Source: https://www.provencemesservy.com/sc-probate-lawyer-blog/category/intestate-share
Timestamp: 2019-05-21 09:32:08
Document Index: 147420133

Matched Legal Cases: ['§62', '§62', '§62', '§62', '§62', '§62', '§62', '§62']

What is an “Information to Heirs and Devisees?”
In a previous post, we discussed the Personal Representative’s duty to inform by issuing the Information to Heirs and Devisees. This is a state prescribed form, 305ES. Today, we will look at this form from the recipient’s perspective.
This form is sent to both the heirs and the devisees of the decedent’s estate. The heirs are the decedent’s heirs under the intestacy statute. We discussed South Carolina’s intestacy scheme in previous posts. Devisees are those individuals named in the decedent’s Will. If you have received one of these forms, you fall into one of these groups. Receipt of this form does not guarantee you will inherit from the estate.
In some cases, the heirs and devisees overlap significantly. For example, the deceased may have a surviving spouse and children. Their Will divides the estate between the spouse and children. In this case, all the heirs are also the devisees. If the decedent died intestate, or without a Will, then there will be no devisees, and only the heirs at law will receive the form.
Again, this doesn’t necessarily mean that you will receive anything from the estate. The function of this form is to notify these groups of potential recipients that an estate has been opened and where it has been opened. It also lists the name and contact information for the appointed Personal Representative. Once you receive the form you should consider yourself on notice and take any steps necessary to protect your interest in the estate. This is not the time to “sit and wait” as many actions must be filed within six (6) months from the date the Personal Representative was appointed.
​Ultimately, whether you receive anything from the estate depends not only on the terms of the Will, whether or not you are an heir or devisee, the outcome of any litigation and any creditor’s claims. If you’ve received one of these notices, it’s wise to schedule a consult with an attorney who handles these issues so you can be aware of your rights.
Cindy Besio says:
What does “For Record Only” mean? I’m not as interested in what’s in the will as to who’s in the will. But when we inquired after it today we were told it was not to open for probate. How does that work?
​Thanks for reading Cindy. In South Carolina a will can be filed for the record only which means they are filing the will but not moving forward with the opening and administration of the estate. There are several reasons someone might do this – some of them legitimate and some of them questionable. That being said, a will filed for the record only becomes a document of public record so you should be able to go to the Court and get a copy of the will (at your expense). Reviewing might help you understand both what and who is an interested party in this matter. Please feel free to give us a call at 843-871-9500 to set up a consult with one of our attorneys if you need assistance.
Many people are surprised to learn that South Carolina law actually prohibits your from disinheriting your spouse absent their consent (i.e. a prenuptial agreement). The rights of the spouse to take from the estate will be determined by whether the will was written BEFORE or AFTER the marriage. Here are the two different scenarios.
In the first scenario, the Last Will was executed BEFORE the marriage took place. In this scenario, the law considers you an omitted spouse and presumes that your spouse simply failed to update their will to include you. S.C. Code Section 62-2-301 applies and explains that you are entitled to receive your intestate share in the estate despite what the will might say. Refer to our previous post on intestacy to see what that share would be. It’s important to know that just like most rules, there are exceptions. The omitted spouse rule may not apply if the will appears to have intentionally omitted you or your spouse has otherwise provided for you through other assets.
In the second scenario, the Last Will was executed AFTER the marriage. In this situation, the presumption is that the spouse intentionally left you out of the Last Will. Even if the spouse fully intended to leave their spouse absolutely nothing, S. C. Code Section 62-2-201provides the spouse the ability to claim a one third share of the estate. This share is called an “elective share” as it’s not automatically given to the disinherited spouse, the spouse must elect to receive it.
Here’s an example of how these statutes might both apply to a case. Husband drafts a will prior to his marriage but while engaged to future Wife. In the will he names her as his fiancé and only provides her with a small portion of his estate, leaving the remainder to his children from his first marriage. In this scenario, the Wife should file both an Omitted Spouse Claim (which would entitle her to ½ of the estate) and an Elective Share Claim (which would entitle her to 1/3 of the estate). Should the court hold that Omitted Spouse does not apply because Husband contemplated the marriage at the time the Will was executed, then at the very least she has the right to the Elective Share.
