Home / Small estate limits / New England
RSA 553:32 · checked 2026-10-20
New Hampshire small estate affidavit limit
New Hampshire's simplified route is the waiver of administration. New Hampshire repealed its old voluntary administration section (RSA 553:31) effective January 1, 2006. The remaining simplified route, waiver of administration, has no dollar ceiling: no inventory, bond or accounting is required, and the administrator files an affidavit of administration not less than 6 months and no more than one year after appointment.
- 1Dollar limit No cap
- 2Waiting period None stated
- 3Filed with Court
- 4Statute RSA 553:32
What RSA 553:32 says
The operative words of the statute, as read on 2026-10-20:
“not less than 6 months and no more than one year”
The test is no dollar test; available where the sole heir or beneficiary is administrator, all heirs or beneficiaries assent, a trust is the sole beneficiary with its trustees assenting, or the court finds it appropriate.
Source: RSA 553:32. Last checked 2026-10-20.
When the route opens
RSA 553:32 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.
If the estate goes through full probate instead, creditors have 6 months counted from the original grant of administration (RSA 556:3). The New Hampshire probate timeline works those dates through.
Filing and fees
This route is still a court proceeding, but a shorter one than full administration: a petition, notice to interested persons, and an order. The court fee schedule for New Hampshire 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 waiver of administration and what it charges. This site does not supply forms or refer anyone to a lawyer.
Nearby New England jurisdictions
Connecticut: $40,000; Maine: $40,000 base after 30 days; Massachusetts: $25,000 after 30 days; 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 New Hampshire probate court or its self-help center before filing.