Yes, a notary is required.
Sign and notarize the form where indicated.
What else the signing needs
- Value limit
- Personal property and cash accounts worth $25,000 or less net of liens. It can't be used to distribute real estate; titled property such as cars and boats counts.
"Personal Property and/or Cash accounts are valued at $25,000 or less."
- Waiting period
- At least 30 days after the death (the brochure also says 31 days in one place; ask the court).
"Has been deceased for at least 30 days"
- Where it goes
- Filed with the county probate court, which issues an order.
- Official form
- Form 420ES, Affidavit for Collection of Personal Property. A statewide probate court form; the county brochure explains it. Open the official form
Next step
Sign by video with our New Jersey notary while you're in South Carolina, 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 South Carolina treats it: The state says a notarial certificate made in another jurisdiction is sufficient in the state when it meets the law of the place where it was made. More on South Carolina signers.
Ask the bank, holder or court that will receive the affidavit whether it accepts an electronically notarized one.
Book an online notarization Request a mobile notary in South Carolina
In person, we look for a notary commissioned in South Carolina near you; you approve the price first.
If a local notary in the state does it: Acknowledgment, jurat or signature witnessing, per signature, $5; Oath or affirmation without a signature, per person, $5, under the state's fee rules (South Carolina notary fees).
Official sources
- Greenville County Probate Court: Small estate proceedings brochure (Form 420ES) (checked November 2026)
- Lexington County Probate Court: Estate administration (checked November 2026)
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 South Carolina small estate affidavit?
Yes, a notary is required. Sign and notarize the form where indicated.
What is the small estate limit in South Carolina?
Personal property and cash accounts worth $25,000 or less net of liens. It can't be used to distribute real estate; titled property such as cars and boats counts.
How long after a death can the South Carolina affidavit be used?
At least 30 days after the death (the brochure also says 31 days in one place; ask the court).
Is the South Carolina affidavit filed with a court?
Filed with the county probate court, which issues an order.
Can I sign the South Carolina affidavit with an online notary?
Our New Jersey notary can notarize it by video while you're in the state. The state says a notarial certificate made in another jurisdiction is sufficient in the state when it meets the law of the place where it was made. Ask the bank, holder or court that will receive it whether it accepts an electronically notarized affidavit.
What does a notary charge in South Carolina?
$5 per signature for an acknowledgment, jurat or signature witnessing, 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: Rhode Island · Tennessee · every state