Tennessee estate administration
Small-estate limit: $50,000
In Tennessee, estates up to $50,000 can use the small-estate route. Tennessee's small-estate procedure is governed by "The Small Estate Probate Act" (Tenn. Code Ann. tit. 30, ch. 4), which 2023 Pub. Ch. 297 substituted in place of the former affidavit route. For personal-property-only estates of fifty thousand dollars ($50,000) or less, a competent adult heir (or named executor) petitions the Chancery/Probate Court for limited letters of administration/testamentary of a small estate once 45 days have passed since the death, or earlier when the court finds good cause to waive that wait (§ 30-4-103(8)). Filing fees are county-clerk fees and vary; executor compensation is reasonable compensation set by the court.
Sources reviewed August 9, 2026. Sources rechecked October 3, 2026. This page last revised .
Up to $50,000; usable 45 days after death, or sooner if the court waives the wait for good cause (Tenn. Code Ann. § 30-4-103(8)). Source: Tenn. Pub. Ch. 297 (2023) (HB 337; Tenn. Code Ann. tit. 30, ch. 4).
Small estate probate — petition for limited letters of administration/testamentary (Tenn. Code Ann. tit. 30, ch. 4, "The Small Estate Probate Act," enacted by 2023 Pub. Ch. 297)The Chancery Court (Probate Court in Davidson and Shelby Counties) where the estate is opened sets or collects the filing charge. No executor-pay statute is verified for Tennessee. Each side in full: Tennessee probate filing cost and Tennessee executor fees.
Screen a specific Tennessee estate with the calculators on the small-estate page and the executor-fee page, or compare states in the full estate navigator.
Simplified route
Small estate probate — petition for limited letters of administration/testamentary (Tenn. Code Ann. tit. 30, ch. 4, "The Small Estate Probate Act," enacted by 2023 Pub. Ch. 297); usable 45 days after death, or sooner if the court waives the wait for good cause (Tenn. Code Ann. § 30-4-103(8)).
Eligibility and caveatsCourt cost
Set locally; ask the receiving court.
Filing-cost detailExecutor compensation
No verified rule is published here.
Compensation detailCreditor deadline
Tenn. Pub. Ch. 102 (2021) (Tenn. Code Ann. § 30-2-310) (Tennessee Secretary of State; reviewed August 9, 2026)
Timeline and creditor detailsRead on the enacting state’s own site, with the date each was read.
| Citation | What reading it established | Read on |
|---|---|---|
| Tenn. Pub. Ch. 297 (2023) (Tenn. Code Ann. tit. 30, ch. 4); Tenn. Pub. Ch. 829 (2014) | Tennessee’s $50,000 route is a court petition, and creditors are kept out of it — small estate route note | 2026-10-03 |
This site quotes a figure only from the state’s own published text. The Tennesseeprovisions below had not been confirmed from it as of the date in each row, so their figures are left out rather than copied from a secondary summary. Each row names the authority that settles the question and the page that explains what to use instead.
| Authority sought | What is therefore not published | Not confirmed as of |
|---|---|---|
| Tenn. Code Ann. tit. 30 (compensation of personal representatives) | Why no Tennessee compensation figure appears on this page — representative pay | 2026-09-17 |
| Tenn. Code Ann. tit. 8, ch. 21 (fees of clerks) | Tennessee court costs: what could not be verified for this page — court and filing cost | 2026-09-17 |
| Tenn. Code Ann. tit. 30, ch. 2 (notice to creditors; claims) | The Tennessee creditor period is not restated here — creditor deadline | 2026-09-17 |
Tennessee decision map
Each Tennessee answer below links to the page that sets out its source.
| Question | Recorded Tennessee answer |
|---|---|
| What route is being screened? | Small estate probate — petition for limited letters of administration/testamentary (Tenn. Code Ann. tit. 30, ch. 4, "The Small Estate Probate Act," enacted by 2023 Pub. Ch. 297) |
| What property and basis count? | personal probate property only; gross value for this route. |
| What is the amount screen? | $50,000 |
| What is the time or deadline record? | 45 days after death, or sooner if the court waives the wait for good cause; creditor deadlines: separate clocks by triggering event |
| What does the cost record establish? | No single statewide amount is published here; confirm the receiving court's current schedule. |
| What does compensation use? | No verified rule. |
Each link goes to the court’s own page and is checked before every release.
Each rule on the Tennessee pages comes from one of these 4 sources; the citation opens the publisher’s own text. All were last rechecked October 3, 2026.
Simplified-procedure rule
Tenn. Pub. Ch. 829 (2014) (amending Tenn. Code Ann. § 30-4-102(4)–(5)), Public Chapter 829 (2014) — amendment of Tenn. Code Ann. § 30-4-102.
Simplified-procedure rule
Tenn. Pub. Ch. 297 (2023) (HB 337; Tenn. Code Ann. tit. 30, ch. 4), Public Chapter 297 (2023) — The Small Estate Probate Act (deletes and substitutes Tenn. Code Ann. tit. 30, ch. 4).
Simplified-procedure rule
Tenn. Pub. Ch. 665 (2022) (Tenn. Code Ann. § 30-4-103), Public Chapter 665 (2022) — The Small Estate Affidavit Limited Letter of Authority Act (Tenn. Code Ann. § 30-4-103).
Creditor deadline rule
Tenn. Pub. Ch. 102 (2021) (Tenn. Code Ann. § 30-2-310), Public Chapter 102 (2021) — time limits on Bureau of TennCare claims (Tenn. Code Ann. § 30-2-310).
Sources rechecked October 3, 2026: Tennessee source list · how sources are checked · report a correction