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Alabama Inheritance Law & Probate Procedure

Alabama PROBATE COURT FINDER:
- Probate Court for Jefferson County: Key information about your local probate court (Probate Court in Alabama) for Jefferson County.
How Probate Works in Alabama: How to handle the probate of an inheritance at Jefferson County's probate court.
- Here are links to:
  - Alabama Probate Forms and the
  - Alabama State Probate Court Website.
Small Estates Procedures in Alabama: Learn how to use Alabama's Small Estate procedures that can save you time and money.
- In Alabama, you can't use the Affidavit procedure that's available in some states. Instead, if the estate's value doesn't exceed $34,611, you can use Alabama's summary probate procedure after waiting 30 days. The $34,611 limit only applies to estates without real property. This limit is adjusted annually for inflation, pursuant toAla. Code §43-2-692(b)(1),
  
  For 2010 $25,410
  For 2011 $25,791
  For 2012 $26,616
  For 2013 $27,175
  For 2014 $27,583
  For 2015 $28,024
  For 2016 $28,052
  For 2017 $28,417
  For 2018 $29,014
  For 2019 $29,710
  For 2020 $30,245
  For 2021 $30,608
  For 2022 $32,047
  For 2023 $34,611
  
  Ala. Code 43-2-690.
Alabama Estate Taxes:
- Alabama, like most states, does not impose an estate or inheritance tax. Only a few states do.
Avoiding Probate in Alabama. 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 Jefferson County, Alabama (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)
Alabama BANKRUPTCY EXEMPTION FINDER: Search detailed listings of bankruptcy exemptions under Alabama law and Federal law, for use in filing out Schedule C, when you file for bankruptcy.
- Federal Exemptions available in Alabama?:
  - No. Federal Exemptions not available. Ala. Code § 6-10-11.
- Alabama Homestead Exemption
  - Real property or mobile home to $18,800 (increased to $18,800, April 1, 2024); property cannot exceed 160 acres (husband & wife may double)
- Alabama Vehicle Exemption
  - none (see wild card)
Alabama 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.

Alabama Unemployment Benefits

Benefit Amounts in Alabama: Learn how unemployment works, how much you'll get, and for how long.
- Minimum:
  - $45 per week
- Maximum:
  - $275 per week
- Duration:
  - In Alabama, the duration of benefits depends on the state's unemployment rate when you apply. The maximum period for which you can receive benefits ranges from 14 to 20 weeks.
Eligibility: >Whether you qualify for unemployment.
How to Apply: How to apply for unemployment in Alabama.
- Alabama Department of Labor
  - 1-866-234-5382
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.
Alabama Wage & Hour Law
- Alabama Minimum Wage:
  - Alabama does not have its own minimum wage law. Therefore, employees in Alabama are entitled to earn at least the federal minimum wage, $7.25 an hour.
    
    Jefferson County Minimum Wage
    
    The minimum wage in Jefferson County is $7.25 an hour, the federal minimum wage. To find out if Jefferson County has passed its own minimum wage law, visit https://www.jccal.org/.
    
    Birmingham Minimum Wage
    
    The minimum wage in Birmingham is currently $7.25 an hour. Although the city of Birmingham passed an ordinance in 2015 requiring employers in the city to pay a higher minimum wage ($10.10 an hour), the Alabama state legislature stopped the city's minimum wage law from going into effect and declared that no local government could pass a higher minimum wage than the state-wide wage, currently $7.25 an hour.
- Overtime Pay: Every state has rules about weekly maximum hours and overtime. Learn about the overtime laws in Alabama 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 Alabama.
- Tips : Every state has special pay rates for tipped workers. Find out the rules for tipped workers in Alabama.
  - In Alabama, 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.