Wills & Estates lawyers in Toronto

Probate applications for people who lived in Toronto are made to the Superior Court of Justice in Toronto. In Ontario probate is called a Certificate of Appointment of Estate Trustee, and you apply at the Superior Court of Justice for the county or district where the person lived.

Estate Administration Tax is $15 for every $1,000 (or part of $1,000) of the estate's value above $50,000. Nothing is charged on the first $50,000, so an estate worth $50,000 or less pays no tax. Legal fees are separate.

Ontario's Succession Law Reform Act sets out how the estate is shared. In general the people who can inherit are the married spouse and the closest next of kin; the Act and its regulation set the spouse's share and how the rest is divided with any children. A common-law spouse does not inherit under the Act, though they may have other claims. A lawyer can tell you who inherits in your situation.

Yes. If the estate is worth up to $150,000 you can apply for a Small Estate Certificate, which uses simpler forms than a full Certificate of Appointment of Estate Trustee.

To practise law in Ontario a lawyer must be licensed by the Law Society of Ontario, which also licenses paralegals. You can look up anyone in the Law Society's public Lawyer and Paralegal Directory, which shows their status and any discipline history. Each lawyer on these pages was checked in that directory before being listed, but people move firms, so check again before you hire. Complaints about a lawyer go to the Law Society.