Pennsylvania probate code · checked October 2026
Pennsylvania has no general affidavit for estates. Its shortcut is a court track — Petition for Settlement of a Small Estate (20 Pa.C.S. § 3102) — with its own ceiling of $50,000. Pennsylvania's petition expressly ignores the house for its test: ownership of real estate of ANY value does not restrict distribution of the personal property under § 3102 (the real estate itself passes by its own means). Pennsylvania sets no waiting period for its affidavit.
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The paper: Petition for settlement of a small estate under 20 Pa.C.S. 3102 (Pa. O.C. Rule 5.50; filed with the Orphans' Court / Register of Wills - no statewide affidavit form).
How it moves: filed with the court — a court paper, not an envelope.
The wait: no statutory waiting period.
For a surviving spouse: No higher spousal cap; the separate family exemption (20 Pa.C.S. 3121, $3,500 for spouse/household children/parents) counts toward the $50,000 cap when claimed as personal property under 3102.
| Track | Limit | How it works |
|---|---|---|
| Petition for Settlement of a Small Estate (20 Pa.C.S. § 3102) | $50,000 | The § 3102 petition (Pa. O.C. Rule 5.50) is filed with the Orphans' Court / Register of Wills: gross personal property of $50,000 or less, exclusive of real estate and of amounts payable under § 3101 — and including personal property claimed as the family exemption (§ 3121, $3,500). The court directs distribution on the notice it orders, and a decree may be revoked within one year if the distribution was improper. |
A vehicle is personal property counted toward the $50,000 gross cap and is distributed by the court's decree; there is no separate vehicle exclusion.
Section 3102 sets no solvency or insolvency test; the court directs distribution on such notice as it orders, and a decree may be revoked within one year if distribution was improper.
Rules checked October 2026 · Sources: 20 Pa.C.S. 3102; 20 Pa.C.S. 3101; 20 Pa.C.S. 3121; Pa. O.C. Rule 5.50. This page reads the published law; it is not legal advice, and the court is the final word.