Tools for When Someone Dies in Massachusetts

After a death in Massachusetts, the estate either qualifies for the simplified procedure for estates under $25,000 or goes through probate, where creditors have 12 months to file claims after notice.

All Planning ahead Settling an estate

13 tools for Massachusetts

How Many Death Certificates Do I Need?

In Massachusetts, certified death certificates come from the Massachusetts Registry of Vital Records and Statistics; the first copy costs $32.

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Do I Need Probate?

In Massachusetts, estates with personal property of $25,000 or less use the Voluntary Administration, 30 days after death, a court filing short of full probate.

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What Taxes Apply to My Inheritance?

In Massachusetts, beneficiaries owe no inheritance tax and the estate pays any estate tax above $2,000,000; probate assets arrive when the estate closes, 6 months to 9 months for a simple estate.

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What Are the Burial and Cremation Laws in My State?

Massachusetts allows you to name your own agent in a signed, written document, and that designation takes priority over the statutory order of next of kin who otherwise control disposition of the remains.

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Can I Self-File Probate?

Massachusetts has no statewide fill-in probate petition, so the opening petition is drafted as a legal pleading, and informal probate is available.

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How Do I Get Appointed as Executor?

In Massachusetts, the Probate and Family Court Department appoints the personal representative and the The Register of the Probate and Family Court issues Letters of Authority for Personal Representative; an informal (registrar) track is available.

See the Steps

What Are the Creditor Claim Deadlines?

In Massachusetts, creditors have 12 months from the date of death to present claims; late claims are barred.

Check Deadlines

What Happens When an Estate Is Insolvent?

When an estate owes more than it holds, Massachusetts pays the claims in 7 classes in statutory order, beginning with costs and expenses of administration.

Check the Payment Order

How Do I Open an Estate Account When Someone Dies?

Compare estate-account opening requirements bank by bank: channels, required documents, and steps.

See Bank Requirements

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.

Check Withdrawal Rules

What Is the Estate's Personal Property Worth for Probate?

Estimate the fair market value of household items for probate and see how it affects fees.

Estimate Value

How Do I Settle an Estate?

Settling an estate in Massachusetts: the personal representative files the estate inventory within 90 days of appointment; creditors have 12 months to present claims; a simple estate closes in 6 months to 9 months.

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What Do I Do When Someone Dies?

After a death in Massachusetts, the estate either qualifies for the simplified procedure for estates under $25,000 or goes through probate, where creditors have 12 months to file claims after notice.

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In Massachusetts, each certified copy costs $32. Copies ordered together cost less than separate orders placed later. The Massachusetts estate settlement plan lists the accounts and institutions that each want a certified copy.

Standard processing in Massachusetts takes 7-10 business days online or by phone; 15-30 business days by mail. Expedited service takes Next business day online or by phone; within 10 business days by expedited mail. A funeral home's order at the time of death usually arrives first.

Massachusetts sets a statutory order for who controls the disposition of remains: surviving spouse, then surviving adult children, then surviving parent. The state allows you to name your own agent in a signed, written document, and that designation takes priority over the default order. Those wishes can be recorded alongside the rest of an estate plan when you create a revocable living trust.

Massachusetts imposes a 48-hour minimum waiting period before cremation. A medical examiner or coroner authorizes the cremation before it proceeds. Person lawfully entitled to custody and control of the body (MGL Ch. 114 § 44A); burial permit plus medical examiner certificate required before the crematory may proceed (MGL Ch. 114 § 44).

Massachusetts allows estates with personal property of $25,000 or less to use the Voluntary Administration, which avoids full probate administration. In Massachusetts the affidavit is filed with the court, and holders honor the court's certified copy — but no letters testamentary or of administration issue. The waiting period is 30 days after death.

Tools for When Someone Dies in Massachusetts

The first weeks after a death are a short list of practical tasks: certified copies of the death certificate, the burial or cremation arrangements the state allows, and finding out whether the estate needs a court process at all. The What to Do When Someone Dies Checklist puts them in order for your state, split by whether the person left a will, a trust, or nothing.

Certified death certificates in Massachusetts come from the Massachusetts Registry of Vital Records and Statistics; the first copy costs $32. In Massachusetts, probate on a $500,000 estate costs about $27,714, and a simple estate closes in 6 months to 9 months.

SimplyTrust Editorial·Updated October 15, 2026

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Data sourced from Massachusetts statutes and official state code. How we research.