Your rights · New York
Wills & estates
New York's Estates, Powers and Trusts Law decides who inherits when there is no will and how a will must be signed; the Surrogate's Court handles estates, with a simpler path for small ones.
Wills, dying without a will, probate and administration, small estates, executors, who inherits.
How to do it
Step-by-step processes: forms, deadlines, fees and where to go.
Questions people ask
A short, straight answer to one question, with the source.
- QuestionWho inherits in New York if someone dies without a will?When someone dies in New York without a will, Estates, Powers and Trusts Law § 4-1.1 decides who inherits, after debts, administration expenses and…
- QuestionWhat makes a will valid in New York?In New York, anyone 18 or older and of sound mind can make a will. It must be in writing and signed at the end by you (or by someone else in your…
- QuestionWhat does an executor have to do in New York?Being named executor in a will doesn't give you power by itself: you first file the will for probate in the Surrogate's Court, which issues 'letters…
The official sources on this topic
Every page here rests on statutes, regulations and government sites. These are the ones that come up most on this topic:
When you need an answer about your own situation
These pages explain the general rules. A first answer about your own situation is free; the full check confirms every legal point against the statute it cites, and a letter is written only on top of it.