What Happens If You Die Without a Will in Connecticut?

In Connecticut, whether your parents are alive significantly affects what your spouse inherits. If neither parent survives you, your spouse inherits everything. But if a parent is still living, your spouse must share the estate with them—typically receiving a fixed dollar amount plus a percentage of the remainder, with the rest going to your parents. This surprises many couples who assume everything goes to the surviving spouse. A will ensures your spouse receives your full estate if that's your preference.

Blended families face different rules in Connecticut. When you have children who are not also children of your surviving spouse—whether from a previous marriage, prior relationship, or born before the current marriage—your spouse receives only half of your estate. The other half goes directly to your children. This protects children from being inadvertently disinherited by a step-parent who might otherwise inherit everything and leave nothing to them.

Unlike most states, Connecticut has no survival period requirement. An heir can inherit even if they die moments after you. This can lead to property passing through multiple estates in rapid succession—for example, if you and your spouse die in the same accident, your assets could pass to your spouse's estate and then immediately to your spouse's heirs, potentially cutting out your side of the family entirely. A will with a survival clause (requiring heirs to survive you by 30-120 days) can prevent this outcome.

Connecticut uses "per stirpes" distribution, meaning descendants step into their deceased ancestor's shoes. If one of your children dies before you, their children (your grandchildren) collectively inherit what their parent would have received. They split their parent's share among themselves, regardless of how many children your other surviving children have. This keeps family branches intact—each branch of the family tree receives the same total share, even if one branch has more descendants than another.

Connecticut's intestacy laws are codified in Conn. Gen. Stat. § 45a-437. These statutes define exactly who inherits and in what proportions when someone dies without a valid will. The rules can change through legislative action, so anyone relying on intestacy should verify current law. More importantly, these default rules rarely match what people actually want—creating a will or trust lets you choose your beneficiaries rather than letting the state decide for you.