Someone died leaving a modest estate — a bank account, a last paycheck, some savings, a car, maybe a small piece of property — and now the family needs to get it, but a full probate would cost more than the estate is worth. Most states have a shortcut: if the whole estate is under a set dollar limit, a person entitled to the property can sign a sworn Small Estate Affidavit and present it to whoever holds the asset (the bank, the employer, the transfer agent, the DMV) to have it released — no probate, no court. This makes that instrument. It’s the sibling of an affidavit of heirship, but where that one is signed by a disinterested person just to establish WHO the heirs are, this one is signed by the SUCCESSOR themselves to actually COLLECT the assets. Pick what you’re collecting and PaperKit reframes the whole affidavit: personal property (bank accounts, wages, securities, belongings — presented to the holder of the asset); real property of small value (succession to the deceased’s real estate, for recording); or a motor vehicle (to retitle the car at the DMV). Pick how you’re entitled — intestate (no will) or under the deceased’s will — and PaperKit builds the entitlement recital to match. Name yourself as the successor and your relationship to the deceased, name the Decedent with the date and place of death, list the specific assets (and who holds them), and enter the estate’s value, its debts and your state’s small-estate limit — PaperKit does the math (net value after debts) and asserts, under oath, that the estate is at or under the statutory limit, that the waiting period since death has elapsed, that no probate is pending, and that debts are paid or provided for. Then you swear to it and e-sign. Hosted online for the successor to review, swear & e-execute. Clean PDF. (Small-estate dollar limits, waiting periods, which assets qualify and the exact form all vary by state — confirm your state’s rules and the holder’s requirements.)
The big lever — this changes what the affidavit legally does, which asset section appears, and the title.
Collect the Decedent's accounts, wages, securities and belongings — the affidavit is presented to the holder of the asset (bank, employer, transfer agent).
Unlike an affidavit of heirship (sworn by a disinterested person), a small estate affidavit is sworn by an INTERESTED successor — a person entitled to the property (a surviving spouse, child, heir or devisee). The successor executes and swears to it under oath.
The affidavit only works if the whole estate is at or under your state's small-estate dollar limit. Enter the values — PaperKit computes the net after debts and asserts, under oath, that the estate is within the limit.
Net after debts: $24,300.00 · ✓ within the $45,000.00 limit
These are the sworn statements a bank / DMV / recorder looks for. PaperKit recites them; the successor swears to them under oath and penalty of perjury when e-executing. Confirm they are true before swearing.
A real, section-by-section sworn small-estate affidavit. The affidavit-type choice drives the asset section and the title; the value fields drive the money math; the sworn-recital checkboxes toggle the under-limit / waiting-period / no-probate / debts-paid statements. Publish to get a hosted link the successor can swear to & e-execute online.
$9/mo — remove the DRAFT watermark + “Made with PaperKit” badge, unlimited clean-PDF affidavits, and Pro across every tool.
A small estate affidavit is a template for convenience, not legal advice. It is used to collect a deceased person's assets without probate when the estate is under a state's small-estate dollar limit, but the limit, the waiting period after death, which assets qualify (personal property, a vehicle, or small-value real property), who may swear the affidavit, and the exact required form all vary by state. The affidavit must generally be SWORN TO before a notary and presented to the holder of the asset (or recorded, for real property); some estates need a probate instead. PaperKit is not a law firm. Review the instrument and consult a qualified attorney or the asset holder.