What You Need to Know About Probate in Your State

Each state has its own rules about probate. Find out how they do it in State.

Probate is the official way that an estate gets settled under the supervision of the court. A person, usually a surviving spouse or an adult child, is appointed by the court if there is no Will, or nominated by the deceased person's Will. Once appointed, this person, called an executor or Personal Representative, has the legal authority to gather and value the assets owned by the estate, to pay bills and taxes, and, ultimately, to distribute the assets to the heirs or beneficiaries.

Click on the state-specific article below to learn more about how probate works in your state and where to file the papers necessary to get probate started.

You may also be interested in:

• Does Your State Collect an Inheritance Tax?

  Only a few states collect their own estate or inheritance tax. Find out if State collects either (or both) taxes on the estate after someone has died.

• What You Need to Know About Your State's Small Estates Limit

  Small estates don't have to go through probate to be distributed. Find out what State's limit is for this small estates procedure.

• What You Need to Know About Creditor's Rights in Your State

  Creditors have a right to get paid after someone dies. Learn more about creditor's rights.

About Liza Hanks

Liza Hanks is a partner at GCA Law Partners LLP in Mountain View, California, where she practices estate planning, trust administration, and probate law. She’s the author of Every Californian’s Guide to Estate Planning: Wills, Trusts & Everything Else and The Trustee’s Legal Companion (with Attorney Carol Zolla) and she writes about estate planning and inheritance law here at Legal Consumer. Liza is a graduate of Stanford Law School, a former magazine editor, and the mother of two children (neither of whom show any desire to become attorneys).