
| Phone | (717) 240-6345 (Register of Wills and Clerk of the Orphans' Court); toll free 1-888-697-0371 extension 6345 |
| Fax | (717) 240-7797 |
| [email protected] (the office mailbox) | |
| Hours | Monday to Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; closed weekends and county holidays. Confirm any filing cutoff before making a trip to Carlisle |
| Filing fee | Register of Wills probate fees are set by Cumberland County and graduated by the gross value of the estate. The grant-of-letters base fee starts at $20.00 for an estate not exceeding $2,000 and rises with estate value; on top of the base fee the county adds a $41.25 JCS surcharge (increased by Act 45 of 2025), a $14.75 automation fee, and a $1.00 postage surcharge, so the minimum to open an estate is $77.00 (Cumberland County Register of Wills fee schedule, amended November 18, 2025, verified July 2026). See the fees section below, and confirm the current schedule with the Register of Wills |
| Local forms | Pennsylvania uses one statewide Register of Wills and Orphans' Court form set (published on pacourts.us), including Form RW-02 (Petition for Grant of Letters) and Form RW-09 (Inventory). The small-estate petition (20 Pa.C.S. § 3102) is a county petition filed with the Orphans' Court division. Cumberland also publishes a county Small Estate Affidavit for life-insurance proceeds under $11,000 (a release without letters under 20 Pa.C.S. § 3101), which is not the § 3102 petition |
| E-filing | The county offers a virtual probate submission portal at cumberlandcountypa.seamlessdocs.com for the Register of Wills, alongside in-person filing. The county's probate checklist requires the appearance of the executor with valid photo ID, so confirm with the office what your matter requires. Orphans' Court e-filing runs through the statewide UJS Portal and the Guardianship Tracking System, which require an access code from the Clerk of the Orphans' Court |
| Case search | The statewide court case search is the UJS Portal at ujsportal.pacourts.us/CaseSearch (Register of Wills and Orphans' Court estate-record coverage varies by county); Cumberland County also runs its own online estate-records search at rwoc.ccpa.net, covering records from 1978 to the present |
| Remote appearance | The virtual probate portal handles document submission; hearing formats before the Orphans' Court Division are set by the court, so confirm any remote option before a scheduled date |
| Website | https://www.cumberlandcountypa.gov/125/Register-of-Wills |
Before you begin — know the assets and liabilities
The first Cumberland County question is which path fits the estate, and then how you deal with the combined Register of Wills and Clerk of the Orphans' Court office. Pennsylvania probate begins at the Register of Wills, where the will is admitted and letters are granted; the Orphans' Court Division then supervises the administration. A qualifying small estate can instead be settled on a petition to the Orphans' Court division of $50,000 or less (20 Pa.C.S. § 3102), and some assets, such as certain wages, small deposit accounts, and life-insurance proceeds, can pass without any grant of letters at all (20 Pa.C.S. § 3101). Those paths and their dollar thresholds are statewide and are explained on the Pennsylvania state page. A jointly owned West Shore home or a beneficiary-designated account often passes outside the estate, so the estate that actually goes through probate can be smaller than the family expects.
Before you file, identify every bank, credit-union, brokerage, and retirement account, life-insurance policy, business interest, and parcel of Cumberland County real estate, along with every debt, and identify each heir by name. Only then can you pick the right path, calculate the correct county filing fee, and decide whether counsel is needed. Sunset's asset-discovery work, searching more than 2,300 financial institutions, exists for this step.
Which court handles jurisdiction
The Cumberland County Register of Wills and the Cumberland County Orphans' Court Division serve all of Cumberland County. The county takes in Carlisle, the county seat, along with the West Shore communities of Camp Hill, Lemoyne, Wormleysburg, New Cumberland, and Shiremanstown, the boroughs of Mechanicsburg, Shippensburg, Newville, and Mount Holly Springs, and townships including Hampden, Silver Spring, East Pennsboro, Lower Allen, Upper Allen, Middlesex, North Middleton, South Middleton, Monroe, Penn, and West Pennsboro. Under Pennsylvania's venue rule in Title 20 of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes (20 Pa.C.S.), letters are granted only by the register of the county where the decedent had a last family or principal residence (20 Pa.C.S. § 3151). A decedent who lived anywhere in Cumberland County has the estate opened here, regardless of which municipality within the county the person lived in.
