Ratify Electronically Sign Small Estate Affidavit For Free

An Illinois small estate affidavit provides a streamlined way for an heir to gather and distribute the assets of a person who died, provided that the estate does not exceed $100,000. This form allows an heir to collect the personal property of the decedent without going to court.

Deliberately altering or destroying a will, or failing to file it within 30 days after the death of the testator, is considered a Class 3 felony under Illinois law. All original wills which are admitted to probate shall remain in the custody of the clerk, unless otherwise ordered by the court.

Cost Of The Small Estate Affidavit Procedure The clerk's filing fee for this procedure is usually about $475 in Texas. That is generally the only court expense.

Hiring a lawyer to prepare a Small Estate Affidavit is not required, and many courts publish do-it-yourself SEA forms for use in a specific county. For example, you can find county-specific SEA forms on the following sites: Small Estate Affidavit (Bexar County)

Though the affiant is not legally required to have a lawyer, it is wise for the affiant to hire one. It may seem wasteful to hire a lawyer when an estate is small, but many of the same rules that govern the full blown Illinois probate process apply to the affidavit.

To use a small estate affidavit, all of the following must be true: The total amount of property in the estate is worth $100,000 or less; The person who died did not own any real estate , or they owned real estate that went to someone else when they died. ... A court has not given out any letters of office.

Since the affidavit does not need to be filed with the court, there are no filing or court fees. The only cost is likely to be paying to have signatures notarized. However, a notary's services typically cost $20 or less. Illinois lays out the requirements of a small estate affidavit on its legislative website.