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Probate

Probate
Mark Cappel
UpdatedMar 11, 2024
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    7 min read
Key Takeaways:
  • Family members are not responsible for a decedent's debts.
  • A decedent's debts are not canceled automatically.
  • Learn more about your state's probate rules.

How to Understand the Probate Process, Who is Involved, Your Rights, and How to Get Started.

Almost everyone owns things or owes debt. Most of us have both. When a person dies, a process called probate determines who gets their possessions, which creditors are paid and how much.

An important note: Bills.com readers ask questions about probate issues frequently. Most questions are based on incomplete or inaccurate statements made by collection agents regarding a family’s liability for a deceased person’s debts. Under probate law, spouses and family members are not responsible for a deceased person’s debts. However, a deceased person’s debts are not canceled upon death, either. This article will help you understand the probate process, who is involved, your rights, and how to get started.

Like other areas of law, probate uses unusual words and common words in a peculiar way. For example, the deceased person is called a decedent. The decedent’s property and debts are called an estate. A beneficiary is a person who has a legal right to inherit. We will use these terms here.

Probate deals with:

  • Transferring the property of a decedent to the heirs or beneficiaries
  • Deciding if a will is valid
  • Taking care of the decedent’s financial responsibilities

In a probate case, an executor (if there is a will) or an administrator (if there is no will) is appointed by the court as personal representative to

  1. Collect the assets
  2. Pay the debts and expenses
  3. Distribute the remainder of the estate to beneficiaries

All of this happens under the supervision of a state probate court. A case can take between 9 to 18 months to complete the probate process. Some cases take more time because of beneficiaries’ or creditors’ claims.

Is Probate Required?

You may not need to go through the probate court to get title to a decedent’s property. Figuring out if you have to go to probate court depends on many issues, like the amount of money involved, the type of property involved, and who claims the property.

Deciding if involving a probate court also depends on the how the property is owned (the type of title ownership) or if there is some type of contract with beneficiaries. For example:

Type of Title: Sometimes all or some of a decedent’s property passes directly to the beneficiaries because of how the decedent owned the property. For example, in the following cases, the property goes to the survivor automatically at the instant of the owner’s death:

  • Property owned in joint tenancy
  • Property owned owned as community property with the right of survivorship
  • A joint bank account owned by several people
  • A bank account transferred to someone when the owner dies

Even in these cases, the survivor may have to take legal steps to clarify his or her ownership of the transferred property.

Type of Contract: Sometimes all or some of a decedent’s property does not need to go through probate to pass to the beneficiaries. This is because this property is a type of contract with named beneficiaries. Examples include:

  • Life insurance benefits paid to someone other than the decedent’s estate
  • Retirement benefits
  • Death benefits
  • Trusts

Starting the Probate Process

Each state has a threshold amount below which the probate process is not required. If you have the legal right to inherit personal property, like money in a bank account or stocks, and the estate is worth less than the decedent’s statutory amount, you may not have to go to court. Consult with a lawyer in your state, or your state’s statutes, to learn what the threshold amount is.

If the decedent’s property is worth more than the statutory amount, someone (presumably a family member) must go to court and start a probate case. If there is a will, the custodian of the will (the person who has the will at the time of the person’s death) must, within a certain number of days of the person’s death, take the original will to the probate court clerk’s office. He or she must also send a copy of the will to the executor (if the executor cannot be found, then the will can be sent to a person named in the will as a beneficiary).

A petitioner must start a case in court by filing a petition for probate. Details vary by state. After a probate case is filed the probate clerk sets a hearing date, and begins a series of events according to state law.

The Uniform Probate Code is intended to make probate procedures simple and inexpensive, especially for spouses. When a married person residing in a UPC state dies without a will... ...and left no parents, children, or grandchildren, the surviving spouse inherits the estate. ...and a parent survives, the surviving spouse inherits the first $50,000 and splits the rest with the parent(s). ...and a child or grandchild survives, the surviving spouse inherits the first $50,000 and splits the rest with the (grand)child. Consult with a probate lawyer whether the decedent resided in a UPC or non-UPC state.

More About the Probate Process

Some state bar associations and state court Web sites offer more information about the probate process and costs. Consult with a lawyer who has probate process in the decedent’s state to learn more about local details.

