Home Breadcrumb caret Tax Breadcrumb caret Estate Planning How much to pay the executor How do you place a dollar figure on the work involved? By James Dolan | June 6, 2014 | Last updated on June 6, 2014 3 min read Responsibility Disbursements with complicated instructions, or assets which if disposed expose the executor to personal liability, entitle him to more. Time spent The more time the executor spends performing duties, the more compensation he gets. Skill and ability If the estate requires the executor to draw upon special skills or abilities, he gets more compensation. Conversely, if the estate is so simple that anyone could administer it, he gets less. Results Executors who add value to an estate or make savvy asset management decisions are generally entitled to more compensation. Warning Executor compensation is considered taxable income. So, the testator could assign the executor a gift from the estate (generally not taxable) instead. James Dolan is a Vancouver-based financial writer. James Dolan Save Stroke 1 Print Group 8 Share LI logo Estate size Usually, the larger the estate, the more compensation the executor gets. Responsibility Disbursements with complicated instructions, or assets which if disposed expose the executor to personal liability, entitle him to more. Time spent The more time the executor spends performing duties, the more compensation he gets. Skill and ability If the estate requires the executor to draw upon special skills or abilities, he gets more compensation. Conversely, if the estate is so simple that anyone could administer it, he gets less. Results Executors who add value to an estate or make savvy asset management decisions are generally entitled to more compensation. Warning Executor compensation is considered taxable income. So, the testator could assign the executor a gift from the estate (generally not taxable) instead. James Dolan is a Vancouver-based financial writer.