If Decedent’s Will Has Already Been Filed

If Decedent’s Will has already been filed, then the Clerk’s Office will have already opened a file for Decedent and issued a case number for the file.  As it happens, however, the file will be classified internally within the Clerk’s Office as a Will Only file and not as a Decedent’s Estate file, although, at least for King County, this is a difference without a distinction.

To file a later Petition for Probate:

• File the Petition under the same case number as was issued for Decedent’s Will.
• Pay the $200 filing fee (sacrificing the $20 filing fee that was paid for the prior filing of the Will).
• In King County, file a new King County Case Assignment Designation & Case Information Cover Sheet.

The Clerk’s Office will reassign the file from a Will Only file to a Decedent’s Estate file without any further action necessary.