Washington Small Estates: the small estate affidavit
The short answer
Washington calls its simplified route the small estate affidavit, and it is set out in RCW 11.62.010. A surviving spouse or partner's half of shared property doesn't count. All debts must be paid first. You have to wait a set number of days after the death before using it. It does not transfer real estate. A house in the person’s sole name needs the court process instead. The current limit and the date we last read the statute are on the card below.
Washington’s small estate affidavit
Washington sets this out in RCW 11.62.010. A surviving spouse or partner's half of shared property doesn't count. All debts must be paid first. The figure itself, and the date we last read that statute, are on the card below.[1]
Washington
- Procedure:
- small estate affidavit
- Limit:
- $100,000
- Wait:
- 40 days
- Real estate:
- not covered
A surviving spouse or partner's half of shared property doesn't count. All debts must be paid first.
RCW 11.62.010 — official page read September 18, 2026
It does not transfer real estate. A house in the person’s sole name needs the court process instead.[1]
The small estate affidavit is one piece of settling an estate in Washington. 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
Reading this for someone else? You can give it to them.
Creditor claims under RCW 11.40.020, 11.40.051
Above the limit it is a regular Washington probate case. Publishing a notice to creditors is optional here, but doing it starts a shorter clock, which is usually the reason to bother. The window for claims is 4 months after the notice is first published. Without notice, 24 months after the death..[2]
Washington
- Published notice:
- optional
- Claim window:
- 4 months after the notice is first published. Without notice, 24 months after the death.
RCW 11.40.020, 11.40.051 — official page read September 18, 2026
Sources
- RCW 11.62.010 (small estate affidavit) — Washington — official statute or court self-help page. Read September 18, 2026.
- RCW 11.40.020, 11.40.051 (notice to creditors) — Washington — 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.