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Pa Estate Administration – Intro
Pa Estate Settlement (known as Pa Estate Administration) is the process of settling a decedent’s affairs.
When a loved one passes away, it can be an emotional time. In addition to grieving their passing, those that survive them must tie up all the legal and financial loose ends related to their life and estate. This includes addressing their Pa Last Will and following its instructions.
The first step of the Pa Estate Administration requires the named Pa Executor to apply for Pa Probate. Pa Probate grants the Pa Executor the legal right to be able to administer the Pa Estate.
Pa Estate Administration – Probate
In United States law and terminology, “probate” refers to proving that a will is valid. In many U.S. states, a person would petition the court for probate, and then add the will that is to be considered to their petition. Once probate is approved by the court, the petitioner officially becomes the executor and then has full legal rights to be able to deal with the deceased individual’s estate.
The Pa Executor must then have the Pa Estate valued in order to determine if any Pa Estate Tax and/or Pa Inheritance Tax is owed upon its proceeds.
If any taxes are due, the amount owed must then be paid by the Pa Executor of the Pa Estate before any other monies are distributed to the departed person’s beneficiaries. The Pa Beneficiaries may eventually have to file Pa Inheritance tax returns as well.
Pa Estate Administration – Next Steps
Most executors have never probated a will; many are surprised to learn the decedent’s will named them as the responsible party. I provide indispensable service for executors who have no prior experience in the probate court on matters that include:
- Filing the will with the Pennsylvania probate court
- Developing the best strategy for expeditiously settling the estate
- Finding and assembling assets
- Pay creditors and claimants
- Collecting amounts owed the estate
- Closing and opening bank accounts
- Transferring assets from the deceased to the estate
- Paying current and delinquent taxes as well as estate taxes
- Valuing, managing, preserving and liquidating the estate
- Locating beneficiaries
- Hiring experts, when appropriate
Executors can easily make mistakes due to inexperience, stress and hasty decisions. This can be costly, as executors can be held personally liable for beneficiaries’ losses. I guide executors through every step of the probate process, with reliable, detailed advice, so you can settle the testator’s estate as efficiently, quickly and easily as possible.
Even in apparently straightforward estate cases, there are sometimes disputes between disappointed beneficiaries and the will’s executor. When representing executors, I strive for the utmost professionalism in negotiations and in the courtroom. Whether the issue is a will challenge or an accusation of mismanagement of estate assets, I advocate vigorously for the testator’s estate and the executor.
Pa Estate Administration – Inheritance Tax
An “inheritance” refers to what a beneficiary receives from the estate of a relative who has passed on and included them in their will. The Pa Inheritance Tax is the tax that is paid to the government on the money that has been inherited. In the United States, not everyone must pay inheritance tax; an estate must be worth a certain amount before a tax payment is required. In addition to federal inheritance taxes, state taxes are required in some states. Inheritance tax returns must be filed as well.