Probate in Bristol County

Probate Court Record

Bristol County Probate and Family Court

Bristol County

Hours

Monday-Friday 8:30 AM-4:30 PM

Office

40 Broadway, Suite 240, Taunton, MA 02780

E-filing

Filing in person

Walk-ins accepted

Self-represented filing

Allowed

Self-help forms

How to file probate in Bristol County →

Verified October 16, 2026 · Source

Do I need a lawyer for probate in Bristol County? →Settling an estate in Bristol County →

Tax Planning Firms Serving Bristol County

Serves eastern Massachusetts from a main office in Milton with satellite offices in Brockton, Mashpee and Marshfield. Guides personal representatives and beneficiaries through probate and estate administration, handles will contests and disputes over executors and trustees, and takes guardianship and conservatorship cases. Consultations can be held at the office or at the client's home.

Serves 4 countiesFree consultationEstate PlanningProbateProbate LitigationElder LawTax Planning+6

Serves Barnstable, Plymouth, Bristol, Norfolk and Dukes counties from Hyannis. Advises personal representatives and trustees through estate administration, trust administration, probate and settlement of estates, and prepares estate, gift and fiduciary income tax returns. Founded in 1976 by F. Keats Boyd, Jr.; the initial strategy session is free.

Since 1976Serves 5 countiesFree consultationEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateElder LawTax Planning+3

Handles probate in Middlesex and Essex counties from Woburn, with estate planning and elder law for residents of eastern Massachusetts. Attorney Matthew G. Karr guides personal representatives through probate administration and handles trust administration and MassHealth applications for long-term care. Estate planning documents are billed at a flat fee and include a no-charge 3-year review.

Solo PracticeServes 7 countiesFree consultationVirtual consultationsEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateElder LawTax Planning+3

Serves the South Shore, MetroWest and southeastern Massachusetts from offices in Hingham, Holliston, Brockton and Plymouth. Counsels executors, administrators, trustees and heirs through testate and intestate probate, trust administration, ancillary probate and wrongful death estates, prepares federal and Massachusetts estate tax returns, and represents parties in contested wills.

Solo PracticeServes 2 countiesFree consultationVirtual consultationsEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateProbate LitigationElder Law+7

Serves Worcester, Suffolk and Plymouth counties from offices in Worcester, Boston, Plymouth and Southborough. Administers estates and trusts, from Probate Court filings, inventories and annual accounts to estate tax returns and audits, and litigates contested wills, trust disputes and breach of fiduciary duty claims. Established in 1914.

Since 1914Serves 3 countiesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateProbate LitigationTrust Litigation+6

Serves Massachusetts from Waltham, concentrating on Greater Boston, with offices in New Hampshire and Florida. Guides executors, administrators and trustees through probate court proceedings, trust administration and distribution, and estate and fiduciary tax returns, and handles guardianship and conservatorship petitions. Founder David M. Beliveau is also a Certified Public Accountant.

Serves the whole stateEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateElder LawTax Planning+6

All 16 Massachusetts tax planning firms serving Bristol County →

Forms for Planning and Settling an Estate in Massachusetts

Free Massachusetts forms to plan or settle an estate: a will, trust, powers of attorney, TOD deed and the probate forms. Prepare each form for Massachusetts.

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Revocable Living Trust

Create a revocable living trust to avoid probate, protect privacy, and control asset distribution.

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Last Will and Testament

In Massachusetts, a will is signed before 2M.G.L. c. 190B § 2-502Verified Oct 18, 2026View source witnesses, and a self-proving affidavit signed with it lets the court admit it without witness testimonyM.G.L. c. 190B § 2-502Verified Oct 18, 2026View source.

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Pour-Over Will

In Massachusetts, a pour-over will is signed before 2M.G.L. c. 190B § 2-502Verified Oct 18, 2026View source witnesses and moves anything left outside the trust into it through probate.

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All Massachusetts forms

Tools for Planning and Settling an Estate in Massachusetts

Free calculators and checklists to plan or settle an estate in Massachusetts: will and trust costs, probate, executor pay and taxes. Run each tool.

How Much Are Estate & Inheritance Taxes?

Massachusetts levies an estate taxM.G.L. c. 65C § 2A; St. 2023, c. 50; St. 2024, c. 206, § 13; St. 2025, c. 9, § 35Verified Sep 15, 2026View source above $2,000,000M.G.L. c. 65C § 2A; St. 2023, c. 50; St. 2024, c. 206, § 13; St. 2025, c. 9, § 35Verified Sep 15, 2026View source (top rate 16%M.G.L. c. 65C § 2A; St. 2023, c. 50; St. 2024, c. 206, § 13; St. 2025, c. 9, § 35Verified Sep 15, 2026View source) and no inheritance tax; the federal estate tax applies above $15,000,00026 USC 2001(c), 2010; P.L. 119-21 §70106Verified Sep 15, 2026View source.

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What Taxes Apply to My Inheritance?

In Massachusetts, beneficiaries owe no inheritance tax and the estate pays any estate taxM.G.L. c. 65C § 2A; St. 2023, c. 50; St. 2024, c. 206, § 13; St. 2025, c. 9, § 35Verified Sep 15, 2026View source above $2,000,000M.G.L. c. 65C § 2A; St. 2023, c. 50; St. 2024, c. 206, § 13; St. 2025, c. 9, § 35Verified Sep 15, 2026View source; probate assets arrive when the estate closes, 6 months to 9 months for a simple estate.

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How Does Step-Up in Basis Work?

Inherited assets in Massachusetts take a basis reset to fair market value on the date of death26 USC § 1014Verified Sep 15, 2026View source, and the gain on a later sale faces ordinary income tax at the state's regular ratesM.G.L. c. 62 § 2(b)(3) (Part C gross income = gain from capital assets held > 1 year); § 4(c) (Part C taxed at the Part B rate; 3% on qualifying MA small-business stock held ≥ 3 years); § 4(a)(1) (Part A: 12% on capital gains, 8.5% on assets held ≤ 1 year); § 4(b) (Part B rate, floor 5%); § 4(d) (4% surtax above the indexed $1M threshold)Verified Sep 15, 2026View source.

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When Do I Have to Withdraw an Inherited IRA?

See which federal withdrawal rules apply to an inherited IRA, Roth IRA, or employer plan, the deadline year, and the missed-withdrawal tax.

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What Does Estate Planning Actually Cost?

An attorney-prepared revocable trust in Massachusetts runs $3,920Estimate: 10 hours at $392, Clio's Massachusetts Trusts rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source to $5,880Estimate: 15 hours at $392, Clio's Massachusetts Trusts rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source and a simple will $1,161Estimate: 3 hours at $387, Clio's Massachusetts Wills and Estates rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source to $2,322Estimate: 6 hours at $387, Clio's Massachusetts Wills and Estates rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source, against $0 to $549 up front plus a subscription with an online service.

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All Massachusetts tools