2023 Illinois Compiled Statutes › Chapter 755 - ESTATES › 755 ILCS 5/ - Probate Act of 1975. › Article XXV - Small Estates

(755 ILCS 5/Art. XXV heading)
ARTICLE XXV
SMALL ESTATES
(755 ILCS 5/25-1) (from Ch. 110 1/2, par. 25-1)
Sec. 25-1. Payment or delivery of small estate of decedent upon
affidavit.
(a) When any person, corporation, or financial institution (1) indebted to or holding
personal estate of a decedent, (2) controlling the right of access to
decedent's safe deposit box or (3) acting as registrar or transfer agent
of any evidence of interest, indebtedness, property or right is
furnished with a small estate affidavit in substantially the
form hereinafter set forth, that person, corporation, or financial institution shall pay the
indebtedness, grant access to the safe deposit box, deliver the personal
estate or transfer or issue the evidence of interest, indebtedness,
property or right to persons and in the manner specified in 
the affidavit or to an agent appointed as hereinafter set forth.
(b)        Small Estate Affidavit
I,        (name of affiant)    , on oath state:
1.  (a) My post office address is:                       ;
(b) My residence address is:                     ; and
(c) I understand that, if I am an out-of-state resident, I submit myself
to the jurisdiction of Illinois courts for all matters related to the preparation
and use of this affidavit.  My agent for service of process in Illinois is:
NAME..........................
ADDRESS.......................
CITY..........................
TELEPHONE (IF ANY)............
I understand that if no person is named above as my agent for service or,
if for any reason, service on the named person cannot be effectuated, the
clerk of the circuit court of ......(County) (Judicial Circuit) Illinois
is recognized by Illinois law as my agent for service of process.
2. The decedent's name is            ;
3. The date of the decedent's death was            , and I have
attached a copy of the death certificate hereto.
4. The decedent's place of residence immediately before his
death was            ;
5. No letters of office are now outstanding on the decedent's estate and
no petition for letters is contemplated or pending in Illinois or in any
other jurisdiction, to my knowledge;
6. The gross value of the decedent's entire personal estate, including
the value of all property passing to any party either by intestacy  or
under a will, does not exceed $100,000.  (Here, list each asset, e.g., cash,
stock, and its fair market value.);
7. (a) All of the decedent's funeral expenses and other debts have been paid,
or
(b) All of the decedent's known unpaid debts are listed and classified as follows (include the name, post office address, and amount):
Class 1: funeral and burial expenses, which include     reasonable amounts paid for a burial space, crypt, or niche; a marker on the burial space; and care of the burial space, crypt, or niche; expenses of administration; and statutory custodial claims as follows:
..........................................................
Class 2:  the surviving spouse's award or child's award,     if applicable, as follows:
..........................................................
Class 3:  debts due the United States, as follows:
..........................................................
Class 4:  money due employees of the decedent of not more     than $800 for each claimant for services rendered within 4 months prior to the decedent's death and expenses attending the last illness, as follows:
..........................................................
Class 5:  money and property received or held in trust by     the decedent which cannot be identified or traced, as follows:
..........................................................
Class 6:  debts due the State of Illinois and any county,     township, city, town, village, or school district located within Illinois, as follows:
..........................................................
Class 7:  all other claims, as follows:
..........................................................
(Strike either 7(a) or 7(b)).
7.5. I understand that all valid claims against the decedent's estate described in paragraph 7 must be paid by me from the decedent's estate before any distribution is made to any heir or legatee.  I further understand that the decedent's estate should pay all claims in the order set forth above, and if the decedent's estate is insufficient to pay the claims in any one class, the claims in that class shall be paid pro rata.
8. There is no known unpaid claimant or contested claim against the
decedent, except as stated in paragraph 7.
9. (a) The names and places of residence of any surviving spouse, minor
children and adult dependent* children of the decedent are as follows:
Name and
Place of
Age of
Relationship
Residence
minor child
*(Note: An adult dependent child is one who is unable to maintain himself
and is likely to become a public charge.)
(b) The award allowable to the surviving spouse of a decedent who was
an Illinois resident is $..........
($20,000, plus $10,000 multiplied by the number of minor children and adult
dependent children who resided with the surviving spouse at the time of the
decedent's death.  If any such child did not reside with the surviving
spouse at the time of the decedent's death, so indicate).
(c) If there is no surviving spouse, the award allowable to the minor
children and adult dependent children of a decedent who was an Illinois
resident is $.......... ($20,000, plus $10,000
multiplied by the number of minor children and adult dependent children),
to be divided among them in equal shares.
10. (a) The decedent left no will.  The names, places of residence and
relationships of the decedent's heirs, and the portion of the estate to
which each heir is entitled under the law where decedent died intestate
are as follows:
