Sometimes an estate doesn’t have a lot of money. Sometimes so little that you don’t even want to open a probate estate. Only question is, how can you avoid opening a probate estate and still retrieve the money? We’ll go over a particular process in the State of Michigan known as “Affidavit of Decedent’s Successor for Delivery of Certain Assets Owned by Decedent.”
This nifty one-page form will allow you to gain access to money that belonged to the decedent, under a certain threshold– all without having to go through the probate process. An added bonus to this form is that it can often be done without the assistance of an attorney. All you’ll need to do is fill out the form and follow the steps. Let’s go over a little bit of this form, which can be found by following this link. Darren Findling of The Probate Pro explains how to fill out the form.
In the form you’ll need to write down the name of the decedent who has the money which you are claiming. Next, you’ll need to inform of your relationship to the decedent. You could be a spouse, adult child or a different kind of heir. If it’s something other than spouse or child, you will need to specify. You could also be a devisee under the will, which you would need to provide a date of the written will. On top of that, you could be a fiduciary or representative of an individual who is an heir or devisee, but is legally deemed incapacitated.
Once you’ve identified your relationship to the decedent, you’ll need to write down where the decedent passed away and when. Then, you’ll need inform what property you are entitled to payment or delivery of. If there are other people entitled to the share of property, you’ll need to write down the name and address of the person, as well as their relationship and share percentage. Finally, you’ll need a copy of the death certificate. One last thing to know is that a false affidavit can potentially result in being charged with perjury.
If you have any more questions on small probate which you don’t want to open an probate estate for, give The Probate Pro a call today at (877) YOUR-FIRM.
