How Do I Settle an Estate in Alaska?
Settling an estate in Alaska: the personal representative files the estate inventory within 90 daysAS 13.16.365, 13.16.370, 13.16.375Verified Sep 15, 2026View source of appointment; creditors have 4 monthsAS 13.16.450, 13.16.460, 13.16.465, 13.16.470, 13.16.475Verified Oct 18, 2026View source to present claims; a simple estate closes in 4 months to 6 months.
Settling an estate in Alaska means gathering the assets, notifying creditors, paying debts and taxes, and distributing what remains to the beneficiaries. Assets in a living trust settle privately without the court. An estate that needs probate takes 6 months to 12 months on average, and the creditor claim period of 4 monthsAS 13.16.460Verified Sep 8, 2026View source is the floor. In a probate case the inventory of estate assets is due within 90 daysAS 13.16.365, 13.16.370, 13.16.375Verified Sep 15, 2026View source of appointment.
Alaska allows estates with personal property of $150,000AS 13.16.690Verified Sep 8, 2026View source or less to use the Affidavit for Collection of Personal PropertyAS 13.16.690Verified Sep 8, 2026View source, which avoids full probate administration. The Affidavit for Collection of Personal Property is presented directly to the bank, employer, or other holder of the property — it is not filed with a court. The waiting period is 30 daysAS 13.16.690Verified Sep 8, 2026View source after death.
The creditor claim period of 4 monthsAS 13.16.450, 13.16.460, 13.16.465, 13.16.470, 13.16.475Verified Oct 18, 2026View source runs from the first publication of the creditor notice, which follows the executor's appointment. The executor must publish notice in a local newspaperAS 13.16.450, 13.16.460, 13.16.465, 13.16.470, 13.16.475Verified Oct 18, 2026View source for 3AS 13.16.450, 13.16.460, 13.16.465, 13.16.470, 13.16.475Verified Oct 18, 2026View source consecutive weeks and send direct notice to known creditorsAS 13.16.450, 13.16.460, 13.16.465, 13.16.470, 13.16.475Verified Oct 18, 2026View source. Every claim is barred 36 monthsAS 13.16.450, 13.16.460, 13.16.465, 13.16.470, 13.16.475Verified Oct 18, 2026View source after death regardless of notice. Final distribution waits until the period has run.
Alaska requires a bond of the personal representative by defaultAS 13.16.255Verified Sep 8, 2026View source. The requirement can often be excusedAS 13.16.255Verified Sep 8, 2026View source, by a waiver in the will, agreement of the heirs, or court order. A corporate surety's premium runs about 0.5%AS 13.16.255Verified Sep 8, 2026View source of the bonded amount a year. The bond protects beneficiaries and creditors against mismanagement by the personal representative. The Alaska executor fee calculator covers what the role itself can charge.
In Alaska, a simple estate typically settles in 4 months to 6 months, and an average estate in 6 months to 12 months. An estate with a dispute, a tax issue or an unusual asset runs longer.
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Death of a Parent
A step-by-step guide to what happens after a parent dies: the documents to find, the certificates to order, and whether probate is even required.
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Loss of a Spouse
What a surviving spouse needs to do: death certificates, survivor benefits, whether probate is even required, and the tax election that expires.
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Named as Executor
What an executor actually does: getting appointed, notifying creditors, paying debts and taxes, and where personal liability starts.
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Named as Trustee
Being named trustee means managing trust assets and carrying out the grantor's wishes. Your duties, timeline, compensation, and how to get started.
Learn moreForms for Settling an Estate in Alaska
Free forms for settling an estate in Alaska: the probate petition, small estate affidavit, notice to creditors, inventory, and closing forms.
Digital Assets Recovery Letter
Prepare a letter requesting a deceased person's online accounts, points, and balances from the program that holds them.
Petition for Probate and Letters
In Alaska, the petition asks the Superior Court for the State of Alaska to appoint the personal representative, whose authority is proved by Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration; an informal (registrar) track is availableAS 13.16.085, AS 13.16.110Verified Sep 8, 2026View source.
Notice to Creditors
In Alaska, the notice to creditors is published for 3AS 13.16.450, 13.16.460, 13.16.465, 13.16.470, 13.16.475Verified Oct 18, 2026View source weeks in a local newspaper, and creditors have 4 monthsAS 13.16.460Verified Sep 8, 2026View source from first publication to present claims.
Renunciation of Executor
In Alaska, a person named as personal representative may renounce the right to serveAS 13.16.065(c)Verified Sep 22, 2026View source before anyone is appointed.
Small Estate Affidavit
In Alaska, the Affidavit for Collection of Personal PropertyAS 13.16.690Verified Sep 8, 2026View source covers estates with personal property of $150,000AS 13.16.690Verified Sep 8, 2026View source or less, 30 daysAS 13.16.690Verified Sep 8, 2026View source after death, presented directly to the bank or other holder, not filed with a court.
