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12 Del. C. § 2306 · checked 2026-10-20
Delaware small estate affidavit limit
In Delaware the small estate affidavit is available when the personal estate, excluding jointly owned property and property described in 12 Del. C. § 1901(b) and (c) is $50,000 or less, and it can be used 30 days after the death. It works through an affidavit handed to the bank or other holder, with no court filing.
- 1Dollar limit $50,000
- 2Waiting period 30 days
- 3Filed with Asset holder
- 4Statute 12 Del. C. § 2306
What 12 Del. C. § 2306 says
The operative words of the statute, as read on 2026-10-20:
“does not exceed $50,000”
That test is applied to the personal estate, excluding jointly owned property and property described in 12 Del. C. § 1901(b) and (c). The affidavit requires that the decedent did not own real estate in Delaware, either solely or as tenants in common. The Register of Wills may issue the affidavit.
Source: 12 Del. C. § 2306. Last checked 2026-10-20.
Worked examples against the $50,000 limit
| Estate value | Result under 12 Del. C. § 2306 |
|---|---|
| $30,000 | Within the limit |
| $50,000 | Within the limit |
| $51,000 | Over the limit by $1,000: the small-estate route is closed |
Values are the estate as the statute measures it — personal estate, excluding jointly owned property and property described in 12 Del. C. § 1901(b) and (c) — not everything the person owned. Delaware's figure is $12,500 below the $62,500 median of the 48 jurisdictions with a dollar limit on this site, ranking 25th from the top, level with Alaska, Iowa, Maryland, Michigan.
When the route opens
The statute requires 30 days to pass after the death. For a death on January 15, 2026, the earliest date is February 14, 2026. 7 of the 31 jurisdictions with a written wait make people wait longer and 3 wait less; the median is 30 days.
If the estate goes through full probate instead, creditors have 8 months counted from the decedent's death (12 Del. C. § 2102(a)). The Delaware probate timeline works those dates through.
Filing and fees
This is a no-court procedure: the person entitled to the property signs the affidavit and presents it to whoever holds the asset — a bank, a transfer agent, a motor-vehicle office. The court fee schedule for Delaware 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 small estate affidavit and what it charges. This site does not supply forms or refer anyone to a lawyer.
Nearby South Atlantic jurisdictions
District of Columbia: $80,000; Florida: $150,000; Georgia: no dollar cap; Maryland: $50,000; North Carolina: $20,000 after 30 days; South Carolina: $45,000 after 30 days; Virginia: $75,000 after 60 days; West Virginia: $50,000.
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 Delaware probate court or its self-help center before filing.