Tools for When Someone Dies in New Hampshire

After a death in New Hampshire, the estate goes through probate unless it fits a simplified procedure, where creditors have 6 months to file claims after notice.

All Planning ahead Settling an estate

13 tools for New Hampshire

How Many Death Certificates Do I Need?

In New Hampshire, certified death certificates come from the New Hampshire Secretary of State - Division of Vital Records Administration; the first copy costs $15, additional copies $10 each.

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Do I Need Probate?

New Hampshire sets no dollar limit for its Waiver of Administration; eligibility turns on other tests.

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What Taxes Apply to My Inheritance?

New Hampshire imposes no inheritance or estate tax; 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?

New Hampshire 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?

New Hampshire has no statewide fill-in probate petition, so the opening petition is drafted as a legal pleading, and informal probate is not available.

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How Do I Get Appointed as Executor?

In New Hampshire, the New Hampshire Circuit Court, Probate Division appoints the personal representative and the Circuit Court Probate Division clerk issues Certificate of Appointment; every appointment goes through the court.

See the Steps

What Are the Creditor Claim Deadlines?

In New Hampshire, creditors have 6 months from the personal representative's appointment to present claims; late claims are barred.

Check Deadlines

What Happens When an Estate Is Insolvent?

When an estate owes more than it holds, New Hampshire pays the claims in 6 classes in statutory order, beginning with costs and expenses of administration of the estate.

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 New Hampshire: the personal representative files the estate inventory within 90 days of appointment; creditors have 6 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 New Hampshire, the estate goes through probate unless it fits a simplified procedure, where creditors have 6 months to file claims after notice.

Get the Checklist

In New Hampshire, the first certified copy costs $15, and each additional copy ordered at the same time $10. Copies ordered together cost less than separate orders placed later. The New Hampshire estate settlement plan lists the accounts and institutions that each want a certified copy.

Standard processing in New Hampshire takes 20 business days for mail requests; same-day in person. A funeral home's order at the time of death usually arrives first.

New Hampshire sets a statutory order for who controls the disposition of remains: surviving spouse, then surviving adult son or daughter, 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.

New Hampshire imposes a 48-hour minimum waiting period before cremation. A medical examiner or coroner authorizes the cremation before it proceeds. Authorizing agent (person with custody and control per RSA 290, as defined in RSA 325-A:1, II) must sign a cremation authorization form (RSA 325-A:22, I-II). The crematory must also receive a completed permit for transit or cremation and a delivery receipt form (RSA 325-A:22, I; RSA 325-A:19, I). A medical examiner certificate is required confirming personal inquiry into cause and manner of death (RSA 325-A:18, I).

New Hampshire does not set a single dollar-capped small estate limit. Its Waiver of Administration is not gated on a dollar figure. New Hampshire's small estate shortcut is a court procedure: the court's own order authorizes collection. There is no affidavit to present to a bank.

Tools for When Someone Dies in New Hampshire

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 New Hampshire come from the New Hampshire Secretary of State - Division of Vital Records Administration; the first copy costs $15. In New Hampshire, probate on a $500,000 estate costs about $26,585, and a simple estate closes in 6 months to 9 months.

SimplyTrust Editorial·Updated October 15, 2026

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