Florida Small Estates: the summary administration
The short answer
Florida calls its simplified route the summary administration, and it is set out in Fla. Stat. § 735.201. This is a court process. The limit applies to deaths on or after July 1, 2026; it was $75,000 before that. It is also available at any value if the death was more than 2 years ago. A protected homestead doesn't count. Florida sets no waiting period for it. It can also cover real estate, which is unusual and worth knowing before you assume a house means full probate. The current limit and the date we last read the statute are on the card below.
Florida’s summary administration
Florida sets this out in Fla. Stat. § 735.201. This is a court process. The limit applies to deaths on or after July 1, 2026; it was $75,000 before that. It is also available at any value if the death was more than 2 years ago. A protected homestead doesn't count. The figure itself, and the date we last read that statute, are on the card below.[1]
Florida
- Procedure:
- summary administration
- Limit:
- $150,000
- Wait:
- none stated
- Real estate:
- covered
This is a court process. The limit applies to deaths on or after July 1, 2026; it was $75,000 before that. It is also available at any value if the death was more than 2 years ago. A protected homestead doesn't count.
Fla. Stat. § 735.201 — official page read September 18, 2026
It can also cover real estate, which is unusual and worth knowing before you assume a house means full probate.[1]
The summary administration is one piece of settling an estate in Florida. Answer a few questions and Go Forward builds the rest of the list for your situation — the notifications, the accounts, the paperwork — in the order it needs doing.
Build my plan →Steps this page connects to: Check whether probate is required · Order certified death certificates · List what the estate holds
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Creditor claims under Fla. Stat. §§ 733.2121, 733.702, 733.710
Above the limit it is a regular Florida probate case, and whoever the court appoints has to publish a notice to creditors in a local newspaper. The window for claims is the later of 3 months after the notice is first published, or 30 days after a known creditor is served. All claims are cut off 2 years after the death.. Paying anyone out before that window closes can leave the person who paid personally liable.[2]
Florida
- Published notice:
- required
- Claim window:
- the later of 3 months after the notice is first published, or 30 days after a known creditor is served. All claims are cut off 2 years after the death.
Fla. Stat. §§ 733.2121, 733.702, 733.710 — official page read September 18, 2026
Sources
- Fla. Stat. § 735.201 (summary administration) — Florida — official statute or court self-help page. Read September 18, 2026.
- Fla. Stat. §§ 733.2121, 733.702, 733.710 (notice to creditors) — Florida — official statute or court self-help page. Read September 18, 2026.
Each state above links to the statute or court page we read, with the date we read it.
How we source and review these pages, and how to tell us about a mistake: our editorial policy.