What Happens if You Die Without a Will?

    “The responsible thing to do is to make sure you have a will in place before you pass.” I am sure just about every adult in the US has been told that statement. But why is it important to have a will? What happens if you do not have a will executed before your death?

Testate vs Intestate

    If you have spent enough time around attorneys, you have probably heard these terms before. But these terms are not frequently thrown around in common parlance and can be confusing those without the letters “JD” by their name. If a person dies testate, it simply means that a valid will has been executed. Of course, dying intestate—as the prefix would suggest—is the inverse, meaning that the person has died without executing a valid will. Either way, when a person passes the assets and belongings left behind becomes their “estate”. 

Testacy

    An individual who executes a will is called a “testator”. If an individual or testator dies testate, their property will pass according to the provisions set forth in their will. This will allow individuals to preplan and make general and specific devises of their assets to their heirs upon their death. The will, if validly executed, will be recognized by the jurisdiction in which the testator resided before their passing. 

    After the testator has passed away, the executor of the estate—which the testator named in the will—will file the will with the clerk of court. This will begin the legal process of fulfilling the testator’s wishes as set forth in his or her will, called “probate”. 

    During the probate process, the executor will distribute the assets of the estate to the beneficiaries named in the will. They also have fiduciary duties to pay debts of the estate and to provide an accounting of the expenses, income, distribution, and payments of the estate.  

    The defining characteristic of dying testate is having a say in where your property goes, having a trusted individual execute your wishes, and having the ability to protect your heirs. 

Intestacy

    The estate of a decedent who passes away without a will passes through “intestate succession”. Intestate succession is determined by the intestacy statutes of the applicable jurisdiction. The statutes will pass a percentage of the estate to lineal descendants based on their position in the family tree.

     In North Carolina, property that passes through intestate succession goes “per capita at each generation”. This means that the property goes in equal shares to each surviving descendant in the nearest degree of kinship. Depending on the structure of the family tree, the estate can pass to one or two descendants or splinter into many fractional shares. If there are no takers of the decedent’s assets, the property will “escheat” or pass to the state. 

    Upon the passing of the decedent an estate administrator will be named. Just about anyone can apply to be the estate administrator. The administrator will act in a fiduciary capacity and will distribute the property in the estate based on the intestacy statutes. 

    The defining characteristic of intestate succession is that the decedent has no say in who will carry out his or her wishes, has no say in where his or her property goes after their death, and has no ability to insulate their heirs from the possible legal downsides of inheritance. 

What does this mean for you?

            The biggest factor for individuals determining whether to execute a will is whether they want to dictate how their property will pass after they are gone. If you have any desire to have a say in who gets your property after your death, then you should consider creating a will. 

            It is also important to review your will if you have one to make sure it is valid and covers all the property you own. In North Carolina, if you have property that is not covered by your will it will pass through the intestate succession statutes. A common mistake among individuals is thinking that a fillable will, that they print from the internet, will be a sufficient means of passing their property and protecting their heirs. There are legal requirements that are necessary to executing a will and there is no guarantee that a pre-filled form will satisfy those requirements. 

     Lastly, it is important to have a detailed and comprehensive will with provisions that anticipate future events. Here at McIntyre Elder Law, we do our best to put safeguards in place to protect whomever may be taking under the will. That’s why all of our wills include protections for heirs who qualify for means tested benefits from the government. We want to make sure that those heirs can receive their inheritance without it disqualifying them from their benefits. 

In Conclusion

    A will is important because it gives you control over your assets and property and allows you to adequately plan for the future of your loved ones. Not only does it give you the opportunity to plan ahead, it also relieves your loved ones of most of the stress and frustration of settling your affairs after your passing.

    If you are thinking about creating or modifying a will, find a qualified Estate Planning or Elder Law attorney to assist you.