Yes, a notary is required.
Sign and notarize the form where indicated.
What else the signing needs
- Value limit
- Personal property and cash accounts worth $25,000 or less net of liens. It can't be used to distribute real estate; titled property such as cars and boats counts.
"Personal Property and/or Cash accounts are valued at $25,000 or less."
- Waiting period
- At least 30 days after the death (the brochure also says 31 days in one place; ask the court).
"Has been deceased for at least 30 days"
- Where it goes
- Filed with the county probate court, which issues an order.
- Official form
- Form 420ES, Affidavit for Collection of Personal Property. A statewide probate court form; the county brochure explains it. Open the official form
- Other simplified route
- Summary administration. A simplified probate the court can use when the entire probate estate, less liens and encumbrances, is no more than $25,000 plus the exempt property allowance, administration costs, reasonable funeral expenses and last-illness medical expenses.
Next step
Sign by video with our New Jersey notary while you're in South Carolina, 7 AM to 9 PM Eastern, seven days a week, by appointment. New Jersey law lets a New Jersey notary notarize for a signer located in another state (N.J.S.A. 52:7-10.10). How South Carolina treats it: The state says a notarial certificate made in another jurisdiction is sufficient in the state when it meets the law of the place where it was made. More on South Carolina signers.
Handling an estate from far away? Estate paperwork help near where the estate is.
Ask the bank, holder or court that will receive the affidavit whether it accepts an electronically notarized one.
Notarize it online ($50 per session) Request a mobile notary in South Carolina
Booking sends a request; we confirm the time and the price before you pay.
In person, we look for a notary commissioned in South Carolina near you; you approve the price first.
If a local notary in South Carolina does it: Acknowledgment, jurat or signature witnessing, per signature, $5; Oath or affirmation without a signature, per person, $5, under the state's fee rules (South Carolina notary fees).
Get it notarized online today
Online notary: open now until 9 PM ET · sessions by appointment · times confirmed by email
A New Jersey notary can notarize this with you on a video call, wherever you are in the U.S. $50 for the session, $10 for each extra signer. Any other fee shows in the booking form before you confirm. Open 7 am to 9 pm ET, every day, by appointment.
What you need
- A valid government photo ID
- A computer or phone with a camera
- The unsigned document
Our certificate states the act was performed using communication technology, as New Jersey law requires. What it must say
Most U.S. recipients accept a remotely notarized document; check with whoever will receive it. What to ask them · Several signers
Sources
- Greenville County Probate Court: Small estate proceedings brochure (Form 420ES) (checked November 2026)
- Lexington County Probate Court: Estate administration (checked November 2026)
- Nolo (secondary source): Probate Shortcuts in South Carolina (Nolo, updated 10/21/2024) (checked November 2026)
Sourced from official pages; a few facts from vetted secondary sources, marked "(secondary source)".
We are not lawyers, and this is general information, not legal advice. Checked November 2026. Rules change, and whoever receives the document decides what it accepts; we can't guarantee acceptance.
Common questions
Is a notary required for a South Carolina small estate affidavit?
Yes, a notary is required. Sign and notarize the form where indicated.
What is the small estate limit in South Carolina?
Personal property and cash accounts worth $25,000 or less net of liens. It can't be used to distribute real estate; titled property such as cars and boats counts.
How long after a death can the South Carolina affidavit be used?
At least 30 days after the death (the brochure also says 31 days in one place; ask the court).
Is the South Carolina affidavit filed with a court?
Filed with the county probate court, which issues an order.
Can I sign the South Carolina affidavit with an online notary?
Our New Jersey notary can notarize it by video while you're in South Carolina. The state says a notarial certificate made in another jurisdiction is sufficient in South Carolina when it meets the law of the place where it was made. Ask the bank, holder or court that will receive it whether it accepts an electronically notarized affidavit.
What does a notary charge in South Carolina?
$5 per signature for an acknowledgment, jurat or signature witnessing, under the state's fee rules. A mobile notary may add a travel fee; ask for the total first.
Keep going
- Eligibility checker
- Small estate rules in every state
- A power of attorney in South Carolina
- A will in South Carolina
A small estate affidavit in another state: Rhode Island · South Dakota · every state