Cumberland County is its own 9th Judicial District, so the Orphans' Court Division judge is a Court of Common Pleas judge of that district. The filing office for both the grant of letters and the later administration filings is the combined Register of Wills and Clerk of the Orphans' Court in Room 102 of the Cumberland County Courthouse, so most paperwork is lodged at 1 Courthouse Square in Carlisle. If the decedent was not domiciled in Pennsylvania but left property in the county, the register of the county where the property is located may grant letters (20 Pa.C.S. § 3151), which is the basis for an ancillary administration.
The jurisdiction process
- Confirm venue. Cumberland County is the right county when the decedent had a last family or principal residence here at death (20 Pa.C.S. § 3151). The estate is opened with the Cumberland County Register of Wills regardless of which municipality within the county the person lived in.
- Choose the path and the form. With a will, the named executor presents the original will and Form RW-02 (Petition for Grant of Letters) and the Register issues letters testamentary; with no will, an eligible person petitions on Form RW-02 and the Register issues letters of administration in the priority order set by 20 Pa.C.S. § 3155. A qualifying small estate can instead be settled on a petition to the Orphans' Court division (20 Pa.C.S. § 3102). The statewide paths and thresholds are on the Pennsylvania state page.
- Gather what the Register needs: the original will (if any), a certified death certificate, an estimate of the estate's assets and debts, and the names and addresses of the heirs. For a will without a self-proving acknowledgment, the subscribing witnesses must be proved under oath.
- File with the Register of Wills. Present the petition to the combined Register of Wills and Clerk of the Orphans' Court office in Room 102 of the Cumberland County Courthouse, 1 Courthouse Square, Carlisle, or submit the documents through the county's virtual probate portal at cumberlandcountypa.seamlessdocs.com. The county's probate checklist requires the appearance of the executor with valid photo ID, so confirm with the office what your matter requires before you rely on the online route.
- Pay the county filing fee. Cumberland's Register of Wills grant-of-letters base fee is graduated by the gross value of the estate, starting at $20.00 for an estate not exceeding $2,000 and rising with estate value; on top of the base fee the county adds a $41.25 JCS surcharge (increased by Act 45 of 2025), a $14.75 automation fee, and a $1.00 postage surcharge, for a minimum of $77.00 to open an estate (Cumberland County Register of Wills fee schedule, amended November 18, 2025, verified July 2026). Request several short certificates, the certified proof of your authority that banks and transfer agents rely on; the county charges $10.00 per short certificate.
- Advertise the grant of letters. Immediately after letters are granted, advertise the grant once a week for three successive weeks in a newspaper of general circulation near the decedent's residence and in the county legal journal (the Cumberland Law Journal), requesting that creditors present claims (20 Pa.C.S. § 3162). Creditors generally have one year from the first complete advertisement to present claims (20 Pa.C.S. § 3532).
- File the Pennsylvania inheritance-tax return. File the REV-1500 (resident decedent) with the Register of Wills, which acts as the collection agent. Pennsylvania inheritance tax is keyed to the beneficiary's relationship to the decedent, becomes delinquent nine months after death, and a 5% discount is allowed on tax paid within three months of death. The rate detail is on the Pennsylvania state page.
- File the inventory. File a verified inventory of the estate's real and personal property with the Register on Form RW-09, due no later than the earlier of the account filing or the inheritance-tax return due date (20 Pa.C.S. § 3301); an interested party may demand it sooner.
