Maryland Small Estates: the small estate administration
The short answer
Maryland calls its simplified route the small estate administration, and it is set out in Md. Code, Est. & Trusts §§ 5-601, 5-602. This is a court petition, not an affidavit. The limit is $100,000 when the surviving spouse is the only heir. Maryland 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.
Maryland’s small estate administration
Maryland sets this out in Md. Code, Est. & Trusts §§ 5-601, 5-602. This is a court petition, not an affidavit. The limit is $100,000 when the surviving spouse is the only heir. The figure itself, and the date we last read that statute, are on the card below.[1]
Maryland
- Procedure:
- small estate administration
- Limit:
- $50,000
- Wait:
- none stated
- Real estate:
- covered
This is a court petition, not an affidavit. The limit is $100,000 when the surviving spouse is the only heir.
Md. Code, Est. & Trusts §§ 5-601, 5-602 — 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 small estate administration is one piece of settling an estate in Maryland. 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 Md. Code, Est. & Trusts §§ 7-103, 8-103
Above the limit it is a regular Maryland probate case, and whoever the court appoints has to publish a notice to creditors in a local newspaper. The window for claims is the earlier of 6 months after the death, or 2 months after a creditor is mailed notice.. Paying anyone out before that window closes can leave the person who paid personally liable.[2]
Maryland
- Published notice:
- required
- Claim window:
- the earlier of 6 months after the death, or 2 months after a creditor is mailed notice.
Md. Code, Est. & Trusts §§ 7-103, 8-103 — official page read September 18, 2026
Sources
- Md. Code, Est. & Trusts §§ 5-601, 5-602 (small estate administration) — Maryland — official statute or court self-help page. Read September 18, 2026.
- Md. Code, Est. & Trusts §§ 7-103, 8-103 (notice to creditors) — Maryland — 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.