Pennsylvania — How Estate Funds Are Distributed to Children After Debts and Taxes Are Paid
Detailed Answer This article explains how a personal representative (executor or administrator) in Pennsylvania completes final distribution of estate funds to the decedent’s children once taxes, creditor claims, and valid estate expenses are paid. It covers the typical steps, legal checkpoints, and practical issues that affect timing and amounts. Who handles the distribution? The person […]
Read article →Pennsylvania: Do administrators have to post a bond for an intestate estate, and can it be waived?
What Pennsylvania law says about administrator bonds and when courts will waive them Detailed Answer When someone dies without a will (intestate) and a court appoints an administrator to manage the estate, Pennsylvania law generally requires a bond (sometimes called a fiduciary bond or administration bond). The bond protects the estate, its creditors, and the […]
Read article →Pennsylvania: Factors Courts Consider When Appointing an Estate Administrator
Detailed Answer This section explains what Pennsylvania courts typically look at when appointing someone to administer a decedent’s estate. The rules combine statutory priorities set by Pennsylvania law and the court’s practical judgment about a person’s fitness and availability. Legal framework Pennsylvania law governs appointment and priority for personal representatives (often called administrators when a […]
Read article →Pennsylvania: Can I Recover Mortgage, Property Tax, and Carrying Costs from Sale Proceeds?
How Pennsylvania law treats contributions for mortgage, property taxes, and carrying costs when dividing sale proceeds Detailed Answer Short answer: sometimes. Whether you can deduct or recover the mortgage, property taxes, insurance, and other carrying costs you paid before or during a sale depends on the legal context (marital divorce, co‑ownership between unrelated parties, estate […]
Read article →Using Estate Sale Proceeds to Pay Junk Removal and Cleanup Costs — Pennsylvania
Detailed Answer If you are administering a Pennsylvania estate and need to remove junk or clean out personal property, the money from estate sales can generally be used to pay reasonable estate administration expenses — including removal, cleanup, and preparing property for sale or distribution. The personal representative (executor or administrator) has a duty to […]
Read article →Pennsylvania: How Probate Handles Unauthorized Charges to a Parent's Estate
Understanding Unauthorized Charges in a Parent’s Estate (Pennsylvania) Short answer: If someone (including a personal representative/executor, family member, or caregiver) makes unauthorized charges to your parent’s estate, Pennsylvania’s probate system provides civil and sometimes criminal ways to challenge those charges. You can demand an accounting, file exceptions or a surcharge action in Orphans’ Court, seek […]
Read article →Pennsylvania: Regaining Control of a Deceased Parent’s Bank and Credit Card Accounts
Disclaimer: This is general information, not legal advice. Consult a licensed Pennsylvania attorney for guidance about your situation. Detailed answer — immediate and legal steps to regain control of a deceased person’s bank and credit card accounts in Pennsylvania When a person dies, their financial accounts do not automatically become available for anyone else to […]
Read article →Pennsylvania: How to Secure and Inventory a Deceased Person’s Home Before You Are Appointed Administrator
Can you secure, inventory, and stop family from removing items before you are appointed administrator? Short answer: Yes — you can take practical, legally careful steps to protect the house and its contents while you move to become the estate’s administrator. The safest route is to document everything, limit access, seek temporary court protection if […]
Read article →How to Be Appointed Administrator of an Intestate Estate in Pennsylvania
Short answer If your dad died without a will in Pennsylvania, you can ask the county Register of Wills (or the Orphans' Court in that county) to appoint a personal representative called an "administrator" to open and handle the estate. The process generally requires filing a petition for letters of administration, proving your relationship to […]
Read article →Pennsylvania — Order of Succession Among Children When There Is No Will
How children succeed to an estate in Pennsylvania when there is no will Short answer: If a person dies without a will in Pennsylvania, surviving children inherit the decedent’s estate in equal shares by right of representation. If a child predeceases the decedent, that child’s own descendants (the decedent’s grandchildren) generally take the deceased child’s […]
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