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Voluntary administration The decedent must have been a Massachusetts resident. The decedent must have left an estate that consists entirely of personal property valued at $25,000 or less (excluding the value of a car). 30 days or more have passed since the decedent's death.

You can get done with informal probate in a few months, while formal probate can take up to a year or more. The informal probate process is also cheaper than formal probate because there is no need to hire an attorney to represent you.

Letters and probate fees Type of pleadingFiling feeFormal Probate of Will, Adjudication of Intestacy and Appointment of Personal Representative, Petition$375Formal Appointment of Successor Personal Representative, Petition$375Formal Removal of Personal Representative, Petition$100General Petition, Probate$15027 more rows

People often want to avoid probate because it can be very time consuming and expensive with executor's fees, accounting fees, court fees, attorney's fees, appraisal costs, and surety bonds. The probate process can take about 12-18 months. Per Massachusetts law, ?an estate must be probated within three years.?

The Estate Settlement Timeline: In Massachusetts, there is no specific deadline for this, but it is generally advisable to do so within 30 days of the testator's (the person who made the will) death to prevent unnecessary delays.

Closing An Estate. One option to formally close the estate with the Court, after one year following death, is the Petition for Order of Complete Settlement. This petition may include requests to the Court to approve a final accounting, including proposed distributions to be made to the beneficiaries.