Yes, a notary is required.
Sworn and notarized, as Nolo's summary describes it.
In the source's wording
"After signing the document (and swearing to its truthfulness) and having it notarized"
From the sources listed below, checked November 2026.
What else the signing needs
- Value limit
- Personal property worth $100,000 or less, and no real property, under H.F. 2660 (2026 Iowa Acts ch. 1048, approved April 16, 2026), which raised the limit from $50,000. The Act doesn't state its own effective date, so for a death in 2026 ask the clerk which figure applies. For deaths before January 1, 2025, real property passing to exempt persons as joint tenants with survivorship didn't count against the limit.
"one hundred thousand dollars or less"
- Waiting period
- Forty days after the death.
"if forty days have elapsed since the death of the decedent"
- Where it goes
- The successor gives the holder an affidavit under penalty of perjury. Only when an Iowa estate is open is an affidavit for a deceased distributee filed with the clerk.
"furnish to the holder of the decedent's property an affidavit under penalty of perjury"
- Official form
- No official form. Iowa Code 633.356 prescribes no form; subsection 3 lists what the affidavit, sworn under penalty of perjury, must state.
- Other simplified route
- Small estate administration (Iowa Code chapter 635). As Nolo's summary describes it: for a gross probate estate up to $200,000, a petition to the probate court, an inventory of probate and nonprobate assets, and a closing statement; property is distributed if no one objects within 30 days after the closing statement goes to interested parties.
Next step
Sign by video with our New Jersey notary while you're in Iowa, 7 AM to 9 PM Eastern, seven days a week, by appointment. New Jersey law lets a New Jersey notary notarize for a signer located in another state (N.J.S.A. 52:7-10.10). How Iowa treats it: Iowa gives a notarial act performed in another state the same effect as if an Iowa notarial officer performed it, when a notary public of that state does the act. More on Iowa signers.
Handling an estate from far away? Estate paperwork help near where the estate is.
Iowa Code §9B.20(3) says the county recorder may accept for recording a tangible copy of an electronic record affecting real estate when it carries a notarial certificate. 'May' leaves the choice to the recorder.
Ask the bank, holder or court that will receive the affidavit whether it accepts an electronically notarized one.
Notarize it online ($50 per session) Request a mobile notary in Iowa
Booking sends a request; we confirm the time and the price before you pay.
In person, we look for a notary commissioned in Iowa near you; you approve the price first.
If a local notary in Iowa does it: A reasonable fee; Iowa Code chapter 9B sets no per-act maximum, under the state's fee rules (Iowa notary fees).
Get it notarized online today
Online notary: open now until 9 PM ET · sessions by appointment · times confirmed by email
A New Jersey notary can notarize this with you on a video call, wherever you are in the U.S. $50 for the session, $10 for each extra signer. Any other fee shows in the booking form before you confirm. Open 7 am to 9 pm ET, every day, by appointment.
What you need
- A valid government photo ID
- A computer or phone with a camera
- The unsigned document
Our certificate states the act was performed using communication technology, as New Jersey law requires. What it must say
Most U.S. recipients accept a remotely notarized document; check with whoever will receive it. What to ask them · Several signers
Sources
- Iowa Code 633.356, Distribution of property by affidavit (Iowa Legislature) (checked November 2026)
- 2026 Iowa Acts, chapter 1048 (H.F. 2660), amending Iowa Code 633.356, approved April 16, 2026 (Iowa Legislature) (checked November 2026)
- Nolo (secondary source): Probate Shortcuts in Iowa (Nolo, updated 10/17/2024) (checked November 2026)
Sourced from official pages; a few facts from vetted secondary sources, marked "(secondary source)".
We are not lawyers, and this is general information, not legal advice. Checked November 2026. Rules change, and whoever receives the document decides what it accepts; we can't guarantee acceptance.
Common questions
Is a notary required for a Iowa small estate affidavit?
Yes, a notary is required. Sworn and notarized, as Nolo's summary describes it.
What is the small estate limit in Iowa?
Personal property worth $100,000 or less, and no real property, under H.F. 2660 (2026 Iowa Acts ch. 1048, approved April 16, 2026), which raised the limit from $50,000. The Act doesn't state its own effective date, so for a death in 2026 ask the clerk which figure applies. For deaths before January 1, 2025, real property passing to exempt persons as joint tenants with survivorship didn't count against the limit.
How long after a death can the Iowa affidavit be used?
Forty days after the death.
Is the Iowa affidavit filed with a court?
The successor gives the holder an affidavit under penalty of perjury. Only when an Iowa estate is open is an affidavit for a deceased distributee filed with the clerk.
Can I sign the Iowa affidavit with an online notary?
Our New Jersey notary can notarize it by video while you're in Iowa. Iowa gives a notarial act performed in another state the same effect as if an Iowa notarial officer performed it, when a notary public of that state does the act. Ask the bank, holder or court that will receive it whether it accepts an electronically notarized affidavit.
What does a notary charge in Iowa?
A reasonable fee; Iowa Code chapter 9B sets no per-act maximum, under the state's fee rules. A mobile notary may add a travel fee; ask for the total first.
Keep going
A small estate affidavit in another state: Indiana · Kansas · every state