Montana Order Closing the Estate

Under Montana statute, where as estate is valued at less than $50,000, an interested party may, thirty (30) days after the death of the decedent, issue a small estate affidavit to to demand payment on any debts owed to the decedent.

If you are unmarried and die without a valid will and last testament in Montana, then your entire estate goes to any surviving children in equal shares, or grandchildren if you don't have any surviving children. If you die intestate unmarried and with no children, then by law, your parents inherit your entire estate.

Joint tenancy with right of survivorship. Property owned in joint tenancy automatically passes, without probate, to the surviving owner(s) when one owner dies. Tenancy by the entirety. Community property with right of survivorship.

Write a Living Trust. The most straightforward way to avoid probate is simply to create a living trust. Name Beneficiaries on Your Retirement and Bank Accounts. For some, a last will is often a better fit than a trust because it is a more straightforward estate planning document. Hold Property Jointly.

Small estate administration is a simplified court procedure that is an alternative to the longer probate process. It is available when the person who dies did not own that much in assets. There is often a limit to the value of the property, such as $25,000 or $100,000.

In Montana, you can make a living trust to avoid probate for virtually any asset you ownreal estate, bank accounts, vehicles, and so on. You need to create a trust document (it's similar to a will), naming someone to take over as trustee after your death (called a successor trustee).

Retirement accountsIRAs or 401(k)s, for examplefor which a beneficiary was named. Life insurance proceeds (unless the estate is named as beneficiary, which is rare) Property held in a living trust. Funds in a payable-on-death (POD) bank account.