Maine: Mortgage Payments and Utilities During Probate — What You Need to Know
How mortgage payments and utilities are handled while an estate is in probate in Maine Detailed answer — who pays what and what to do first When someone dies and their property goes through probate in Maine, the obligations tied to the real property (like a mortgage), plus utility accounts (electric, water, gas, internet), do […]
Read article →Maine: How to Decide Which Assets to List on a Small Estate Affidavit
Detailed answer: Which assets to list on a Maine small‑estate affidavit Short answer: Only list assets that are part of the decedent’s probate estate and that the small‑estate procedure in Maine is intended to reach. Do not list property that passes automatically by operation of law (for example, joint tenancy with right of survivorship or […]
Read article →Maine — Do I Need to List Assets That Passed by Right of Survivorship on the Probate Inventory?
Detailed Answer Short answer: Usually no — assets that pass automatically to your mother by right of survivorship (for example, a bank account titled jointly with a right of survivorship, a jointly held home held as a tenancy by the entirety, or an account with a named beneficiary) are not part of the decedent’s probate […]
Read article →Maine: How to Locate a Missing Parent as Next‑of‑Kin During Probate
How to locate a missing parent while handling probate in Maine Short answer: Start by collecting all identifying information you have, search public and government records, use targeted people‑search methods, and follow the Maine probate court’s procedures for providing notice to a missing heir (including service by publication) if you cannot locate your parent. If […]
Read article →How to Determine Whether a Bank Account Qualifies for Maine's $20,000 Small Estate Process
Detailed Answer Short answer: In Maine you determine whether you can use the small‑estate process by totaling the decedent’s probate assets (assets that pass through the estate) as of the date of death. If the total of those probate personal property assets is at or below the Maine small‑estate threshold, you may be able to […]
Read article →How to Use a Small-Estate Affidavit in Maine to Collect a Deceased Parent’s Bank Account
Using a Small-Estate Affidavit in Maine to Collect a Deceased Parent’s Bank Account: What to Know Short answer (FAQ style): In Maine, you may be able to collect funds from a deceased parent’s bank account without full probate by using a small-estate procedure or an affidavit of collection, but whether you can do so depends […]
Read article →Maine: When Must an Estate File a Federal Income Tax Return If No Distributions Were Made?
Short answer: It depends. A federal estate or trust income tax return (Form 1041) is required only if the estate had at least $600 of gross income during the tax year or if the estate has a beneficiary who is a nonresident alien. If the estate earned no reportable income and has no nonresident-alien beneficiaries, […]
Read article →How to Transfer Brokerage Account Assets into an Estate Checking Account in Maine
How to move brokerage account assets into an estate checking account under Maine law Short answer: who can transfer the assets and how depends on how the brokerage account is titled. If the account was jointly held with rights of survivorship or has a named beneficiary (transfer‑on‑death or payable‑on‑death), the broker normally transfers directly to […]
Read article →Maine: How to Sell a Co‑Owned Property to Cover Funeral and Property Tax Expenses
Detailed answer — selling a co-owned property in Maine to cover funeral and property taxes Short answer: First identify how title is held and whether a decedent’s estate must be administered. If all co-owners agree, you can sell by mutual consent and use sale proceeds to pay funeral and tax bills. If co-owners cannot agree, […]
Read article →Maine — Where Will My Dad's House Sale Proceeds Go? FAQ and How to Find Out
How to trace where sale proceeds from a deceased person's house will go in Maine Short answer: The destination of sale proceeds depends on how the house is owned (sole owner, joint owner, trust, or by a transferable instrument), whether the estate goes through probate, and whether any mortgages, liens, taxes, or creditor claims exist. […]
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