Name, relationship
Age of
Portion of
and place of residence
minor
Estate
OR
(b) The decedent left a will, which has been filed with the clerk of
an appropriate court.  A certified copy of the will on file is attached.
To the best of my knowledge and belief the will on file is the decedent's
last will and was signed by the decedent and the attesting witnesses as
required by law and would be admittable to probate.  The names and places
of residence of the legatees and the portion of the estate, if any, to
which each legatee is entitled are as follows:
Name, relationship
Age of
Portion of
and place of residence
minor
Estate
(Strike either 10(a) or 10(b)).
(c) Affiant is unaware of any dispute or potential conflict as to the
heirship or will of the decedent.
10.3. My relationship to the decedent or the decedent's estate is as follows:.
10.5. (The following paragraph should appear in bold type and in not less than 14-point font):
I understand that the decedent's estate must be     distributed first to satisfy claims against the decedent's estate as set forth in paragraph 7.5 of this affidavit before any distribution is made to any heir or legatee.  By signing this affidavit, I agree to indemnify and hold harmless all creditors of the decedent's estate, the decedent's heirs and legatees, and other persons, corporations, or financial institutions relying upon this affidavit who incur any loss because of reliance on this affidavit, up to the amount lost because of any act or omission by me.  I further understand that any person, corporation, or financial institution recovering under this indemnification provision shall be entitled to reasonable attorney's fees and the expenses of recovery.
11. After payment by me from the decedent's estate of  all debts and expenses listed in paragraph 7, any remaining property described in paragraph 6 of this affidavit should be
distributed as follows:
Name
Specific sum or property to be distributed
The foregoing statement is made under the penalties of perjury*.
.........................
Signature of Affiant     
Signed and sworn before me on (insert date).
.........................Notary Public *(Note: A fraudulent statement made under the penalties of perjury is
perjury, as defined in Section 32-2 of the Criminal Code of 2012.)
(c) Appointment of Agent.  If safe deposit access is involved or if sale
of any personal property is desirable to facilitate distribution pursuant
to the small estate affidavit, the affiant under the small estate affidavit may in writing appoint one or more persons as the affiant's agent for that
purpose. The agent shall have power, without court approval, to gain access
to, sell, and distribute the property in the manner specified in paragraphs 7.5 and 11 of the affidavit; and the payment, delivery, transfer,
access or issuance shall be made or granted to or on the order of the agent. The affiant may appoint himself or herself as the designated representative to exercise the powers and perform the duties of an agent described in this subsection (c).
(d) Reliance and Release. Any person, corporation, or financial institution who acts in good faith reliance on a copy of a document purporting to be a small estate affidavit that is substantially in compliance with subsection (b) of this Section shall be fully protected and released upon  payment, delivery, transfer, access or issuance
pursuant to such a document to the same extent as if the payment, delivery, transfer, access
or issuance had been made or granted to the representative of the estate.
Such person, corporation, or financial institution is not required to see to the application or
disposition of the property; but each person to whom a payment, delivery,
transfer, access or issuance is made or given is answerable therefor to any
person having a prior right and is accountable to any representative of the
estate.
(e) Distributions pursuant to an affidavit substantially in the form set forth in subsection (b) of this Section may be made to the affiant, if so specified in paragraph 11, notwithstanding the disclosure of known unpaid debts. The affiant, acting on behalf of the decedent's estate, is obligated to pay all valid claims against the decedent's estate before any distribution is made to any heir or legatee. The affiant signing the small estate affidavit prepared pursuant to
subsection (b) of this Section shall indemnify and hold harmless all creditors,
 heirs, and legatees of the decedent and other persons, corporations, or financial institutions relying upon the affidavit who
incur loss because of such reliance.  That indemnification shall only be
up to the amount lost because of the act or omission of the affiant.  Any
person, corporation, or financial institution recovering under this subsection (e) shall be entitled to reasonable
attorney's fees and the expenses of recovery.
(f) The affiant of a small estate affidavit who is a non-resident of
Illinois submits himself or herself to the jurisdiction of Illinois courts
for all matters related to the preparation or use of the affidavit.  The
affidavit shall provide the name, address, and phone number of a person
whom the affiant names as his agent for service of process.  If no such
person is named or if, for any reason, service on the named person cannot
be effectuated, the clerk of the circuit court of the county or judicial
circuit of which the decedent was a resident at the time of his death shall
be the agent for service of process.
(g) Any action properly taken under this Section, as amended by Public Act 93-877, on or after August 6, 2004 (the effective date of Public Act 93-877) is valid regardless of the date of death of the decedent.
(h)  The changes made by this amendatory Act of the 96th General Assembly apply to a decedent whose date of death is on or after the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 96th

