Probate in Addison County

Probate Court Record

Addison County Superior Court - Probate Division

Addison County

Hours

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

Office

7 Mahady Court, Middlebury, VT 05753

Filing in person

Walk-ins accepted

Self-represented filing

Allowed

Self-help forms

How to file probate in Addison County →

Verified October 16, 2026 · Source

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

Trust Administration Firms Serving Addison County

Rutland firm on Allen Street, founded in May 1984, serving clients in Vermont, New Hampshire and Massachusetts. Its estate planning group assists executors and trustees in administering decedents' assets, handles estate probate and guardianship proceedings, and has handled international estate matters and foreign ancillary estates.

Since 1984Estate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateElder LawTax Planning+4

Rutland general civil practice firm handling probate administration with and without wills, including small estates, estate property sales, ancillary proceedings and accountings. It also takes will challenges, estate disputes, probate appeals and guardianships, and offers trust administration, including limited fiduciary services, and supplemental needs trusts.

Estate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateProbate LitigationElder Law+7

South Hero practice based in Grand Isle County that represents clients in almost every Vermont county. Harry Parker handles probate and trust administration and minor and adult guardianships, and drafts wills, trusts, powers of attorney and special needs plans. The Vermont Supreme Court appointed him in November 2025 to the Advisory Committee on the Rules of Probate Procedure.

Solo PracticeServes the whole stateEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateGuardianshipSpecial Needs PlanningReal Estate

Burlington firm with a White River Junction office whose attorneys handle matters in all fourteen Vermont counties. Its estates and trusts attorneys represent trustees in trust administration and fiduciaries and families in probate court estate and guardianship proceedings. Principal Mark Melendy served on the bar committees that drafted Vermont's trust-decanting and directed-trust acts.

Serves the whole stateEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateElder LawTax Planning+3

Essex Junction estate planning and elder law firm handling trust administration for clients throughout Vermont, from Burlington to St. Johnsbury and Newport. After a death it guides successor trustees through transferring trust assets, and it prepares long-term care Medicaid applications and special needs plans. Ellen LaPlante is licensed in Vermont and New York.

Serves the whole stateEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationElder LawSpecial Needs PlanningAsset ProtectionMedicaid Planning

Barre firm established in 1965 that assists clients throughout Vermont with estate planning and probate. It represents executors, administrators and trustees and also serves in those fiduciary roles itself; its staff prepare estate, guardianship and trust accountings. The firm also handles guardianship establishment, administration and disputes.

Since 1965Serves the whole stateEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateGuardianshipBusiness Law

All 13 Vermont trust administration firms serving Addison County →

Forms for Planning and Settling an Estate in Vermont

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

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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 Vermont, a pour-over will is signed before 214 V.S.A. § 5Verified Oct 19, 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 Vermont

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

How Do I Settle a Trust?

Settling a trust in Vermont happens outside court: the trustee acts under the state's Uniform Trust Code14A V.S.A. § 101 et seq.Verified Oct 17, 2026View source, notifies the beneficiaries within 60 days14A V.S.A. § 813Verified 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 Vermont, trustee compensation follows "reasonable compensation" (UTC § 708 or equivalent)14A V.S.A. § 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 Vermont: the personal representative files the estate inventory within 60 days14 V.S.A. §§ 1051-1053Verified Sep 15, 2026View source of appointment; creditors have 4 months14 V.S.A. §§ 1201-1207Verified Oct 19, 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?

Vermont requires a final state income tax return for the decedent alongside the federal Form 104032 V.S.A. § 5822Verified 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 Vermont 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 rates, after the first $5,000 of gain is excluded32 V.S.A. § 5811(21)(B)(ii) (capital gains exclusion — individuals) and § 5811(28)(B)(ii) (the SAME exclusion, verbatim, for an estate or a trust)Verified Sep 15, 2026View source.

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