Settle a small estate without probate
When someone leaves a modest estate (a bank account, a car, a final paycheck) most states let the next of kin collect it with one sworn form instead of a probate case. Find out in two minutes whether yours does.
Free to check · No account needed · You only pay if you decide to generate the documents
If this sounds familiar
The bank won't release the money. The car is still in their name.
These are the ordinary, maddening problems that follow a death, and the ones a small estate affidavit was written to solve.
“My mother had about $18,000 in her checking account. The bank says they need letters from the court.”
In most states an estate that size is well under the limit. The affidavit is what the bank is actually allowed to accept.
“Dad's truck is still titled to him and I can't sell it or insure it.”
Vehicle title transfer after death has its own form in most states, and often its own separate limit.
“A lawyer quoted me $2,400 to handle an estate worth less than that.”
That quote is normal for a formal proceeding. It's also usually unnecessary at this size.
How it works
Three steps, about fifteen minutes
No legal vocabulary, no blank PDF to decipher, and an honest answer at the first step.
- 1
Check whether you qualify
Your state, the rough value of the estate, and how long it's been. We check that against your state's statutory limit and waiting period and tell you straight away, including when the answer is no.
- 2
Answer plain questions
Who died, who the heirs are, and what's left: accounts, a car, a final paycheck, belongings. No legal vocabulary required. You can stop and come back.
- 3
Get your signed-ready packet
Your state's affidavit filled in, the notarization block it requires, the heir and asset schedules, and a step-by-step guide for each place you'll take it.
What you get
The form is the easy part
Anyone can download a blank state PDF. What people get stuck on is what to do with it once it's signed, so that's most of what we give you.
For the bank
Which branch staff to ask for, what the statute obliges them to do once you present the affidavit, and what to do if the first person says no.
For the DMV
Your state's title-transfer form number, and whether the vehicle counts toward the small-estate limit. Those are the two things people get wrong.
For the employer
How to claim a final paycheck and accrued leave, which most states let a surviving spouse or child collect without any court involvement.
Where we stop
Kinclaim is not a law firm and does not provide legal advice. We provide self-help software and statutory forms. If your situation involves a contested will, more debts than assets, a business interest, or property in another state, our checker will say so and point you to a probate attorney instead of selling you a document.
What it costs
A one-time price, and no surprise at the end
You see the eligibility answer before you pay anything. There's no subscription and nothing to cancel.
Small Estate Affidavit
Covers bank accounts, final wages, a vehicle and personal belongings. That is most estates.
$39
Estate Packet
Adds the affidavit of heirship for when real property or intestate heirs are involved.
$79
A probate attorney, for the same proceeding
Typical range, plus the court’s filing fee. Worth every dollar when the estate is complicated, and rarely necessary when it isn’t.
$1,000+
Your state
Every state does this differently
The dollar limit, the waiting period, whether a house can pass, whether you file with a court at all. All of it changes at the state line. Pick yours to see the rules and the statute they come from.
Find out where you stand in two minutes
You’ll get a clear yes, no, or not-yet, with the statute it came from, before you’re asked for anything.