Headline findings
- 49 of 51 jurisdictions have a confirmed dollar limit for collecting a small estate by affidavit or a simplified process; Maine and New Hampshire do not have one in the data.
- Limits run from $15,000 (Georgia and Rhode Island) to $400,000 (Wyoming), with a median of $50,000.
- 17 allow $100,000 or more, and 7 set $25,000 or less.
- 32 have a confirmed waiting period after the death: 30 days is the most common (21), and the range is 10 to 60 days. For the other 19 it is not confirmed.
- Where the paperwork goes: in 23 jurisdictions it is filed with a court, in 23 it goes straight to whoever holds the property (a bank, for example), and in 2 to a state or county office. 3 are not confirmed.
- Real estate: 14 rule the shortcut out when the person owned real estate in their name alone, 9 let it be used but not to transfer real estate, 4 count real estate toward the limit and 2 have a separate procedure for it. 22 do not state it.
- 6 limits took effect in 2025 or 2026 according to the data: Delaware ($50,000, June 11, 2026), Michigan ($53,000, January 1, 2026), Illinois ($150,000, August 15, 2025), Wyoming ($400,000, July 1, 2025), California ($208,850, April 1, 2025) and Alabama ($37,075, March 1, 2025). 5 jurisdictions set a higher amount for a surviving spouse (Maryland, Nevada, New Jersey, North Carolina and Ohio).
Every number above is counted from the data when this page loads, so it always matches the tables and the CSV.
Charts
The numbers in tables
| Limit | Jurisdictions | States |
|---|---|---|
| Up to $25,000 | 7 | GA, RI, NJ, NC, MA, NV, SC |
| $25,001 to $50,000 | 18 | KY, OH, AL, CT, DC, MO, VT, AK, DE, IA, MD, NM, NY, OK, PA, TN, WV, WI |
| $50,001 to $100,000 | 17 | MI, KS, MN, MS, TX, VA, CO, AR, HI, ID, IN, MT, NE, ND, SD, UT, WA |
| $100,001 to $200,000 | 4 | FL, IL, AZ, LA |
| Over $200,000 | 3 | CA, OR, WY |
| State | Limit | Wait after death | Real estate | Source | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wyoming | $400,000 | 30 days | Own procedure | wyocourts.gov | November 2026 |
| Oregon | $275,000 | 30 days | Counted | courts.oregon.gov | November 2026 |
| California | $208,850 | 40 days | Not transferred | courts.ca.gov | November 2026 |
| Arizona | $200,000 | 30 days | Own procedure | azleg.gov | November 2026 |
| Louisiana | $200,000 | Not confirmed | Counted | legis.la.gov | November 2026 |
| Florida | $150,000 | Not confirmed | Not stated | flsenate.gov | November 2026 |
| Illinois | $150,000 | Not confirmed | Not transferred | my.ilga.gov | November 2026 |
| Arkansas | $100,000 | 45 days | Not stated | arcourts.gov | November 2026 |
| Hawaii | $100,000 | Not confirmed | Not transferred | data.capitol.hawaii.gov | November 2026 |
| Idaho | $100,000 | 30 days | Not stated | legislature.idaho.gov | November 2026 |
| Alabama | $37,075 | Not confirmed | Not stated | probate.mobilecountyal.gov | November 2026 |
| Ohio | $35,000 | Not confirmed | Not stated | codes.ohio.gov | November 2026 |
| Kentucky | $30,000 | Not confirmed | Not stated | apps.legislature.ky.gov | November 2026 |
| Massachusetts | $25,000 | 30 days | Rules it out | mass.gov | November 2026 |
| Nevada | $25,000 | 40 days | Rules it out | selfhelp.nvcourts.gov | November 2026 |
| South Carolina | $25,000 | 30 days | Rules it out | greenvillecounty.org | November 2026 |
| New Jersey | $20,000 | Not confirmed | Not stated | pub.njleg.gov | November 2026 |
| North Carolina | $20,000 | 30 days | Not stated | ncleg.gov | November 2026 |
| Georgia | $15,000 | Not confirmed | Not stated | gaprobate.gov | November 2026 |
| Rhode Island | $15,000 | 30 days | Rules it out | webserver.rilegislature.gov | November 2026 |
No confirmed dollar limit
- Maine: limit not confirmed; official page: legislature.maine.gov
- New Hampshire: limit not confirmed; official page: courts.nh.gov
How we gathered this
Every figure comes from the site's small estate data (data/small-estate, one file per state and DC, published as the small estate open dataset). Each file was built from the state's statute site and court self-help pages, and lists them as sources; the sources were checked in November 2026. A limit or waiting period that those pages didn't state, or whose current inflation-adjusted figure wasn't published, is "Not confirmed" here and in the CSV.
The limit is the general one for collecting personal property by affidavit or a simplified (summary) procedure; some states also set a higher amount for a surviving spouse, shown separately, and some leave vehicles or certain accounts out of the count (see each state's page). "2027" in the title means these are the figures on record going into 2027; where the data records a scheduled change, the state's page gives it with its date.
Facts come from official government pages as they read on the checked date, and each row of the CSV names its source. Anything the sources didn't state shows as "Not confirmed", never as a guess. This report counts rules; it doesn't predict changes or judge them. It is general information, not legal or tax advice. We are not lawyers, and MCC Solutions is not a law firm; confirm a rule with the state before relying on it.
Cite this report
Free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 with credit to MCC Solutions and a link to this page. When quoting one state, please also link the official source in its row.
Common questions
What is the median small estate limit?
$50,000 across the 49 jurisdictions with a confirmed limit, as checked November 2026.
Which state has the highest small estate limit?
Wyoming, at $400,000. The lowest is $15,000 (Georgia and Rhode Island).
How long do heirs usually wait?
30 days after the death in 21 jurisdictions. 19 are not confirmed.
Full tables and related pages
- Small estate affidavit rules by state (full table)
- Executor and estate paperwork by state
- Will witness requirements by state
- Mobile and online notary service from MCC Solutions
- Kit: Small Estate Affidavit Organizer