Estate Inventory
In Alaska, the personal representative files the estate inventory within 90 daysAS 13.16.365, 13.16.370, 13.16.375Verified Sep 15, 2026View source of appointment.
Estate Closing
In Alaska, the personal representative is discharged automatically once the statutory period runsAS 13.16.630(b), 13.16.640Verified Sep 15, 2026View source, and a final accounting is required unless it is waived.
Tools for Settling an Estate in Alaska
Free tools for settling an estate in Alaska: whether probate is needed, executor and trustee pay, creditor deadlines, and inheritance taxes.
How Many Death Certificates Do I Need?
In Alaska, certified death certificates come from the Alaska Department of Health - Health Analytics and Vital RecordsAlaska Department of Health - Health Analytics and Vital RecordsVerified Oct 15, 2026View source; the first copy costs $30Alaska Department of Health - Health Analytics and Vital RecordsVerified Oct 15, 2026View source, additional copies $25Alaska Department of Health - Health Analytics and Vital RecordsVerified Oct 15, 2026View source each.
Do I Need Probate?
In Alaska, estates with personal property of $150,000AS 13.16.690Verified Sep 8, 2026View source or less skip probate with the Affidavit for Collection of Personal PropertyAS 13.16.690Verified Sep 8, 2026View source, 30 daysAS 13.16.690Verified Sep 8, 2026View source after death.
Do I Have to File Tax Returns for Someone Who Died?
Alaska has no state income tax, so only the federal final Form 1040 is due for the decedentAS 43.20.012(a)(1)-(2) (Alaska Net Income Tax Act does not apply to an individual or a fiduciary); AS 43.20.010 (tax on individuals and fiduciaries) repealed by § 13, ch. 70, SLA 1975; AS 43.20.011(a)-(d) and AS 43.20.033/.035 (taxable income of fiduciaries) repealed by § 10, ch. 1, SSSLA 1980Verified 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.
What Do I Do When Someone Dies?
After a death in Alaska, the estate either qualifies for the simplified procedure for estates under $150,000AS 13.16.690Verified Sep 8, 2026View source or goes through probate, where creditors have 4 monthsAS 13.16.460Verified Sep 8, 2026View source to file claims after notice.
How Much Are Estate & Inheritance Taxes?
Alaska levies no estate or inheritance taxAlaska levies no estate or inheritance tax. AS 43.31.011 (Estate Tax Law of Alaska) remains on the books but is an inert "pickup" tax — its amount is measured by "the credit allowable under the applicable federal revenue Act for estate, inheritance, legacy, and succession taxes actually paid to the several states," and that federal credit no longer exists, so the tax computes to $0. AS 43.31.400 keeps the chapter nominally operative so long as a federal estate tax exists, so this is an inert pickup rather than a repeal. Alaska Department of Revenue: "Alaska no longer has an estate tax. Alaska did have one until Jan. 1, 2005. The state estate tax was tied to the federal state death tax credit, and that credit was phased out in 2005." Alaska has no inheritance tax: AS 43.30 (Inheritance and Transfer Taxes) was repealed in full by § 1, ch. 24, SLA 1970, and the DOR tax-type list carries no inheritance tax program. Verified 2026-09-10.Verified Sep 15, 2026View source; only the federal estate tax applies above $15,000,00026 USC 2001(c), 2010; P.L. 119-21 §70106Verified Sep 15, 2026View source.
What Taxes Apply to My Inheritance?
Alaska imposes no inheritance or estate taxAlaska levies no estate or inheritance tax. AS 43.31.011 (Estate Tax Law of Alaska) remains on the books but is an inert "pickup" tax — its amount is measured by "the credit allowable under the applicable federal revenue Act for estate, inheritance, legacy, and succession taxes actually paid to the several states," and that federal credit no longer exists, so the tax computes to $0. AS 43.31.400 keeps the chapter nominally operative so long as a federal estate tax exists, so this is an inert pickup rather than a repeal. Alaska Department of Revenue: "Alaska no longer has an estate tax. Alaska did have one until Jan. 1, 2005. The state estate tax was tied to the federal state death tax credit, and that credit was phased out in 2005." Alaska has no inheritance tax: AS 43.30 (Inheritance and Transfer Taxes) was repealed in full by § 1, ch. 24, SLA 1970, and the DOR tax-type list carries no inheritance tax program. Verified 2026-09-10.Verified Sep 15, 2026View source; probate assets arrive when the estate closes, 4 months to 6 months for a simple estate.
How Does Step-Up in Basis Work?
Inherited assets in Alaska 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 no state capital gains taxAS 43.20.012(a) (Limitation on application of chapter) — "The tax imposed by this chapter does not apply to (1) an individual; (2) a fiduciary"Verified Sep 15, 2026View source.
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Alaska Estate Settlement Resources
In-depth guides covering Alaska probate, estate administration, and settling an estate.