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Conn. Gen. Stat. § 45a-273 · checked 2026-10-20
Connecticut small estate affidavit limit
In Connecticut the affidavit in lieu of administration (small estate) is available when the solely owned personal property, excluding property that passes outside probate by operation of law is $40,000 or less; the statute sets no waiting period. It works through an affidavit or sworn statement filed with the court or its clerk.
- 1Dollar limit $40,000
- 2Waiting period None stated
- 3Filed with Court
- 4Statute Conn. Gen. Stat. § 45a-273
What Conn. Gen. Stat. § 45a-273 says
The operative words of the statute, as read on 2026-10-20:
“does not exceed forty thousand dollars”
That test is applied to the solely owned personal property, excluding property that passes outside probate by operation of law. The procedure is available only if the decedent owned no solely owned real property in Connecticut. The court sends a copy of the affidavit to the Department of Administrative Services and may not issue its decree until thirty days after that copy is sent.
Source: Conn. Gen. Stat. § 45a-273. Last checked 2026-10-20.
Worked examples against the $40,000 limit
| Estate value | Result under Conn. Gen. Stat. § 45a-273 |
|---|---|
| $24,000 | Within the limit |
| $40,000 | Within the limit |
| $41,000 | Over the limit by $1,000: the small-estate route is closed |
Values are the estate as the statute measures it — solely owned personal property, excluding property that passes outside probate by operation of law — not everything the person owned. Connecticut's figure is $22,500 below the $62,500 median of the 48 jurisdictions with a dollar limit on this site, ranking 41st from the top, level with Maine, Missouri.
When the route opens
Conn. Gen. Stat. § 45a-273 does not write a waiting period into the procedure, so timing depends on the court's own processing after the papers are filed. 31 of the 51 jurisdictions here do set one, most often around 30 days.
Filing and fees
The sworn statement goes to the court or its clerk, which keeps it on file. The court fee schedule for Connecticut could not be read when this page was checked, so no fee is shown.
The free route is the probate court itself: the clerk or register in the county where the person lived can say which form the court uses for the affidavit in lieu of administration (small estate) and what it charges. This site does not supply forms or refer anyone to a lawyer.
Nearby New England jurisdictions
Maine: $40,000 base after 30 days; Massachusetts: $25,000 after 30 days; New Hampshire: no dollar cap; Rhode Island: $15,000 after 30 days; Vermont: $45,000.
Related: small estate limits compared · assets that skip probate · all 51 jurisdictions.
General information from the statute as written on 2026-10-20; not legal advice. Statutes change, courts add local rules, and the facts of an estate decide which route applies. Confirm with the Connecticut probate court or its self-help center before filing.