If you are a spouse that has been disinherited, it’s crucial that you contact an attorney immediately. The attorney can give you information on how to file your claim with the court to guarantee you are protected. For example, to secure your elective share, a spouse must file a Petition with the Probate Court and the personal representative within eight months after the date of death or six months after the probate of the Last Will, whichever period last expires. Miss the deadline or fail to file with both parties and you could miss out on your inheritance. Similar time limits apply to omitted spouses. Not understanding how to value the estate’s assets when making your claim, what outside assets may or may not factor in to the estate, and how to properly file your claim could all be costly mistakes!
Olga Decker says:
My husband died two years ago and he signed a will in favor of his half sister leaving half of everything to her (I did not know until a month before his death) now she wants me to sell the house so I can give her the money, the house is in my name and my husband but she has the title, can the judge force me to sell the house? I can have a mortgage from the bank and that’s what I want, please advise me what to do, thanks (we did not have children and I am a senior).
Olga – thanks for commenting. I am unclear how she has the “title.” You can email me privately at Tiffany@ProvenceMesservy.com and provide me with additional information including how the home was titled at the time he passed, if his will left you the remaining 50% of the assets, and how much equity was in the home at the time of his death.
After the 2014 probate laws can my husband leave me $100.00 and I cannot get my elective share
Although there were significant changes in the S.C. Probate Code in 2014, this was not one of them. A spouse is still entitled to 1/3 of the estate with an elective share claim. This claim can be reduced (or offset) by certain outside transfers. The only way a $100 devise would stop an elective share claim is if the entire value of the husband’s estate were only $300.
In South Carolina, you have the right to title assets (this includes real property, bank accounts, car titles and more) in several ways. Today’s post will not detail ALL of the various ways we can hold title, but will discuss two different types of joint ownership and how they can be used to hold property with a spouse. To simplify this concept, we will use in this post the example of a deed to a marital home worth $200,000. Let’s begin with tenancy in common.
Tenancy in common is the legal term for ownership held by two or more people where each owner has an undivided interest in the property. In our example, this means that if Husband and Wife hold their $200,000 home in tenancy in common that each of them is a 50% owner. Under this type of ownership if the Husband dies first, his 50% (roughly $100k of equity) will pass through his estate. If the Husband has done proper estate planning and left a valid Last Will and Testament, chances are that this will not be a problem as he likely leaves his 50% back to Wife so that she ultimately owns 100% of the marital home. If, however, he failed to leave a will, his 50% will be passed through the laws of intestacy (we’ve explained this in a previous post) and Wife will end up sharing the home with other heirs. This can be a disaster if the other heirs are his children from a previous marriage, their children who are still minors, etc. This can also be a nightmare if the Husband dies with significant creditors as they can attack the 50% interest in the home in an attempt to collect on his debt. For these reasons, we commonly suggest to our married estate planning clients that they consider the next form of ownership, Joint Tenancy with Right of Survivorship.
Joint Tenancy with Right of Survivorship is a mouthful, but when understood and used properly it can be a huge benefit to South Carolina residents to protect their assets from creditors, etc. Certain language included in a deed can create a “joint tenancy with a right of survivorship” or JTROS. In this form of ownership, if the Husband dies first, his 50% passes immediately to the remaining owner (i.e. the “survivor” of the tenants takes it all) and it does so without passing through an estate, going through probate, or anything else. It’s “automatic.” Now, there are a list of circumstances beyond the scope of this post where this doesn’t work (more than 2 owners, one joint tenant kills the other, etc.) but for the most part this is a great piece to your estate plan.
Remember that our example used a marital home but these rules can apply to almost any form of property that is titled including cars, bank accounts, retirement accounts and more. Also remember that other factors must be considered when choosing a form of ownership. For example, a couple may choose not to title an asset in one spouse’s name if they have outstanding liens or judgements against them.
Using these forms of ownership is a great estate planning tool in South Carolina. David Causey, an attorney in our office, offers both reduced consults and flat fee deed preparation to help you take advantage of these options. If you’re unsure how your assets are currently titled, its wise to determine that by getting a copy of your deed, contacting your bank, reviewing your car title, etc. Once you know how all of your assets are titled, an estate planner can better assist you in understanding how all of these pieces come together to form a solid estate plan.
One last warning, and it’s a big one, while these are excellent tools to use with your spouse, they can have disastrous outcomes when used with children. We’ll cover that in an upcoming blog post!
​Important Note: Effective January 1, 2014 there were substantial changes in South Carolina’s Probate Code. While we’ve tried to update this blog, please note the date of blog posts and send us an email or call for a consult before relying on information written prior to January 1, 2014. We appreciate your understanding.