- Administer and close. Collect the assets, pay valid claims and taxes, and account to the interested parties. Accounts, petitions for distribution, and any contested matter are filed with the Clerk of the Orphans' Court and heard by the Orphans' Court Division; a personal representative who distributes is protected from a claim not made known within one year after the first complete advertisement of the grant of letters (20 Pa.C.S. § 3532).
Forms and documents
Probate forms in Cumberland County
Pennsylvania uses one statewide Register of Wills and Orphans' Court form set, and Cumberland County files the same set as every other county. The load-bearing filings are Form RW-02, the Petition for Grant of Letters, used with or without a will; Form RW-06, the Renunciation, where a person with priority declines to serve; and Form RW-09, the Inventory. The Orphans' Court account and distribution filings use the statewide OC-series forms. These are published centrally on the Unified Judicial System forms hub at pacourts.us/forms/for-the-public/orphans-court-forms.
Two county specifics are worth naming. The small-estate petition to settle an estate of $50,000 or less under 20 Pa.C.S. § 3102 uses a county petition filed with the Orphans' Court division, not a numbered statewide RW form. Separately, Cumberland publishes a county Small Estate Affidavit that, by its own terms, is for life-insurance proceeds under $11,000 and is not to be used for the § 3102 settlement; it supports releasing those proceeds without a grant of letters (20 Pa.C.S. § 3101). In Cumberland County the completed forms are filed with the combined Register of Wills and Clerk of the Orphans' Court in Room 102 of the courthouse or submitted through the county's virtual probate portal at cumberlandcountypa.seamlessdocs.com.
Fees
Pennsylvania sets probate filing fees per county, and Cumberland County publishes its own Register of Wills fee schedule, graduated by the gross value of the estate. The grant-of-letters figures below are the base probate-letters fee; the county adds three surcharges on top of the base fee, not folded into it: a $41.25 JCS surcharge (increased by Act 45 of 2025), a $14.75 automation fee, and a $1.00 postage surcharge. The minimum to open an estate is therefore $77.00. Each figure below was read from the county's schedule amended November 18, 2025 (Docket No. 21-24-0001); confirm the current amounts before you file.
| Item | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Statewide surcharges (added to every grant of letters) | $41.25 JCS, $14.75 automation, $1.00 postage | Added on top of the base probate-letters fee; the JCS surcharge was increased by Act 45 of 2025 (Cumberland County Register of Wills fee schedule, amended November 18, 2025, verified July 2026) |
| Grant of letters, estate not exceeding $2,000 | $20.00 base (so $77.00 with surcharges) | The minimum grant-of-letters fee; the base rises with estate value (Cumberland County Register of Wills fee schedule, amended November 18, 2025, verified July 2026) |
| Grant of letters, estate $25,001 to $50,000 | $90.00 base | An example mid-range tier, plus the surcharges above (Cumberland County Register of Wills fee schedule, amended November 18, 2025, verified July 2026) |
| Grant of letters, estate $75,001 to $100,000 | $210.00 base | The top published tier, then $50.00 for each additional $100,000 or fraction, plus the surcharges above (Cumberland County Register of Wills fee schedule, amended November 18, 2025, verified July 2026) |
| Short certificate | $10.00 each | Certified proof of the letters, which banks and transfer agents rely on (Cumberland County Register of Wills fee schedule, amended November 18, 2025, verified July 2026) |
| Probate without letters or subsequent petition | $20.00 | For filing and probating a will where no grant of letters is sought (Cumberland County Register of Wills fee schedule, amended November 18, 2025, verified July 2026) |
| Inventory or affidavit in lieu of inventory | $20.00 | Payable at the time of probate (Cumberland County Register of Wills fee schedule, amended November 18, 2025, verified July 2026) |
| Small Estate Affidavit (life-insurance proceeds under $11,000) | $20.00 | The county insurance-proceeds affidavit under 20 Pa.C.S. § 3101, not the § 3102 petition (Cumberland County Register of Wills fee schedule, amended November 18, 2025, verified July 2026) |
| Certified copy | $10.00 (up to 10 pages, $0.50 each additional page) | Certified copies of estate documents (Cumberland County Register of Wills fee schedule, amended November 18, 2025, verified July 2026) |
Local nuance
Cumberland County-specific considerations
One combined office runs both functions. In Cumberland County a single elected official is both the Register of Wills and the Clerk of the Orphans' Court, and one combined office in Room 102 (1st Floor, Suite 102) of the Cumberland County Courthouse handles the grant of letters, the inheritance-tax return, and the later Orphans' Court administration filings. Because officials are elected and change, this page refers to the office rather than the officeholder.
