Rotate Legal Alabama Small Estates Forms For Free

Maximum estate value: The maximum amount for a 2021 small estate is $30,608. Note: This number increases annually with inflation. Personal property: Personal property does not count toward the maximum dollar amount to qualify.

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.

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.

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.

To reopen an estate for subsequent administration, the interested party, often the Personal Representative must petition the probate court to reopen the estate. The probate court may re-appoint the same Personal Representative or another personal representative to administer the subsequently opened estate.

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.