The free checker

Which door does this estate go through?

Where, and whenThe state where they lived

Probate follows the state where the person lived — not where the property sits, and not where you live.

Date of death

The limit that applies is the one in force on the date of death — several states raised theirs recently, and the checker uses the date, not today's number.

What they owned

Everything in their name alone — money, belongings, and vehicles too

Bank and investment accounts, cash, valuables — roughly, in dollars. You can refine the count later; the verdict shows its math.

Of that, what passes automatically?

Accounts with a named beneficiary, joint accounts, payable-on-death or transfer-on-death accounts, trust assets. These never count toward the limit — the checker subtracts them first.

Of that total, how much is cars and vehicles?

Some states keep registered vehicles out of the count entirely and transfer them by their own lane. The checker knows which.

A house or land in their name alone

Only what a court would count: a house in joint names, or with a recorded transfer-on-death deed, passes on its own — enter 0 for those.

The situation

There is no will

There is a will

It matters more than families expect: a few states built their affidavit as a no-will tool, and one — Texas — moves wills to a different shortcut entirely.

The debts look covered by what they left

The debts may be more than what they left

If the debts may exceed the estate, a court has to referee the creditors — no checker will send you to an affidavit there.

I am the husband or wife, and everything passes to me

Several states give a surviving spouse a larger limit or a track of their own. Check this only if it is exactly true.

Your answers never leave this page — no account, no email, nothing stored.

How the verdict is decided

The checker works the way the statute works — in this order:

Net first. Assets with a named beneficiary, joint ownership, or a transfer-on-death deed never enter the count. What remains is the probate estate the limit actually applies to.
The date sets the number. Limits are judged by the law in force on the date of death. Illinois was $100,000 before August 15, 2025 and $150,000 after; Arizona jumped in September 2025. A chart that shows one number for all deaths is wrong for someone.
The house is its own question. In some states it rides inside the affidavit; in others it has its own track; in others it forces court by itself. The verdict treats it separately, the way the law does.
The will and the debts can move the door. Texas's affidavit is a no-will tool; an estate that cannot pay its debts belongs to a court's claims process everywhere.

Every verdict prints its deciding facts, its statute, and its checking date. Close to the line — within about ten percent — the verdict says so and tells you to count twice before signing anything.

Read how each state file is verified →

Which door does this estate go through?

The Small Estate Kit — $39

How the verdict is decided