The county offers virtual probate submission. Cumberland runs an online submission portal at cumberlandcountypa.seamlessdocs.com through which families can submit probate documents to the Register of Wills, alongside in-person filing. The county's probate checklist requires the appearance of the executor with valid photo ID, so the portal does not replace every step; confirm what your matter requires with the office before relying on the online route.
Cumberland runs its own online estate-records search. Separate from the statewide UJS Portal case search, the county maintains its own online Register of Wills and Orphans' Court records search at rwoc.ccpa.net, covering estate records from 1978 to the present; for older records, contact the office. Orphans' Court e-filing, including the Guardianship Tracking System, runs through the statewide UJS Portal and requires an access code from the Clerk of the Orphans' Court.
The JCS surcharge rose in 2025. The county's Register of Wills fee schedule was amended November 18, 2025 (Docket No. 21-24-0001) to raise the JCS surcharge to $41.25, following Act 45 of 2025. With the $20.00 base fee for the smallest estates plus the $14.75 automation fee and the $1.00 postage surcharge, the minimum cost to open an estate is now $77.00. The base grant-of-letters fee still rises in steps with the gross value of the estate.
Recent updates
| Date | Change |
|---|---|
| November 18, 2025 | The Cumberland County Register of Wills fee schedule was amended (Docket No. 21-24-0001) to raise the JCS surcharge to $41.25 following Act 45 of 2025, making the minimum cost to open an estate $77.00 (source: county Register of Wills fee schedule, verified July 2026). |
Page last reviewed: July 2026.
Scenarios
| Situation | Likely path in Cumberland County | Where Sunset helps |
|---|---|---|
| Surviving spouse, co-owned home | A Cumberland County home held by the spouses as tenants by the entirety, or jointly with right of survivorship, generally passes to the surviving spouse outside the estate; the survivor clears title with the county. Accounts and property in the decedent's sole name may still need a grant of letters, opened with the Cumberland County Register of Wills on Form RW-02, with letters testamentary if there is a will or letters of administration if there is not. | Asset discovery to separate survivorship property from sole-name assets. Packet generation for the Form RW-02 petition and the supporting documents. A vetted Cumberland County probate attorney if the estate is contested or complex. |
| Out-of-state adult child, small estate | If the parent lived in Cumberland County and left a qualifying small estate, the child can settle it on a petition to the Orphans' Court division (20 Pa.C.S. § 3102) rather than a full grant of letters; some assets can pass without any letters at all (20 Pa.C.S. § 3101). A larger estate is opened with the Register of Wills on Form RW-02. The county's virtual probate portal can reduce trips to Carlisle, though the county's probate checklist requires the appearance of the executor with valid photo ID, so confirm what your matter requires. | Asset discovery to confirm the estate fits the small-estate path and holds no complicating real property. Packet generation for the small-estate petition or the Form RW-02 grant of letters. Attorney referral if the estate turns out to be larger or contested. |
| Parent settling a predeceased child's estate, home must be sold | A grant of letters at the Cumberland County Register of Wills. Because there is no will, the parent petitions for letters of administration (Form RW-02), with priority set by 20 Pa.C.S. § 3155, then advertises the grant (20 Pa.C.S. § 3162), files the inventory (Form RW-09), and settles the Pennsylvania inheritance tax. The administrator obtains the authority to sell the child's Cumberland County real estate; a contested step is heard by the Orphans' Court Division. | Asset discovery for the child's accounts and property. Packet generation for the administration petition, the inventory, and the sale papers. A vetted Cumberland County probate attorney to run the administration and any contested step. |
Self-help resources
| Resource | What it offers |
|---|---|
