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AK · Superior Court

Alaska

Small-estate-affidavit threshold and procedure under § AS § 13.16.680.

Verified 2026-05-04
Personal property
$50,000
statutory cap
30-day wait

Excludes vehicles, which transfer under separate $100,000 cap.

Real property
$100,000
separate cap
30-day wait

Vehicles only — registered to decedent, transferred regardless of total estate value.

01

Who is eligible to file

  • Surviving spouse or registered domestic partner
  • Adult children, equally if more than one
  • Parents of the decedent, if no spouse or descendants
  • The named executor under the will, if one exists
  • An heir at law under Alaska's intestate-succession statute, in the absence of the above
02

What counts toward the threshold

The threshold counts only assets that pass through probate. The following do not count against the cap:

Joint tenancy property
Passes by right of survivorship.
Community property w/ ROS
Vests in surviving spouse.
Beneficiary-designated
Life insurance, IRAs, 401(k)s.
TOD / POD accounts
Bank, brokerage, vehicle titles.
Living trust assets
Distributed by the trust, not the will.
Wages owed to surviving spouse
Often a separate path.

State note: Excludes vehicles, which transfer under separate $100,000 cap.

Personal property
Waiting period
State requires 30 days to elapse from date of death (personal-property path) before filing.
Real property
Waiting period
State requires 30 days to elapse from date of death (real-property path) before filing.
Real property
Excluded — personal property only

Affidavit covers personal property only; real property requires regular probate.

03

Where to file

File with the Superior Court in the county where the decedent resided at death.

We do not maintain a county-by-county directory. The Alaska judicial system operates an authoritative court locator.

Open the official Alaska court locator →

Note: in Alaska, the small-estate affidavit is generally presented to the property holder (bank, brokerage, registrar) rather than filed with the court. The court named above is the venue for related probate matters and any contested questions.

04

Form & statute

Form
Statute
§ AS § 13.16.680
https://www.akleg.gov/basis/statutes.asp
collection by affidavit