Once signed and notarized, the affidavits must be filed with the probate court in the county where the property is physically located. A certified copy of the death certificate and a copy of the will, if any, must be attached to each affidavit, along with title documents for real estate and other large assets.
The account holder only needs to notify their bank of who the beneficiary should be. The bank, on its end, will give the account owner a beneficiary designation form to fill out. The completed form gives the bank authorization to convert the account to a POD.
To file your probate paperwork in Pima County, you will need to go to the Superior Court. Pima County's Superior Court is located here. All probate documents can be submitted on the first floor of the courthouse with the probate clerk.
Opening Probate While some states allow up to six years to probate an estate, the state of Arizona will only accept probate cases that are opened within two years of the decedent's passing (ARS 14-3108).
In Arizona, probate is always required for wills and assets that aren't in a trust or included in a transfer-on-death deed. Probate is also required for large estates consisting of personal property valued at over $75,000 and real estate property valued at over $100,000.
Certain non-probate assets, such as specific bank accounts and life insurance benefits, can be transferred directly to beneficiaries, bypassing the court procedures altogether. For example, funds from a deceased person's bank account can often be released to a named beneficiary without needing to go through probate.