Maryland Executor and Estate Kit: the $50,000 Small Estate Route, First Month Checklist and Estate Ledger

Who it is for

Whoever is settling the estate of someone who lived in Maryland. Through a court office. The petition and Schedule B are filed with the Register of Wills promptly after the death; a notice is published once if required.

Not the right fit if

The person didn't live in or own property in Maryland, or a will contest or family dispute means you need an estate attorney. Not a form preparation or legal service.

Why it is different

• Sources, checked November 2026: Maryland Register of Wills: Administration of estates; Maryland Register of Wills: Small estate form list; Maryland Register of Wills: General estate information guide; Maryland 2022 Laws Chapter 176 (HB 576), amending Estates and Trusts 4-102 (Maryland General Assembly); Nolo (secondary source): How to Make a Will in Maryland (Nolo, updated August 2025).
• 4 facts aren't stated on those pages, so the kit leaves them out and lists them once to look up, with the official page.

What is inside

• Maryland small estate route. Probate assets of $50,000 or less, or $100,000 if the surviving spouse is the sole legatee or heir. For deaths before October 1, 2012 the limits were $30,000 and $50,000. Through a court office. The petition and Schedule B are filed with the Register of Wills promptly after the death; a notice is published once if required. Petition for Probate with Schedule B (small estate). Filed with the Register of Wills with a list of interested persons, an information report and, where required, a notice to creditors and bond; no fees are due on small estates since October 1, 2022. Small estate administration (and modified administration for regular estates): Small estate administration is a short Register of Wills process. Modified administration is a streamlined path in a regular estate that replaces the inventory and account with a final report. The limit doubles to $100,000 when the surviving spouse is the sole legatee or heir.
• How a Maryland will had to be signed. Two or more credible witnesses, in the testator's physical or electronic presence. No separate affidavit is needed. Per Nolo (citing Md. Est. & Trusts 5-303), a will that is signed and witnessed correctly doesn't have to be proved to the probate court, so there's no self-proving affidavit to make. Only for a member of the armed services outside the U.S.; entirely in the testator's handwriting, and void one year after discharge unless the testator has died or lost capacity (Nolo, citing Md. Est. & Trusts 4-103).
• Maryland estate ledger (Excel). Assets, debts, payments and distributions; it compares the countable assets with $50,000, picking the figure for the date of death, marks real estate to ask the court about and notes the $100,000 figure with a surviving spouse.
• First 30 days, tracker and letters. The first month in order, a documents and accounts tracker, and plain letters to a bank, a utility and Social Security.
• Look up before you file in Maryland. real estate, waiting period after the death, notary or oath: look up on Maryland Register of Wills: Administration of estates; a witness who inherits: look up on Maryland 2022 Laws Chapter 176 (HB 576), amending Estates and Trusts 4-102 (Maryland General Assembly).