Maryland route screening

Maryland small-estate limit: $50,000

Property subject to Maryland administration may use small-estate administration at $50,000 or less, or $100,000 or less when the surviving spouse is sole legatee or heir.

Sources reviewed August 9, 2026. Sources rechecked October 3, 2026. This page last revised October 23, 2026.

1. Where and when

StateMarylandFixed to this page. Open the navigator to compare another state.Date of deathRequired. Without it no waiting period can be tested and the route stays undecided.

The surviving spouse receives the entire estate

2. What they left

Asset 1

DescriptionValue$Not entered. A blank amount is not counted as zero.Enforceable liens or mortgage$Not entered. Enter 0 if there is no lien.OwnershipThis is real property

Asset 2

DescriptionValue$Not entered. A blank amount is not counted as zero.Enforceable liens or mortgage$Not entered. Enter 0 if there is no lien.OwnershipThis is real propertyWill it be sold during administration?Some court charges are assessed on sale proceeds and exclude real property that is kept, so this changes the amount.

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

Private by design: entries stay in this browser.

Your working estimate

Maryland 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 assessed on the value of the probate estate2 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.The court-selected commission may not exceed 9% of property subject to administration up to $20,000, or $1,800 plus 3.6% of the excess over $20,000. A will may provide a larger measure; the statute calls compensation reasonable and permits renunciation. It states no separate extraordinary-services 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.

Value is date-of-death fair market value less debts of record secured by the property to the extent insurance does not pay the secured debt. This court petition is distinct from modified administration, which is not a small-estate threshold track.

Where the limit comes from

Is this the limit that applies?

$50,000 is the limit in Md. Code, Est. & Trusts § 5-601 as it read on October 3, 2026; confirm it with the probate court before you file.

Controlling citation: Md. Code, Est. & Trusts § 5-601, Maryland Estates and Trusts, Small Estate Thresholds (Maryland General Assembly; rechecked October 3, 2026).

The section’s own words

§5-601. (a) If the property of the decedent subject to administration in Maryland is established to have a value of $50,000 or less as of the date of the death of the decedent, the estate may be administered in accordance with the provisions of §§ 5-602 through 5-607 of this subtitle. (b) If, before the filing of an initial account in administration proceedings instituted under Subtitle 3 or Subtitle 4 of this title, the property of the decedent subject to administration in Maryland is established to have a value of $50,000 or less as of the date of the death of the decedent, the estate thereafter may be administered in accordance with the provisions of §§ 5-602 through 5-607 of this subtitle.

How the Maryland screen is measured

Procedure	Small-estate administration
What counts	The probate estate within the statute’s scope, so solely owned real property can count
Value basis	Value less enforceable liens and encumbrances
Waiting period	Confirm the filing date with the Orphans’ Court / Register of Wills
Surviving-spouse ceiling	$100,000

Sections 5-601 and 5-602 state no universal post-death wait; the route begins by petition, and absence of a stated wait is not encoded as a sourced zero. Before submitting the paperwork, confirm whether a waiting period applies and which event starts it. Check: Md. Code, Est. & Trusts §§ 5-601 to 5-607

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

The official Maryland path

Small Estate Packet (Rev. 10/01/2026) — Maryland Registers of Wills
Modified Administration Packet — Maryland Registers of Wills
Register of Wills directory — Maryland Registers of Wills

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

Statute

Md. Code, Est. & Trusts § 5-601

Maryland Estates and Trusts, Small Estate Thresholds

The section’s own words

§5-601. (a) If the property of the decedent subject to administration in Maryland is established to have a value of $50,000 or less as of the date of the death of the decedent, the estate may be administered in accordance with the provisions of §§ 5-602 through 5-607 of this subtitle. (b) If, before the filing of an initial account in administration proceedings instituted under Subtitle 3 or Subtitle 4 of this title, the property of the decedent subject to administration in Maryland is established to have a value of $50,000 or less as of the date of the death of the decedent, the estate thereafter may be administered in accordance with the provisions of §§ 5-602 through 5-607 of this subtitle.

Maryland General Assembly · Rechecked October 3, 2026

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

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