Probate Required When the Estate Is Larger Than This AmountUniform Probate Code StateProbate Laws
Alabama>$3,000Title 43 Chapters 2 & 8
Alaska>$15,000YesTitle 13
Arizona>$50K personal property or >$75K real estateYesTitle 14
Arkansas>$50K all propertyTitle 28
California>$150K all property or >$50K real estateCalif. Probate Code
Colorado>$60KYesTitle 15
Connecticut>$40KTitle 45a
Delaware>$20KTitle 12
District of Columbia>$40KDivision III, Titles 18-20
Florida>$75KYesTitle XLII
GeorgiaNo full probate required if: (i) no will, (ii) no debts owed, AND (iii) property is not contested by heirs who agreed upon how it will be distributed.Title 44
Hawaii>$100KYesTitle 30A
Idaho>$100KYesTitle 15
Illinois>$100KChapter 755
Indiana>$50KTitle 29
Iowa>$25KTitle XV, Subtitle 4
Kansas>$20KChapter 59
Kentucky>$15KTitles XXXIII and XXXIV
Louisiana>$75KCivil Code Articles 880 to 899
Maine>$20KYesTitle 18 & 18-A
Maryland>$30K or >$50K if beneficiary is surviving spouseEstates and Trusts Titles 1-16
Massachusetts>$25KGeneral Laws Part II Title II
Michigan>$15KProbate Code Chapters I to XIII
Minnesota>$20KYesChapter 524 Uniform Probate Code
Mississippi>$12.5KTitle 91
Missouri>$40KMRS Title XXXI
Montana>$50KYesTitle 72
Nebraska>$50K personal property or >$30K real estateYesNRS Chapter 30
Nevada>$20KNRS Title 12
New HampshireNo probate if decedent left will naming spouse or child as sole beneficiary.Title LVI
New Jersey>$20K if beneficiary is surviving spouse, or >$10K if notTitle 3A and 3B
New Mexico>$50K for whole estate or >$500K tax value of residenceYesChapter 45: Uniform Probate Code
New York>$20KEstates, Powers and Trusts
North Carolina>$20K personal property or >$30K if beneficiary is surviving spouseNCGS Chapter 47
North Dakota>$50KYesTitle 30.1
Ohio>$35K or >$100K if surviving spouse is beneficiaryTitle 21
Oklahoma>$20K or >$200K if death occurred 5+ years agoTitles 58, 60 and 84
Oregon>$275KTitle 12, Chapters 111-118
Pennsylvania>$25KTitle 20
Rhode Island>$15KTitle 33
South Carolina>$10KYesTitle 62
South Dakota>$50KYesTitle 29A
Tennessee>$25KTitle 32, Chapter 2
Texas>$50K or if all inheritors agreeTexas Probate Code
Utah>$100KYesTitle 75
Vermont>$10KTitle 14
Virginia>$50K personal propertyTitle 64.2
Washington>$100KTitle 11
West Virginia>$100KChapter 44
Wisconsin>$50KChapters 851 to 881
Wyoming>$200KTitle 2
State probate laws are not as simple as this table might suggest. Consult with a probate lawyer in the state where the decedent resided to learn the probate rules that apply.

State-By-State Probate Laws. Source: Bills.com

Debt statistics

If you are struggling with debt, you are not alone. According to the NY Federal Reserve total household debt as of Quarter Q4 2023 was $17.503 trillion. Student loan debt was $1.601 trillion and credit card debt was $1.129 trillion.

According to data gathered by Urban.org from a sample of credit reports, about 26% of people in the US have some kind of debt in collections. The median debt in collections is $1,739. Student loans and auto loans are common types of debt. Of people holding student debt, approximately 8% had student loans in collections. The national Auto/Retail debt delinquency rate was 4%.

The amount of debt and debt in collections vary by state. For example, in Hawaii, 16% have any kind of debt in collections and the median debt in collections is $1866. Medical debt is common and 5% have that in collections. The median medical debt in collections is $339.

Avoiding collections isn’t always possible. A sudden loss of employment, death in the family, or sickness can lead to financial hardship. Fortunately, there are many ways to deal with debt including an aggressive payment plan, debt consolidation loan, or a negotiated settlement.

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