Do I have to put my father’s estate through probate?

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Do I have to put my father’s estate through probate?

I am the executor of my father’s estate, per the terms of his Will. He has a small bank account about $2000 and a life insurance policy. He had no other property. The bank account and insurance is literally all there is. From what I have found, the life insurance policy is not considered part of the estate so the only thing to be settled is the bank account, which will probably be gone by the time we pay his final hospital expenses. Do I have to go through the probate?

process for this.

Asked on June 14, 2018 under Estate Planning, Michigan

Answers:

M.D., Member, California and New York Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney

Answered 5 years ago | Contributor

First of all, you are correct about the life insurance proceeds not being part of the estate. As for the bank account, there is something known  as "smll estate" procedure. It is faster and cheaper than a more formal probate. Here is a link to a site that will explain further:
https://michiganlegalhelp.org/self-help-tools/end-of-life-planning/overview-of-small-estate-processes


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