| Cumberland County Register of Wills and Clerk of Orphans' Court (cumberlandcountypa.gov/125/Register-of-Wills) | The combined office pages: address, hours, contact information, the fee schedule, forms and checklists, the virtual probate portal, and links to the county estate-records search |
| Cumberland County virtual probate portal (cumberlandcountypa.seamlessdocs.com) | The county's online system to submit probate documents to the Register of Wills |
| Cumberland County estate-records search (rwoc.ccpa.net) | The county's own online Register of Wills and Orphans' Court records search, covering records from 1978 to the present |
| Unified Judicial System forms and self-help (pacourts.us/forms/for-the-public/orphans-court-forms and pacourts.us/learn) | The statewide Register of Wills and Orphans' Court forms, including Form RW-02 and Form RW-09, and plain-language help with representing yourself |
| UJS Portal case search (ujsportal.pacourts.us/CaseSearch) | The statewide court case search; Register of Wills and Orphans' Court estate-record coverage varies by county |
| Pennsylvania Department of Revenue, Inheritance Tax (pa.gov/agencies/revenue) | The inheritance-tax rates, the REV-1500 return, the nine-month deadline, and the three-month early-payment discount |
| MidPenn Legal Services, Carlisle office (401 E. Louther Street, Suite 103, intake 1-800-326-9177, midpenn.org) | Free civil legal help for income-eligible residents of Cumberland County and 17 other central Pennsylvania counties |
| Cumberland County Bar Association Lawyer Referral Service (cumberlandbar.com, (717) 249-3166) | Referral to a qualified attorney in the Carlisle area, with help identifying the right type of attorney for your situation |
| PALawHELP (palawhelp.org) | Plain-language legal information and legal-aid routing statewide |
When to hire an attorney
Pennsylvania does not require an attorney to open a probate estate, and many uncontested Cumberland County estates are handled with the statewide forms and the Register of Wills. Counsel makes sense when a will is contested or an appeal is taken from the Register to the Orphans' Court Division; when the estate is large, taxable, or holds a business interest or out-of-state property; when Cumberland County real estate must be sold and the terms are disputed; when the heirs are unknown or in conflict; or when a formal accounting or a dispute over the personal representative is filed. The Register of Wills and the Clerk of the Orphans' Court can explain procedure but cannot give legal advice. Sunset can connect families to a vetted Cumberland County probate attorney when the situation calls for counsel.
How Sunset helps
Find the accounts and assets. Sunset searches more than 2,300 financial institutions and public records to surface bank and credit-union accounts, retirement plans, brokerage holdings, life insurance, Cumberland County real estate, business interests, and unclaimed property, so you know the estate's value and can pick the right Pennsylvania path for estate settlement before you file.
Generate the probate packet. Sunset assembles the Cumberland County filing: the Petition for Grant of Letters (Form RW-02), the inventory (Form RW-09), and the supporting documents from Pennsylvania's statewide set, or the small-estate petition where the estate qualifies, ready to file in person or to submit through the county's virtual probate portal.
Find a local probate attorney. When an estate is contested, taxable, or otherwise calls for counsel, Sunset connects families to a vetted Cumberland County probate attorney to file and appear.
Sunset is free for families. Revenue comes from bank partners that pay Sunset while estate funds sit in an FDIC-insured estate account ($3M coverage).
Frequently asked questions
Where do I file probate in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania?
With the Cumberland County Register of Wills, part of the combined Register of Wills and Clerk of the Orphans' Court office in Room 102 (1st Floor, Suite 102) of the Cumberland County Courthouse, 1 Courthouse Square, Carlisle, PA 17013, (717) 240-6345. That is where the original will is filed, the Petition for Grant of Letters (Form RW-02) is presented, and letters are issued. The Clerk of the Orphans' Court, in the same office, supervises the administration that follows.
