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Connecticut route screening

Connecticut small-estate limit: $40,000

Sources reviewed August 9, 2026. Sources rechecked October 3, 2026. This page last revised .

1. Where and when
2. What they left

Asset 1

Asset 2

Ownership determines whether an asset usually enters probate. Choose “Not sure” when title or beneficiary status has not been confirmed.

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Your working estimate

Connecticut estate snapshot

Route check

More information is needed

Counted probate estate: not yet counted

A valid date of death is required before any waiting period can be tested.

Gross probate propertyNot yet counted
Court chargeMore information neededProbate fees for a decedent dying on or after July 1, 20162 asset entries have no value entered. A blank amount is not treated as zero, so the charge cannot be computed.Court charges only, for the proceeding named beside each figure. That proceeding is not always the route screened above.
Scheduled executor compensationMore information needed2 asset entries have no value entered.Connecticut has no statutory percentage schedule for fiduciary compensation; an executor or administrator is entitled to reasonable compensation, governed by Rule 39 (Section 39.1) of the Probate Court Rules of Procedure. The court reviews reasonableness rather than applying a fixed percentage.

This route check is general information, not legal advice. It does not test every eligibility condition, creditor issue, will provision, local fee, or asset-title fact.

Connecticut's small-estate settlement (C.G.S. § 45a-273) applies when the aggregate value of the decedent's solely owned tangible and intangible personal property, excluding property passing outside probate by operation of law, does not exceed $40,000 (gross), and the decedent left no solely owned Connecticut real property. The Probate Court will not issue its decree until 30 days after a copy of the affidavit is sent to the Department of Administrative Services.

Where the limit comes from

Is this the limit that applies?

$40,000 is the limit in C.G.S. § 45a-273 as it read on October 3, 2026; confirm it with the probate court before you file.

Controlling citation: C.G.S. § 45a-273, C.G.S. Chapter 802b, Sec. 45a-273 Settlement of small estates (Connecticut General Assembly; 2026 Supplement).

The section’s own words
If the aggregate value of a decedent's solely owned tangible and intangible personal property, excluding property that passes outside of probate by operation of law, does not exceed forty thousand dollars

How the Connecticut screen is measured

ProcedureSettlement of small estates (affidavit in lieu of administration)
What countsPersonal property only; real property is outside this route
Value basisGross value; liens are not subtracted
Waiting period30 days after a copy of the affidavit is sent to the Department of Administrative Services

The Connecticut caveats that can change this answer are listed once, on the Connecticut overview.

The official Connecticut path

What a small-estate screen can and cannot decide, and which assets never enter it, is explained once in small-estate affidavit or probate and what counts as a probate asset.

Controlling source

Sources rechecked October 3, 2026: Connecticut source list · how sources are checked · report a correction

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