I just read an article that discusses Tenants in Common with Rights of Survivorship in SC. I have never heard of this tenancy, so I’m inquiring to see if you have any comments regarding it.
I’m thinking of using this tenancy on our marital home and I hope that it does indeed hold the features expressed in the article.
I apologize for the delay. Some posts were lost while our server was down during Hurricane Matthew. Joint tenancy with rights of survivorship (known as JWROS) can be incredibly useful for a marital home. It protects the home from unsecured creditors and it relatively inexpensive to put in place. David Causey in our office is the “deeds guy” should you need assistance in this area. He also offers free 1 hour estate planning consults that help couples understand how deeds and titles impact their entire estate plan.
Sandra Hatfield says:
​I have read somewhere that one of the joint tenants with rights to survivorship can sever this and add their heirs without the knowledge of the other tenant/owner. I am concerned about this as the person I have purchased the home with is now trying to refi, buy home without my knowledge, and otherwise try and take my interest in the home. Is there a way to sever the JTCWRS without other tenant knowing in the state of SC?
While the majority of estates where there is no will are handled by the first portion of S.C. Code §62-2-103 (covered in an earlier post), there are situations where there are no takers and we must go further to find an heir. A common example is the death of a minor child.
S.C. Code §62-2-103, in relevant part, states the following:
(2) if there is no surviving issue (children or children of children), to his parent or parents equally;
(3) if there is no surviving issue or parent, to the issue of the parents (siblings) or either of them by representation;
(4) if there is no surviving issue, parent or issue of a parent, but the decedent is survived by one or more grandparents or issue of grandparents (aunts/uncles), half of the estate passes to the paternal grandparents if both survive, or to the surviving paternal grandparent, or to the issue of the paternal grandparents(aunts/uncles) if both are deceased, the issue taking equally if they are all of the same degree of kinship to the decedent, but if of unequal degree those of more remote degree take by representation; and the other half passes to the maternal relatives in the same manner; but if there be no surviving grandparent or issue of grandparent on either the paternal or the maternal side, the entire estate passes to the relatives on the other side in the same manner as the half;
In our example of a child fatality, this means that if the parents are living, they would equally share the estate by each receiving 50%. If; however, only one parent was alive, that parent would take the entire 100% of the estate assets. While this rule seems simple, imagine the heartburn it causes for a single parent when the absentee parent suddenly steps in to take his or her share. Since a minor child can’t write a will, this is a common occurrence. Some people dismiss the example assuming that minors rarely own assets; however, anyone with any experience in Probate Court can assure you that some of the largest jury verdicts in personal injury and product liability cases pass to children (or their estates) who are injured or killed due to the fault of someone else. Single parents in this situation should immediately seek legal counsel to determine what, if anything, might be done to prevent the absentee parent from receiving under S.C. Code §62-2-114.
If there are no surviving parents, then the issue (children) of the surviving parents (which would be the siblings of the decedent), would share equally. Under S.C. Code §62-2-107, this would include half-siblings of the decedent as they are receiving through their respective parent. Again, all the siblings would share equally and if there were a sibling who was deceased, his or her share would pass to his or her children by representation. If the sibling had no children, that share would be re-divided amongst the siblings who were taking under this statute.
The next step is as far as we will go in this example as it’s extremely rare and would again only apply if the decedent had no spouse, no children (including grandchildren, great-grandchildren, etc.), no parents, and no siblings or children of siblings (nieces/nephews). In that situation, the next taker would be the grandparents and the estate would be divided equally between the maternal and paternal sides. Aunts and uncles would step in if the grandparent(s) were deceased. Children of aunts/uncles would also be eligible if their parent was deceased.
Although the statute continues, it’s safe to say that the majority of estates without a will are determined in the first few sections. While the statute can be difficult to read, the law of intestacy is actually very straightforward and easily applied once you understand the basic principles. If you have any question as to whether or not you qualify as an heir or what share you will receive, seek a qualified probate attorney to assist you during a consultation.
It’s human nature after the death of someone to be curious as to whether or not you might be an heir to their estate. But, before you quit your day job and rely on living off of an inheritance, you need to know the actual likelihood of you receiving anything at all.
The first question that must be asked is whether or not the decedent had a valid will? If so, that document will control who receives property from his or her estate. Even if you are the next of kin, a valid will can remove your rights to receive and give the property to someone else instead. The only party that has the right to receive, even if disinherited in a will, is the surviving spouse. We will cover that right in a future post on the elective share. If the will leaves you nothing and you are not the surviving spouse, you will only receive if you or another interested party proves the will to be invalid.
