Handling Mortgage Payments and Utilities During Probate in North Dakota
Detailed Answer Short answer: In North Dakota, the personal representative (executor or administrator) of the estate is generally responsible for protecting estate property and paying the estate’s necessary expenses during probate, including mortgage payments, property taxes, insurance, and utilities — but how those bills get paid depends on whether the estate has cash, the terms […]
Read article →North Dakota — What to List on a Small Estate Affidavit: Assets to Include, Zeros, and Blanks
Deciding Which Assets to List on a North Dakota Small Estate Affidavit Short answer: List assets that were owned solely by the decedent at death and that would otherwise need probate administration. Do not leave required fields blank. For items that are not subject to probate (jointly owned property, accounts with named beneficiaries, trust property, […]
Read article →North Dakota: How to Locate a Missing Parent as Next-of-Kin During Probate
Detailed Answer When someone dies and a parent is missing, the probate process can stall until the court locates that parent or approves an alternative notice or appointment. This guide explains practical steps you can take as a next-of-kin in North Dakota to locate a missing parent and what the court expects before it will […]
Read article →North Dakota — Do Survivorship Assets Belong on a Probate Inventory?
Detailed Answer Short answer: In North Dakota, assets that transfer automatically at death by right of survivorship (for example, joint tenancy with right of survivorship or a properly designated pay‑on‑death/transfer‑on‑death beneficiary) generally pass outside probate and are not part of the decedent’s probate estate. They usually do not need to be listed on the probate […]
Read article →How to Verify a Bank Account Is Under $20,000 for North Dakota Small‑Estate Process
How to confirm a bank account is under the $20,000 small‑estate limit in North Dakota Detailed answer — step‑by‑step If you want to use North Dakota’s small‑estate process, you need to know whether the decedent’s property that is subject to administration (the assets that actually become part of the estate) falls at or below the […]
Read article →Using a Small‑Estate Affidavit in North Dakota to Claim a Deceased Parent’s Bank Account
Frequently Asked Question How can I use a small‑estate affidavit in North Dakota to claim my father’s bank account after he died? Short answer North Dakota allows a simplified affidavit procedure to collect certain personal property of a decedent without formal probate. To use it for a deceased parent’s bank account you must confirm the […]
Read article →Federal Estate and Fiduciary Tax Filing Rules — North Dakota
Short answer If the decedent’s estate had no post‑death income and no taxable events, you generally do not need to file a federal fiduciary income tax return (Form 1041) even if you made no distributions. However, separate federal filing obligations can still apply: the decedent’s final individual return (Form 1040) may be required for the […]
Read article →North Dakota — Transferring Brokerage Assets into an Estate Checking Account
Transferring Brokerage Assets into an Estate Bank Account: A North Dakota FAQ-style Guide Short answer: Whether and how brokerage assets can be moved into an estate checking account depends on how the brokerage account is titled, whether a beneficiary or transfer-on-death (TOD) designation exists, and whether the estate is being administered through probate. In many […]
Read article →North Dakota: How to Sell a Co-Owned Property to Cover Funeral and Property Tax Expenses
Detailed Answer Short answer: In North Dakota you generally have three routes to convert a co-owned property into cash to pay funeral and property tax expenses: (1) reach a voluntary buyout or sale agreement with the other co-owner(s); (2) have the decedent’s personal representative sell the estate’s share during probate with court approval; or (3) […]
Read article →Who Receives the Sale Proceeds from a Parent’s House in North Dakota?
Find Out Where the Sale Proceeds from a Parent’s House Will Go (North Dakota) Short answer: The money from the sale will be applied first to any liens and closing costs, then to valid funeral, medical, and other creditor claims and taxes, and finally distributed to whoever is entitled under the title to the property […]
Read article →