Newly grieving
My parent just passed. What do I do first?
Step-by-step first 72 hours — death certificates, locating the will, securing the home, who to notify.
Read the guideAmerica's most complete free probate resource
Someone passed away.
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We've helped thousands of families navigate probate — from filing the first court form to selling the inherited home. Everything here is free. No paywall. No pressure. No signup required.
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Updated June 2026
Attorney-reviewed content
51
State guides
All 50 states + DC
3,100+
County court pages
Every county, free
1,200+
Probate forms
Plain-English explanations
160+
Bank guides
Death notification guides
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Cost to access everything on this site
Whatever brought you here
We understand your exact situation
Scroll to find yours — we have a complete guide for every scenario.
Named as executor
I'm the executor and I have no idea where to start.
Free 90-day executor checklist, state-specific guide, court forms, and cost calculator.
Get the free checklistInherited property
We inherited a house. Should we sell it or keep it?
Property value estimator, carrying cost calculator, probate sale guide, and cash offer option.
Explore your optionsFamily conflict
My siblings and I can't agree on what to do with the house.
Partition action explained, heir buyout calculator, mediation options, and what courts can order.
Understand your rightsNeed money now
Probate is taking forever. I need my inheritance now.
Inheritance advance options, cash offer on the property, what determines how long probate takes.
See your optionsManaging accounts
I need to close my parent's bank accounts and investments.
Step-by-step death notification guides for 160+ banks, brokerages, and insurance companies.
Find your bankCourt filing
I need to file probate papers but don't know which forms.
1,200+ forms organized by state with plain-English explanations, official links, and filing instructions.
Find my formsExecutor misconduct
I think the executor is mishandling the estate. What can I do?
Executor misconduct explained, how to demand an accounting, petition to remove an executor.
Know your rightsTax questions
Will I owe taxes on the inheritance or when I sell the home?
Stepped-up basis rule, capital gains on inherited property, estate vs inheritance tax explained.
Read the tax guideDigital assets
My parent had crypto, online accounts, and digital assets.
How to access and transfer cryptocurrency, email, social accounts, and domain names after death.
Digital asset guideEverything in one place
The complete free probate resource
Everything other sites charge for. Everything competitors leave behind paywalls. All free, all here.
50-state probate guides
Deep, free, publicly-indexed guides for all 50 states plus DC. Small estate thresholds, timelines, court filing fees, step-by-step processes, forms, and real estate rules. No paywall — SwiftProbate charges $39 for what we give free.
51 state guides + 3,100+ county pages
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Selling a probate home
The only site that connects probate education directly to real estate action. Get a property value estimate, understand your selling options, compare cash offer vs agent listing, and connect to a verified cash buyer — all in one place.
15 real estate guides + cash offer
Explore
Probate forms — all 50 states
1,200+ probate forms organized by state with plain-English explanations, official download links, and filing instructions. We explain what each form is for, who signs it, where to file it, and how much it costs.
1,200+ forms across 51 jurisdictions
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Bank & institution guides
Step-by-step death notification guides for 160+ banks, brokerages, life insurance companies, and government agencies. Each guide lists the estate phone number, required documents, processing timeline, and insider tips.
160+ institution guides
Find your bank
Find a probate attorney
Searchable directory of probate attorneys filtered by state, county, fee type (flat fee vs hourly), and specialty. Each profile includes verified reviews, contact information, and a direct lead form. Attorney city pages for 500+ US cities.
500+ city pages + national directory
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Free tools & calculators
Probate cost calculator, probate timeline generator, property value estimator, heir buyout calculator, small estate threshold checker, and the estate complexity quiz. All interactive, all free, no account needed.
7 free interactive tools
Open tools
All 50 states + DC
Find your state's
probate guide
Every state has different rules, timelines, costs, and courts. Select your state for the complete free guide — updated for 2026.
View all 51 state guides →How it works
From overwhelmed to
organized — in minutes
1
Tell us your situation
Take the 9-question estate quiz (2 minutes). We identify your estate complexity, which state's rules apply, and what's most urgent for your specific situation.
2
Get your personalized plan
Enter your email and receive a custom blueprint — your state's full guide, a prioritized checklist, estimated timeline, and cost breakdown. All tailored to your situation. All free.
3
Access every resource you need
State guides, probate forms, bank notification guides, attorney directory, and free downloadable tools — all organized and linked so you can move through the process step by step.
4
Get help where you need it
Complex estate? Connect to a vetted probate attorney. Inherited property to sell? Get a cash offer in 24 hours or find a certified probate real estate agent. We handle the handoff.
Verified reviews
Families we've helped
4.9
847 verified reviews · Google, Trustpilot & direct
★★★★★
My mother passed in February and I had no idea where to begin. The California probate guide answered every single question I had. I didn't need to hire anyone for the first three months — and when I did finally get an attorney, he said my paperwork was already in better shape than most of his clients.
SM
Sandra M.
California probate
★★★★★
I was searching "can siblings force a sale" at 2am and found this site. The partition action guide is more thorough than what my attorney explained. We're a family of four heirs who couldn't agree on anything — this guide helped us understand what the court would actually do and we finally reached a buyout agreement.
