In the Commonwealth of Virginia, only “interested parties” can contest a last will and testament. An interested party is any individual that has standing to challenge the estate and is usually someone who is entitled to receive property under the…
We’ve all heard the term probate - that a will “has to go through probate.” But, what exactly does the term mean, what is involved once probate begins, and how does it affect beneficiaries of a will? Probate is the…
When a person dies, a legal process takes place (in most cases) which includes the following: It will be determined whether the will of the deceased person is valid; The assets of the deceased will be identified and inventoried; Any…
Contrary to popular belief, not everything owned by a deceased person is required to go through probate. Generally speaking, those assets which are titled in the decedent’s name only are subject to Virginia probate. These assets could include vehicles, real estate, a home, investments and bank accounts. If the decedent’s name is the only name on the title of any of these assets, only a probate court can change the name on the title to a legitimate beneficiary. There are, however, certain assets which will not go through probate, including the following:
You may have wondered whether it is truly worth the effort to avoid the probate process which settles and distributes property according to the terms of a will. Probate is governed by state laws, and falls under the jurisdiction of probate court in the state the decedent lived in at the time of his or her death. Personal property, as well as real estate which is located in the state of residence, falls under the probate process and is overseen by the court. There are certain non-probate assets which pass outside of a will, including property owned jointly with right of survivorship. This would occur when a husband and wife had a joint bank account and one of them died. In such an instance, all rights to the bank account transfer to the surviving spouse with no need to go through probate. Life insurance and retirement benefits which pass to beneficiaries outside a will are also considered non-probate assets.
While many people have heard from others that it is a good idea to avoid probate court whenever possible, they may or may not know why they should avoid probate court, as well as how. There are two primary problems associated with probate court. First and foremost, probate can tie the decedent’s property up for months, sometimes as long as a year or more. Probate is expensive; in some states the fees associated with probate can take as much as 5 percent of the value of the estate. Probate essentially involves tons of legal forms, keeping track of all filing deadlines and other procedural technicalities. The executor as well as the attorney will receive fees from the estate, and there can be other costs such as appraiser’s fees and court costs. Given the issues associated with probate, it makes more sense in most cases to attempt to avoid probate completely. This can be done through reducing the amount of property which will be subject to probate, primarily through preparation of a living trust.
While Virginia probate is somewhat simpler and less expensive than many other states, it does require publication of the will and can lead to substantial delays in getting your assets to your beneficiaries. The basic rule of thumb with probate is that only assets which are solely owned by you (titled in your name only) must go through the probate process. The process of probate will include:
When you decided to make a plan for your estate, you likely prepared a Last Will and Testament, and figured your job was done. Although having a will is better than not having a will, you may not be aware…