If there is no will, property passes to the intestate heirs through the law as determined by the S.C. Code in §62-2-102 and §62-2-103. The statues read as follows:
SECTION 62-2-102. Share of the spouse.
The intestate share of the surviving spouse is:
(1) if there is no surviving issue (children) of the decedent, the entire intestate estate;
(2) if there are surviving issue (children), one-half of the intestate estate.
So, this essentially means that if you were married to the decedent and the decedent had NO children, you will receive 100% of his or her estate. Remember, this does not mean that he/she had no children with YOU, this means the decedent had no children at all, with any person, whether biological or adopted. While this statue clearly establishes the rights of the spouse, the following statute, in relevant part, will be of interest to anyone else.
SECTION 62-2-103. Share of heirs other than surviving spouse.
The part of the intestate estate not passing to the surviving spouse under Section 62-2-102, or the entire estate if there is no surviving spouse, passes as follows:
(1) to the issue (children) of the decedent: if they are all of the same degree of kinship to the decedent they take equally, but if of unequal degree then those of more remote degree take by representation;
Although only a small portion of the statues, this covers the majority of heirs. By combining §62-2-102 and §62-2-103, you can determine your rights as follows:
SURVIVING SPOUSE AND NO CHILDREN – Surviving spouse will take 100% of the assets of the estate. This includes those that have proven themselves to be common law spouses under SC law.
SURVIVING SPOUSE WITH CHILDREN – Surviving spouse will take 50% of the assets of the estate. The remaining 50% will be divided equally among the children of the decedent, regardless of whether or not they are also children of the surviving spouse. So, if there are two (2) children, they would each get 25%. If there were five (5) children, they would each get 10%. Remember that to be considered a child for the purposes of this statute, you must be a child of the decedent by birth or adoption. Step-children of the decedent are not treated as children under this section. Furthermore, illegitimate children may have to prove their paternity to receive.
CHILDREN BUT NO SURVIVING SPOUSE – If there is no surviving spouse, the children of the decedent will share equally in the estate such that if there are two (2) children they would each receive 50% for a combined 100% of the estate assets.
An important point to remember is that only the spouse must survive in order to be an heir. If a child of the decedent passes away, their children will stand in their shoes and receive their share by representation. For example, if decedent has a wife and four adult children, one of whom has passed away but left behind a child, the wife will take 50% of the estate assets, each of the living adult children will take their 12.5% and the child of the deceased child (grandchild to the decedent) will take the 12.5% that belonged to his/her parent.
And lastly, before planning how you will spend your share, remember that you only receive after the debts of the estate have been paid or resolved. In today’s economy, there are many estates which are left with very little to pass down.
​If the decedent had no surviving spouse, children, or children of children (grandchildren), then move on to Am I An Heir – Part II to see if you might still receive.
Tierney hinde says:
How do i find out if im heir to my grandmothers estate as i dont know if she had a will and was told i would recieve estate?
I recently inherited 1.5 acre of land in Mannng SC from my father who just passed away. My aunt who has been paying the taxes for the past twenty five years and whom has been living on the property(she has share ofi t also) has demanded that I pay her the taxes she has paid for the past 25 years. I am 48 years old and had no idea of the land until the reading of the will. My question, am I responsible to paying her back the monies for all twenty five years? She made my uncle pay her with interest and want me to do the same. I am at a loss here. Please help.
Farrah –
There is a lot of information we would need to properly answer this question. How did you inherit the property? When was your father’s estate opened? Did your Aunt file a claim for repayment of the taxes? Were there any agreements between your father and Aunt? Has she enjoyed exclusive use of the property during the entire 25 years? How much are the taxes? In short, she can’t “make you” do anything but she might be able to take legal action to get payment. I would proceed with caution. Many estate attorneys can provide you with a discounted consult to help you better understand your rights but they will need all of this information.
My father passed November, 2016, my stepmother passe May, 2017. Can my stepmother give her daughter, house( which is paid for, they were married 60 yrs.) and all it’s contents, and biological get nothing
We would love to help answer your questions but unfortunately we need additional information.
Did your father have a will? If so, was it probated and who was the Personal Representative?
If your father did not have a will, did someone open his estate to properly pass his property to his heirs?
How was this home titled? We need to know whose name was on it and how it was titled.
If you prefer not to have this information posted on the blog, you can email your reply to Tiffany@ProvenceMesservy.com.