VOLUNTARY ADMINISTRATION or SMALL ESTATE PROCEEDING may be used when a fiduciary is needed to transfer estate assets (personal property only) and the value of the assets does not exceed $50,000, exclusive of property set off under EPTL 5-3.1.
This includes the probate of wills ( testate) and the administration of estates (intestate), small estates, ancillary proceedings, disputed claims, discovery proceedings, accountings, compromise and settlement of wrongful death actions, guardianships of the person and property of an infant and SCPA Article 17A ...
By signing a waiver of process consent to probate form, you are essentially letting the court know that you have no issues with the will and you are waiving/forfeiting your right to challenge the will and the appointment of the nominated executor.
Only an estate valued over $50,000 must be probated when there is a will. The court has a “small estate proceeding” when the estate is below $50,000.
THE THRESHOLD FOR PROBATE IN NEW YORK In New York, if the estate has assets valued at $50,000 or more, probate may be required. This threshold is set by the Surrogate's Court in New York and applies to all assets held solely in the decedent's name.
Preliminary Letters of Testamentary are similar court orders that are issued when the executor has proven that they need access to estate assets immediately.
New York Estate Tax Exemption The New York estate tax threshold is $7.16 million in 2025 and $6.94 million in 2024. That number will keep going up annually with inflation. This means that if a person's estate is worth less than $7.16 million and they die in 2024, the estate owes nothing to the state of New York.
The decedent's property may be facing foreclosure, or a deadline for filing a claim on the estate's behalf may be approaching. In situations requiring immediate action to protect important estate interests, a prospective executor can seek preliminary or temporary letters testamentary.
Letters testamentary are granted to an individual if they have been named executor in the decedent's will. Letters of administration, however, are given to an administrator appointed by the probate court if the decedent died intestate, or without a valid will. Both documents grant the same powers to the holder.