Can I e-file or file probate online in Cumberland County?
Cumberland County offers a virtual probate submission portal for the Register of Wills at cumberlandcountypa.seamlessdocs.com, alongside in-person filing. To probate a will, the county's own checklist requires the appearance of the executor with valid photo ID, so confirm with the office whether your matter can be completed online. Orphans' Court e-filing, including the Guardianship Tracking System, runs through the statewide UJS Portal and requires an access code from the Clerk of the Orphans' Court.
How much does it cost to open a probate estate in Cumberland County?
Cumberland's Register of Wills grant-of-letters base fee is set by the county and graduated by the gross value of the estate, starting at $20.00 for an estate not exceeding $2,000 and rising with estate value. On top of the base fee the county adds a $41.25 JCS surcharge (increased by Act 45 of 2025), a $14.75 automation fee, and a $1.00 postage surcharge, so the minimum to open an estate is $77.00. A short certificate is $10.00 each (Cumberland County Register of Wills fee schedule, amended November 18, 2025, verified July 2026). Confirm the current schedule with the office.
What are the Cumberland County Register of Wills hours?
The Register of Wills and Clerk of the Orphans' Court office is open Monday to Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and is closed on weekends and county holidays. Confirm any filing cutoff before making a trip to the courthouse in Carlisle if you plan to present a petition or be sworn in person.
How do I look up a Cumberland County estate or probate record?
Cumberland County runs its own online Register of Wills and Orphans' Court records search at rwoc.ccpa.net, covering estate records from 1978 to the present; for older records, contact the office. The statewide UJS Portal at ujsportal.pacourts.us/CaseSearch is the general court case search, though its Register of Wills and Orphans' Court estate-record coverage varies by county.
What forms do I use for a Cumberland County estate?
Pennsylvania's statewide Register of Wills and Orphans' Court forms, the same set used in every county. The core filings are Form RW-02 (Petition for Grant of Letters) and Form RW-09 (Inventory), published on pacourts.us/forms/for-the-public/orphans-court-forms. The small-estate petition (20 Pa.C.S. § 3102) is a county petition filed with the Orphans' Court division. Cumberland also publishes a county Small Estate Affidavit, but it is for life-insurance proceeds under $11,000 (a release without letters under 20 Pa.C.S. § 3101), not the § 3102 settlement.
Do I have to travel to Carlisle to open probate in Cumberland County?
Expect at least one step in person: the county's checklist of what is required to probate a will includes the appearance of the executor with valid photo ID. Cumberland reduces the burden by offering a virtual probate submission portal at cumberlandcountypa.seamlessdocs.com for the documents. If your parent lived in Cumberland County you still file here, because Pennsylvania venue is the county of the decedent's last family or principal residence (20 Pa.C.S. § 3151); call (717) 240-6345 to confirm what your matter requires.
Does Cumberland County charge inheritance tax, and where do I file the return?
Pennsylvania has a state inheritance tax keyed to the beneficiary's relationship to the decedent, and it applies to Cumberland County estates. The REV-1500 resident return is filed with the Cumberland County Register of Wills, which acts as the collection agent. The tax becomes delinquent nine months after death, with a 5% discount for tax paid within three months. The rate detail is on the Pennsylvania state page.
How do I handle a small estate in Cumberland County?
A qualifying small estate can be settled on a petition to the Orphans' Court division under 20 Pa.C.S. § 3102 rather than a full grant of letters, and some assets can be released without any letters at all under 20 Pa.C.S. § 3101, including life-insurance proceeds under $11,000 using the county Small Estate Affidavit. The § 3102 petition is a county form filed with the Orphans' Court division; the statewide thresholds are covered on the Pennsylvania state page.
Shaped by the families we've helped
Thank you to the thousands of families who have trusted Sunset to help settle their loved ones' estates. This page is shaped by the questions they actually asked and the obstacles they actually hit — and that hard-won experience is what keeps it accurate, current, and genuinely useful to the families who come next.