Convert To Word Legal Alabama Small Estates Forms For Free

Alabama permits the distribution of small estates via a streamlined estate process called summary distribution. A spouse or inheritor must petition the local probate court requesting that it use the simplified procedure for this case.

The Alabama Small Estates Act was passed in 1979 and amended in 2009. This Act provides a method, through a court proceeding, to distribute personal property of a deceased person in a summary distribution manner to a surviving spouse, or appropriate distributes of the decedent, without full probate administration.

Most states have a ?small estates? rule that allows you to avoid probate entirely, as long as the estate value doesn't pass a certain threshold. In Alabama, if an estate doesn't have any real property and the value doesn't exceed $25,000, after waiting 30 days, you can use what's known as a summary probate procedure.

Step 1: ? Verify that the estate is eligible. This will include identifying and valuing all of the decedent's property to make sure it falls below the state maximum. ... Step 2 ? Contact all the Heirs. ... Step 3 ? Settle any remaining obligations. ... Step 4 ? Fill out, sign, and file the affidavit form.

Instead of a small estate affidavit, Alabama allows for distribution of small estates through an abbreviated estate process known as summary distribution. To qualify for summary distribution, the estate must meet the criteria of a ?small estate? as defined by the statute.

To file the document, all heirs ? defined as the decedent's spouse and surviving family ? must be identified and notified. One heir, usually known as the ?affiant,? must file the form with the Judge of Probate in the county where the decedent died.