Probate in Middlesex County

Probate Court Record

Middlesex County Probate and Family Court

Middlesex County

Hours

Monday-Friday 8:00 AM-4:30 PM

Office

10-U Commerce Way, Woburn, MA 01801

E-filing

Filing in person

Walk-ins accepted

Self-represented filing

Allowed

Self-help forms

How to file probate in Middlesex County →

Verified October 16, 2026 · Source

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

Trust Administration Firms Serving Middlesex County

Serves Norfolk and Middlesex county communities such as Wellesley, Newton, Needham and Westwood from Wellesley. Administers and settles testate and intestate estates, litigates will contests and handles the removal of fiduciaries, plus guardianships and Medicaid qualification for nursing-home residents. Founding partner Sheryl Dennis pairs estate work with family law and special needs planning.

Since 2004Serves 3 countiesVirtual consultationsEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateProbate LitigationElder Law+6

Serves Norfolk, Suffolk, Middlesex, Plymouth, Barnstable and Essex counties from Braintree. Advises personal representatives through probate and successor trustees through trust administration, and litigates will contests, undue influence claims and fiduciary disputes, including in the Probate Fiduciary Litigation Session. Anthony H. Gemma tried over 35 jury trials as a prosecutor.

Solo PracticeServes 6 countiesFree consultationEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateProbate LitigationTrust Litigation+5

Serves Essex, Middlesex and Suffolk counties from Danvers. Attorney Jonathan M. White helps executors with probate filings, estate inventories, creditor notices, tax returns and will disputes, and guides trustees from acceptance through final accounting and distribution. Estate administration is billed at a flat fee, with deferred payment available when the estate includes real estate.

Solo PracticeSince 2011Serves 3 countiesFree consultationEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateProbate LitigationGuardianship+2

Serves Worcester County and MetroWest towns including Framingham, Marlborough and Hudson from Westborough. Attorney Todd Rosenfield guides personal representatives through probate and estate administration and successor trustees through trust administration, alongside estate planning. Offers complimentary consultations and meetings by phone or Zoom; the firm has served clients since 1997.

Solo PracticeSince 1997Serves 2 countiesFree consultationVirtual consultationsEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateTax PlanningGuardianship+2

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 Hampden, Hampshire and Berkshire counties from Springfield, Hadley, Pittsfield and Great Barrington, with an office in Boston. Its Trusts and Estates attorneys handle probate and estate administration, trust administration and trustee support services, and trust and estate litigation. Merged with the Berkshire firm Cain Hibbard & Myers on December 1, 2025.

Serves 4 countiesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateProbate LitigationTrust Litigation+3

All 29 Massachusetts trust administration firms serving Middlesex 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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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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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 Do I Settle a Trust?

Settling a trust in Massachusetts happens outside court: the trustee acts under the state's Uniform Trust CodeM.G.L. c. 203E § 101 et seq.Verified Oct 17, 2026View source, notifies the beneficiaries within 30 daysMGL c. 203E §§ 813, 1005Verified Sep 15, 2026View source, then pays the debts and distributes under the trust's terms.

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What's Fair Trustee Compensation?

In Massachusetts, trustee compensation follows "reasonable compensation" (UTC § 708 or equivalent)Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 203E, § 708Verified Sep 18, 2026View source unless the trust instrument sets a different amount.

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How Do I Settle an Estate?

Settling an estate in Massachusetts: the personal representative files the estate inventory within 90 daysMGL c. 190B §§ 3-706, 3-707, 3-708Verified Sep 15, 2026View source of appointment; creditors have 12 monthsMGL c. 190B §§ 3-306, 3-801, 3-803, 3-804, 3-805, 3-806Verified Oct 18, 2026View source to present claims; a simple estate closes in 6 months to 9 months.

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Do I Have to File Tax Returns for Someone Who Died?

Massachusetts requires a final state income tax return for the decedent alongside the federal Form 1040M.G.L. c. 62, § 4(b), (d); Mass. Const. Amend. Art. XLIV, as amended by Amend. Art. CXXI (Fair Share Amendment)Verified Sep 20, 2026View source; a federal estate tax return (Form 706) is required only for estates above $15,000,00026 USC 2001(c), 2010; P.L. 119-21 §70106Verified Sep 15, 2026View source.

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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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