General Assembly.
(i) The changes made by this amendatory Act of the 98th General Assembly apply to a decedent whose date of death is on or after the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 98th

General Assembly.
(Source: P.A. 97-1150, eff. 1-25-13; 98-836, eff. 1-1-15.)
(755 ILCS 5/25-2) (from Ch. 110 1/2, par. 25-2)
Sec. 25-2. 
		
		When appointment of representative of ward unnecessary.)
Upon receiving an affidavit that the personal estate of a ward does not
exceed $10,000 in value, that no representative has been
appointed for
his estate and that the affiant is a parent or a person standing in loco
parentis to the minor or is the spouse of the ward or, if there is no
spouse of the ward, that affiant is a relative having the responsibility
of the support of the person under legal disability
or ward, any person or corporation
indebted to or holding personal estate of the ward may pay the amount of
the indebtedness or deliver the personal estate to the affiant.  In the
same manner and upon like proof, any person or corporation having the
responsibility for the issuance or transfer of stocks, bonds or other
personal estate may issue or transfer the stocks, bonds or other
personal estate to or in the name of the affiant.  Upon the payment,
delivery, transfer or issuance pursuant to the affidavit, the person or
corporation is released to the same extent as if the payment, delivery,
transfer or issuance had been made to the legally qualified
representative of the ward and is not required to see to the application
or disposition of the property.
(Source: P.A. 90-307, eff. 8-1-97.)
(755 ILCS 5/25-3) (from Ch. 110 1/2, par. 25-3)
Sec. 25-3. 
		
		Recovery upon refusal to pay or deliver.)  If a person
or corporation to whom an affidavit under Section 25-1 or Section 25-2
is delivered refuses to pay, deliver, transfer or issue the personal estate as
provided by this Article, it may be recovered in a civil action by
or on behalf of the person entitled to receive it upon proof of the
facts required to be stated in the affidavit.  For the purpose of the
action the affidavit is prima facie proof of the facts stated therein.
(Source: P.A. 79-328.)
(755 ILCS 5/25-4) (from Ch. 110 1/2, par. 25-4)
Sec. 25-4. Sale of small real estate interest of ward.   If the
interest of a ward in any parcel of real estate does not exceed $2,500
in value and a private sale thereof can be made for cash, the interest
may be sold as provided in this Section instead of as prescribed elsewhere
in this Act.  The representative of the estate of the ward may file
a petition setting forth:  (a) the description of the real estate, the interest
of the ward therein and the value of the interest sought to be sold; (b)
the name and post office address of the ward; (c) a private sale of the
ward's interest can be made for cash; and (d) it is for the
best interests of the ward that his interest in the real estate be sold.
Upon the filing of the petition the court
shall set it for hearing not less than 20 days thereafter.  Not less
than 15 days before the date of hearing of the petition, the clerk of the court
shall mail a notice of the time and place of the hearing to the ward.  No
guardian ad litem need be appointed for the ward unless the court finds
it necessary for the ward's protection.  If on the hearing the court finds that
the ward's interest in the real estate to be sold
does not exceed $2,500 in value, a private sale of the ward's interest can
be made for cash and it is for the best interests of the ward that the
sale be made, the court shall direct the petitioner to sell the
ward's interest at private sale for cash for such price as the court determines
and upon receipt of the purchase price to execute and deliver a deed to the
purchaser.  The court shall require the representative to furnish a bond conditioned
upon his disposing of the proceeds of sale in the manner required by law, and with
or without sureties and in such amount as the court directs; and
it is the duty of the representative to file the bond in and have it approved
by the court.
(Source: P.A. 102-72, eff. 1-1-22.)