Submitted by bobtwill on Tue, 11/17/2009 - 09:26
My mother passed away recently with no will and very few assets. Her house is already in my name and she had a car worth about $3,000 and personal belongings worth about $4,500. Can you explain how I can do an expedited probate in MA. I'm not sure if that's what it's called and also heard someone call it voluntary administration. Thank you.
Read Similar Questions
- father passed away, no will?
- Streamlined Probate for Small Estates in MA
- Starting informal probate administration in MA
- Estate is now in probate - should I remove any belongings from the home?
- will and probate
- Undue influence
- voluntary administrator
- The Probate Process in Massachusetts
- Administration With Without Sureties
- friend died, his executer died before him, i'm trying to help settle his estate
Recent Posts about Massachusetts Laws
| Forum | Last post |
|---|---|
|
I dropped my car off for repairs at a MA mechanic in my town. He had to keep the car for a couple of days to ....
Sorry about the charges, but I think the mechanic is following the law....
|
2/4/2012 07:03 by WinnD |
|
Hi, there. I'm hoping to find some clarity with a landlord situation I'm currently in. Apologies for the lengt....
Short answer for a long question: You need to review Massachuset....
|
2/4/2012 00:02 by klp |
|
This could be posted in another forum as it relates to an estate, but the question really is specific to the d....
|
2/3/2012 09:35 by dcollins166 |
|
If I witness a person getting beat up at a party and just run away without calling the cops or helping the guy....
I don't think so. In terms of civil liability (as opposed to cri....
|
2/3/2012 07:17 by Coller |
|
My father passed away in September. The probate is over and settled, no contests to the will. My mother is the....
Your dad died in September and the probate is already settled – ....
|
2/2/2012 18:50 by JGraul |
|
I work for a small human services company in central mass as an outreach counselor, and have been employed for....
|
2/2/2012 11:41 by medic25 |
|
Hi. My cousin is charged with possession with intent to distribute drugs in a Massachusetts court. He is not a....
Unfortunately for your cousin, if an immigrant is convicted of certain....
|
2/2/2012 08:07 by Sister6 |
|
I just got served been divorced since 1999 ex is looking for more support and college expenses, divorce decree....
Hi. Since any matters in the divorce order or agreement relating to th....
|
2/1/2012 19:16 by customsporty |
|
I recently found out my parents (70 and 69) have not signed up for Mass Health, nor do they have any other hea....
Try starting at the MA Office of Health and Human Services. Good....
|
2/1/2012 12:02 by Str8755 |
|
Just curious if you have any thoughts or have read any information regarding the success rate of divorce media....
Yes, I've also seen the 90% estimate on various websites, with some me....
|
1/24/2012 11:47 by RRM |
|
Several of my colleagues will dictate consultation notes in which they state they don't have the complete hist....
The question probably boils down to whether or not such practice is wi....
|
10/2/2011 18:37 by Anonymous |
Editor's Response
Yes, you are talking about a Voluntary Administration, which is in fact an expedited probate process allowed my Massachusetts law. In cases where there is no will and a probate estate of less than $15,000 in value, this streamlined process allows a relative of the decedent to administer an estate in a fast and efficient manner. Here are some key requirements.
1) The value of the probate estate must be less than $15,000 (the value of one car can be excluded from this amount).
2) The assets in the estate can only be personal property.
3) The applicant must either be the surviving spouse, child, grandchild, sister, brother, parent, niece, nephew, aunt, or uncle of the decedent.
4) The applicant must wait at least thirty days after the death to file the Statement of Voluntary Administration and must also file a certified copy of the death certificate.
5) The decedent must have been an inhabitant of Massachusetts.
Check with your local probate court about filing fees (typically $135). Many of the probate courts have the forms online. For additional information about the "voluntary informal administration of small estates," check out Massachusetts general laws Chapter 195, Section 16. For more information about estate planning in general, visit our MA Estate Planning Discussion Forum. Good luck.
Update
For this and other questions dealing with probate in Massachusetts, readers should be aware that Massachusetts has adopted the Uniform Probate Code. The above question may be answered differently under the new law.