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Louisiana Inheritance Law & Probate Procedure

Louisiana PROBATE COURT FINDER:
- Probate Court for Saint Mary Parish: Key information about your local probate court (Parish Court in Louisiana) for Saint Mary Parish.
How Probate Works in Louisiana: How to handle the probate of an inheritance at Saint Mary Parish's probate court.
- Here are links to:
  - Louisiana Probate Forms and the
  - Louisiana State Probate Court Website.
Small Estates Procedures in Louisiana: Learn how to use Louisiana's Small Estate procedures that can save you time and money.
- For property that did not have a beneficiary designation or was not in a living trust, there may be "simplified probate" procedures or "small estate affidavit" procedures in Louisiana for transferring certain kinds of property at death, which can avoid the cost and time of a full-blown court-supervised probate proceeding.
Louisiana Estate Taxes:
- Louisiana, like most states, does not impose an estate or inheritance tax. Only a few states do.
Avoiding Probate in Louisiana. Find out what property bypasses probate death and goes directly to beneficiaries. such as:
- Transfer on Death Deeds (TODDs)

Bankruptcy & Debt

MEANS TEST CALCULATOR
- for Saint Mary Parish, Louisiana (applies the state and county income and expense standards into your means test calculation. Updated with the latest median income and expense standards for May 15, 2024)
Louisiana BANKRUPTCY EXEMPTION FINDER: Search detailed listings of bankruptcy exemptions under Louisiana law and Federal law, for use in filing out Schedule C, when you file for bankruptcy.
- Federal Exemptions available in Louisiana?:
  - No. La. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 13:3881(B)(1)
- Louisiana Homestead Exemption
  - Property you occupy to $35,000 (if debt is result of catastrophic or terminal illness or injury, limit is full value of property as of 1 year before filing); cannot exceed 5 acres in city or town, 200 acres elsewhere (husband & wife may not double)
- Louisiana Vehicle Exemption
  - $7,500
    $7,500 of equity in a motor vehicle modified for disability
Louisiana BANKRUPTCY COURT ESSENTIAL INFO: Get information about using your local bankruptcy court.
FREE BANKRUPTCY FORMS:
We'll tell you which bankruptcy forms you need and where to find them.

Louisiana Unemployment Benefits

Benefit Amounts in Louisiana: Learn how unemployment works, how much you'll get, and for how long.
- Minimum:
  - $10 per week
- Maximum:
  - $247 per week
- Duration:
  - In Louisiana, you can receive unemployment benefits for a maximum of 26 weeks under state law.
Eligibility: >Whether you qualify for unemployment.
How to Apply: How to apply for unemployment in Louisiana.
- Louisiana Workforce Commission
  - 866-783-5567
Unemployment Office Near Me? How to find your local unemployment office.
COVID-19 Benefits: We tracked the rise and fall of COVID-19 unemployment benefit payments.
Louisiana Wage & Hour Law
- Louisiana Minimum Wage:
  - Louisiana does not have its own minimum wage law. Therefore, employees in Louisiana are entitled to earn at least the federal minimum wage, $7.25 an hour.
- Overtime Pay: Every state has rules about weekly maximum hours and overtime. Learn about the overtime laws in Louisiana and whether they apply to you.
- Wage Claims: If you're being unlawfully underpaid, you need to learn how to file a "Wage Claim" in Louisiana.
- Tips : Every state has special pay rates for tipped workers. Find out the rules for tipped workers in Louisiana.
  - In Louisiana, your employer may pay you a minimum wage of $2.13 an hour, as long as you earn enough in tips to bring your total hourly pay up to the full minimum wage, $7.25 an hour. If you don’t earn enough in tips to bring your compensation to the full minimum wage, your employer must make up the difference.