JR
James R.
Heir dispute · Texas
★★★★★
The cash offer process was completely seamless. My father left a house that needed significant work, and we couldn't wait 12–18 months for a traditional probate sale. Got an offer within 24 hours, closed in three weeks. The estate was settled months ahead of schedule.
DL
Diane L.
Cash sale · Florida
★★★★★
The executor checklist PDF is worth its weight in gold. I was completely overwhelmed but the phase-by-phase breakdown made it manageable. I printed it out and literally checked off each item. My attorney was impressed when I showed up at our first meeting already organized.
KT
Kevin T.
Executor · Illinois
★★★★★
I had no idea about the stepped-up basis rule until I read this site. We almost sold the inherited house using the original purchase price from 1987. Understanding that the basis resets to the date-of-death value saved my family over $40,000 in capital gains taxes. I can't believe this information is completely free.
MP
Maria P.
Tax savings · Arizona
★★★★★
The Chase bank estate guide had the exact phone number, the documents needed, and what to say to the estate specialist. What took me 3 weeks of runaround the first time I called took 45 minutes with this guide in front of me. Every family going through this needs these bank guides.
BW
Barbara W.
Bank notification · Washington
Inherited property to sell?
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Probate properties often sit vacant for 12–18 months while the estate works through court. Every month costs the estate in taxes, insurance, and maintenance. We can make you a no-obligation cash offer and close in as little as 14 days.
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Free downloads
Guides, checklists & templates
Professional-quality resources that other sites charge $39–$175 for. All free. All downloadable. No credit card, no signup required.
Free PDF
Executor guide
The Executor's 90-Day Master Checklist
Phase-by-phase breakdown of every task, form, and deadline. Includes state-specific variations.
Free Excel
Template
Estate Inventory Template (Excel)
Organized by asset type — real estate, financials, vehicles, personal property, digital assets.
Free PDF
Heir guide
Heir's Guide to Selling a Probate Property
Cash vs listing, court confirmation, timeline, taxes, and step-by-step for first-time sellers.
Interactive
Quiz + personalized plan
Estate Complexity Quiz → Custom Blueprint
9 questions. Personalized action plan emailed to you. Free forever.
Find a probate attorney
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probate attorney
Search by state and county. Filter by fee type, specialty, and language. Every listed attorney is verified and reviewed.
Common questions
Probate FAQs
The most commonly asked probate questions — answered in plain English, without legal jargon.
See all 75 questions →
How long does probate take?
Probate timelines vary significantly by state. Simple estates in Texas with independent administration can close in 3–6 months. California typically takes 12–18 months due to mandatory court hearings. Florida runs 6–12 months on average. The biggest variables are whether the estate has real estate, whether there's a will, whether heirs disagree, and how backlogged your county's probate court is. See our state guides for specific timelines.
Can I sell the house while probate is still open?
Yes, in most cases. An executor with "full authority" (like California's IAEA or Texas's independent administration) can list and sell the property without returning to court for approval. Without full authority, you typically need court confirmation of the sale — which adds 6–10 weeks and opens the sale to public overbidding. A cash buyer can often close faster because they don't need mortgage approval, and some states don't require court confirmation for cash sales below certain thresholds.
Do I need a probate attorney?
It depends on the estate's complexity and your state's rules. Some states (Arkansas, Illinois, Mississippi, South Dakota) require an attorney for formal probate. Others like Texas and Colorado allow executors to represent themselves. Generally: small estates using affidavit procedures rarely need an attorney; simple estates with a clear will and cooperative heirs often don't; contested wills, multi-state properties, large estates, or family disputes almost always benefit from one. Take our estate quiz to get a personalized recommendation.
Can siblings force the sale of an inherited house?
Yes — through a legal action called a partition lawsuit. Any co-owner of a property can file for partition, which asks the court to either physically divide the property (rare with a house) or order a "partition by sale" — forcing a sale and splitting the proceeds. Courts almost always order a sale for residential property. The process takes 6–18 months and costs $5,000–$30,000+ in legal fees. The better alternative in most cases is a buyout — one sibling pays the others for their share. Use our heir buyout calculator to see what that would cost.
What is the small estate affidavit and do I qualify?
A small estate affidavit is a simplified procedure that lets heirs claim a deceased person's assets without going through full probate. Every state has its own threshold — Wyoming is the most generous at $400,000; New Hampshire is the most restrictive at $10,000. If the gross estate value falls below your state's threshold, you may be able to collect bank accounts, transfer vehicles, and even real property (in some states) with just a signed affidavit and a waiting period (usually 30–45 days after death). Use our small estate checker tool to see if you qualify.
Will I owe taxes when I sell the inherited property?
Possibly, but far less than most heirs expect — thanks to the "stepped-up basis" rule. When you inherit property, your cost basis is reset to the fair market value on the date of death, not the original purchase price. So if your parent bought a home for $80,000 in 1990 and it was worth $450,000 when they died, your basis is $450,000 — not $80,000. If you sell it for $460,000, you only owe capital gains on $10,000. This single rule saves many families tens of thousands of dollars. Inheritance itself is not taxed at the federal level; only 6 states have an inheritance tax.
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