Minnesota Resources for Executors
Land of 10,000 Lakes
Minnesota probate courts, executor forms, probate cost and executor fee calculators, and the agencies and banks to notify after a death.
Settle an estate in Minnesota, step by step
A Minnesota settlement plan lists each task in order, from the death certificate to the final distribution, with the Minnesota deadlines and forms attached to each step.
Start the Minnesotasettlement plan →Minnesota Probate and Settlement Rules
If you die without a will in Minnesota, your heirs must survive you by at least 120 hoursMinn. Stat. § 524.2-104Verified Sep 10, 2026View source to inherit anything. This "survival period" exists to prevent property from passing through multiple estates in quick succession when family members die close together in time, such as in an accident.
Smaller estates under $75,000Minn. Stat. § 524.3-1201Verified Sep 8, 2026View source can use a simplified transfer process that avoids full probate proceedings.
Minnesota imposes its own estate tax on estates exceeding $3,000,000Minn. Stat. § 291.03, § 291.016Verified Sep 15, 2026View source, with a top rate of 16%Minn. Stat. § 291.03, § 291.016Verified Sep 15, 2026View source. This is separate from the federal estate tax and applies at a much lower threshold—the federal exemption is $15,000,00026 USC 2001(c), 2010; P.L. 119-21 §70106Verified Sep 15, 2026View source. Families with estates near this threshold often use trusts and lifetime gifting to reduce exposure.
Minnesota provides constitutional homestead protection up to $540,000 in home equity. This shields the family home from most creditors during the owner's lifetime. Executors must publish a notice to creditors, who then have 4 monthsMinn. Stat. § 524.3-803Verified Sep 8, 2026View source to file claims against the estate. Known creditors must also receive direct written notice.
Legal Sources
- 26 USC 2001(c), 2010; P.L. 119-21 §70106
- Minn. Stat. § 291.03, § 291.016
- Minn. Stat. § 524.2-104
- Minn. Stat. § 524.3-1201
- Minn. Stat. § 524.3-803
Data sourced from Minnesota statutes and official state code. How we research.
Find Your County’s Probate Court
An estate is opened in the probate court of the county where the person lived. Click on any county in Minnesota for that court’s contact information, filing procedures, fees, and what to do when someone dies there.
All 87 Minnesota counties
- Aitkin
- Anoka
- Becker
- Beltrami
- Benton
- Big Stone
- Blue Earth
- Brown
- Carlton
- Carver
- Cass
- Chippewa
- Chisago
- Clay
- Clearwater
- Cook
- Cottonwood
- Crow Wing
- Dakota
- Dodge
- Douglas
- Faribault
- Fillmore
- Freeborn
- Goodhue
- Grant
- Hennepin
- Houston
- Hubbard
- Isanti
- Itasca
- Jackson
- Kanabec
- Kandiyohi
- Kittson
- Koochiching
- Lac Qui Parle
- Lake
- Lake Of The Woods
- Le Sueur
- Lincoln
- Lyon
- Mahnomen
- Marshall
- Martin
- Mc Leod
- Meeker
- Mille Lacs
- Morrison
- Mower
- Murray
- Nicollet
- Nobles
- Norman
- Olmsted
- Otter Tail
- Pennington
- Pine
- Pipestone
- Polk
- Pope
- Ramsey
- Red Lake
- Redwood
- Renville
- Rice
- Rock
- Roseau
- Scott
- Sherburne
- Sibley
- St Louis
- Stearns
- Steele
- Stevens
- Swift
- Todd
- Traverse
- Wabasha
- Wadena
- Waseca
- Washington
- Watonwan
- Wilkin
- Winona
- Wright
- Yellow Medicine
Minnesota Estate Settlement Forms
Probate petition, notice to creditors, inventory, closing. Free for Minnesota.
EIN Application
Get the tax ID number (EIN) banks require to open an estate account or trust account after someone dies.
Petition for Probate and Letters
Open probate and ask the court to appoint you and issue Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration.
Notice to Creditors
Notify estate creditors and start the claim period — the published notice plus mailed copies for known creditors.
Renunciation of Executor
Decline an appointment as executor named in a will — the writing filed with the court before anyone is appointed.
Affidavit of Heirship
Prepare the sworn statement of a deceased person's family history and heirs for recording in the county land records, with your state's recording instructions.
Small Estate Affidavit
Collect a small estate's property without probate — the sworn affidavit presented to banks and other holders, with a presentation letter for each.
Estate Inventory
Prepare the probate inventory of estate property — every asset at its date-of-death value, with your state's filing or delivery instructions.
Estate Closing
Prepare the paperwork that closes the estate — the state's closing instrument with its closing instructions, and the optional federal forms.
Letter of Instruction
Prepare the letter a bank or insurer requests during estate settlement, addressed to its claims department.
Digital Assets Recovery Letter
Prepare a letter requesting a deceased person's online accounts, points, and balances from the program that holds them.
Minnesota Tools & Calculators
Probate cost, executor fees, creditor deadlines and more for Minnesota.
Minnesota Probate Attorneys
Find probate and estate administration attorneys by practice area in Minnesota.
Government Agencies to Notify in Minnesota
State-administered programs an executor handles after a death in Minnesota.
Banks and Financial Institutions in Minnesota
Banks, brokerages, and credit unions serving Minnesota, each with its own death claim process.
Is this your situation?
Get a complete guide for your specific circumstances.
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.
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