Q&A

Who is appointed administrator if there is no will?

Who is appointed administrator if there is no will?

If the survivor doesn’t name someone, then the court moves on to the children, then the parents, and on down the list. Courts do not, by the way, automatically appoint the oldest sibling as administrator. All children of a deceased person on are an equal footing. Some states don’t go into nearly so much detail.

Who is the executor when there is no will?

When there’s no will, there’s no named executor. An executor is a person designated by the testator to carry out the terms of the will. When a person dies intestate, the probate court designates an executor, such as the surviving spouse or adult children.

Who is appointed to deal with the estate of a deceased person?

If the deceased person left an invalid will or no will at all, the person who deals with the deceased person’s estate is called an ‘administrator’. An administrator may be appointed by the court before they can deal with the deceased person’s estate.

Who is appointed by probate court if there is no will?

That person will be called the administrator or the personal representative, depending on the custom in your state. It’s up to the probate court to appoint an administrator if one is needed. But how does the court, without guidance from a will, choose someone? The answer is found in state law.

If the survivor doesn’t name someone, then the court moves on to the children, then the parents, and on down the list. Courts do not, by the way, automatically appoint the oldest sibling as administrator. All children of a deceased person on are an equal footing. Some states don’t go into nearly so much detail.

When there’s no will, there’s no named executor. An executor is a person designated by the testator to carry out the terms of the will. When a person dies intestate, the probate court designates an executor, such as the surviving spouse or adult children.

That person will be called the administrator or the personal representative, depending on the custom in your state. It’s up to the probate court to appoint an administrator if one is needed. But how does the court, without guidance from a will, choose someone? The answer is found in state law.

What happens if a spouse dies without a will?

The estate of the spouse who died testate will pass according to the terms of the will, while the estate of the spouse who died without a will would pass according to the intestacy statutes. Does the state automatically start the process on distributing the assets if there is not will?