Oregon Executor and Estate Kit: the $275,000 Small Estate Route After 30 Days, First Month Checklist and Estate Ledger

Who it is for

Whoever is settling the estate of someone who lived in Oregon. Through a court office. Filed with the clerk of the probate court ($124 fee), with a certified death certificate (and the original will, if any); copies go to the Department of Human Services and the Oregon Health Authority.

Not the right fit if

The person didn't live in or own property in Oregon, 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: Oregon Judicial Department, Lincoln County Circuit Court: Probate self-help; Oregon SB 15 (2025), enrolled (Oregon Legislature); Oregon Judicial Department, Multnomah County Circuit Court: Probate FAQ; ORS Chapter 112, Intestate Succession and Wills (Oregon Legislature); Justia (statute text) (secondary source): ORS 112.235, Execution of a will (2021 Oregon Revised Statutes, Justia); FindLaw Codes (secondary source): ORS 112.238, Exception to will execution formalities (FindLaw Codes, current as of January 1, 2023); Nolo (secondary source): How to Make a Will in Oregon (Nolo, updated August 2025).
• All 11 Oregon facts are confirmed: on an official page, or where none could be read, on a vetted secondary source marked as such.

What is inside

• Oregon small estate route. The estate's fair market value up to $275,000, with no more than $200,000 in real property and no more than $75,000 in personal property. Real estate counts toward the value, and the procedure can reach it. 30 days. Not less than 30 days after the death. Sworn; a notary can give the oath. Filing the affidavit is swearing that it's true. Through a court office. Filed with the clerk of the probate court ($124 fee), with a certified death certificate (and the original will, if any); copies go to the Department of Human Services and the Oregon Health Authority. Affidavit of Claiming Successor (intestate or testate estate). Linked from the court's probate self-help page. Small estate affidavit filed with the circuit court: The small estate procedure itself: the court calls it a shorter, less expensive alternative to probate, with no personal representative appointed and no letters issued.
• How a Oregon will had to be signed. Two witnesses, who each see the testator sign or acknowledge the signature and then sign. A witness's signature on an affidavit signed at the same time as the will counts as a witness signature. The statute we read doesn't mention a notary. Not recognized as a separate kind of will: every will must be in writing and signed by the testator and two witnesses (ORS 112.235). A document that misses those steps, handwritten or not, can be treated as a will only if a court finds clear and convincing evidence the person meant it as one (ORS 112.238). A will signed by an interested witness isn't invalid for that reason.
• Oregon estate ledger (Excel). Assets, debts, payments and distributions; it compares the countable assets with $275,000, dates day 30 after the death and counts real estate in the person's name.
• First 30 days, tracker and letters. The first month in order with day 30 marked, a documents and accounts tracker, and plain letters to a bank, a utility and Social Security.