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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.

Assets that Don't Have to Go Through Probate Assets in a trust. If a person created a living trust, the assets in the trust wouldn't have to go through probate. ... Property held in joint tenancy with rights of survivorship. ... Joint accounts. ... Assets with POD or TOD provisions. ... Assets with a beneficiary designation.

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. The petitioner must be an interested person, but doesn't need to be a resident of Massachusetts.

Even if an estate contains probate assets, you might be surprised to learn you may not need to go through a full formal probate. If the value of the decedent's estate is less than $25,000 and does not contain any real property, than a limited version of probate called Voluntary Administration may qualify.

A qualified person with legal priority has the right to be appointed as personal representative of the estate over anyone else. If the decedent died with a will ? The person with legal priority is the person named in the will to serve as personal representative or executor.

Typically, you have to probate the decedent's estate if you need to: Find out if the decedent's will is valid. Change the title (ownership) of real estate or personal property, such as bank accounts, stocks, or bonds, that is only in the decedent's name without any right of survivorship. Pay the decedent's creditors.