Do You Need Legal Help Regarding a Virginia Probate or Estate & Trust Issue To Protect Your Family's Assets? If you need legal assistance regarding a family estate you need to speak with an experienced Virginia probate, estate and trust administration attorney as soon as possible.
There is no requirement to probate a Will and qualify as an Executor. However, you may not secrete or purposefully hide a Will. In determining whether to probate a Will and qualify as a Personal Representative, you should consider the title, value and nature of the assets.
Steps You Can Take to Avoid or Reduce Probate in Virginia Consult a Virginia Trusts and Estates Lawyer. Create a Revocable Living Trust. Add Beneficiaries to Appropriate Accounts. Transfer or Payable on Death Accounts. Joint Tenancy With Right of Survivorship. Transferring Property Before Your Death. No-Contest Clause.
Again, it's critical to consult with an experienced probate attorney who can clarify legal statutes and recommend the best path forward based on your unique circumstances. Most of the time, you will be required to go through the probate process in Virginia. However, there are exceptions to this rule.
Common non-probate assets include: Life insurance proceeds or pension benefits payable to a named beneficiary. Assets such as a home owned with someone else in joint tenancy or tenancy by the entirety. Assets with a listed beneficiary outside of the deceased person's will such as an IRA or payable-on-death bank account.
A person can expect for the probate process in Virginia to take anywhere from six months up to a year or more. Generally, there is a creditor period, so an estate cannot be completely distributed and closed prior to the expiration of the six-month period.
In Virginia, an estate will need to be probated when a person dies with property valued at more than $50,000. So, to avoid probate, you must either have a very small estate or take steps to ensure that your assets transfer automatically to beneficiaries.
In general, following the death of a decedent, a Personal Representative needs to contact the Probate Division of the Circuit Court Clerk's office in the county or city where the decedent (i) had a known place of residence; (ii) if no known place of residence, then where he or she owned real estate; or (iii) if no real ...
The state probate tax is 10 cents per $100 of the estate value at the time of death. The local probate tax is 3.33 cents (1/3 of 10 cents) per $100 of the estate value at the time of death.
What's Included in A Small Estate Affidavit? Provide the name of the person who died and the date of the death. State that the value of the assets in the estate is less than $50,000. State that at least 60 days have passed since the death. State that no application to appoint a personal representative has been granted.