The administrator is required to collect all estate assets and pay all proper debts, claims, and expenses of administering the estate, including death taxes. The administrator is entitled to a commission for services rendered. The administrator must then distribute the remaining assets to your heirs at law. Generally, spouses receive at least one-half of the estate. Children and other descendants are usually entitled to the remainder of the estate, or the entire estate if there is no surviving spouse.
Parents are next in line and are followed by increasingly more distant relatives.
It is a rare case where property passes by intestacy to the same people that would have been named as beneficiaries in a will. The Martindale-Hubbell Law Directory is the most complete, trusted source for identifying qualified legal counsel. Your access to and use of this website is subject to additional terms and conditions . Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.