Simplified route
procedure-specific
Summary distribution of small estate (Ala. Code §§ 43-2-690 to 43-2-692); usable 30 days after death.
Eligibility and caveatsAlabama estate administration
Alabama probate: rules, process, costs, executor fees and deadlines
Small-estate limit: procedure-specific
This guide explains probate in Alabama: Alabama offers summary distribution of a small estate (Ala. Code §§ 43-2-690 to 43-2-692) for personal-property-only estates whose value does not exceed a CPI-indexed "small estate amount" (§ 43-2-691), heard in the county Probate Court. The statewide grant-of-letters fee is $45.00, executor compensation is capped at 2.5% of receipts plus 2.5% of disbursements, and creditor claims run six months from the grant of letters (or five months from first publication, whichever is later).
Sources reviewed August 9, 2026. Latest primary-source re-fetch October 3, 2026.
Answer first
Alabama simplified probate route
No single dollar limit; usable 30 days after death.
Summary distribution of small estate (Ala. Code §§ 43-2-690 to 43-2-692)Screen a specific Alabama estate with the calculators on the small-estate page and the executor-fee page, or compare states in the full estate navigator.
What the reviewed rules establish
Court cost
$45
One statewide amount.
Filing-cost detailExecutor compensation
Court-reviewed
The statute caps compensation; the court sets the amount within it. Source: Ala. Code § 43-2-848.
Compensation detailCreditor deadline
180 days
Ala. Code § 43-2-350 (Alabama Legislature (Code of Alabama 1975); reviewed August 9, 2026)
Timeline and creditor detailsAlabama provisions this site could not read
Not every state serves its own code. Where Alabama did not, the attempt is recorded here instead of being covered over with a figure copied from a secondary summary. Each row names the authority that would settle the question and the page that failed to return it.
| Authority sought | What is therefore not published | Tried on |
|---|---|---|
| Code of Alabama, tit. 43 (compensation of personal representatives) | No Alabama compensation figure appears here, because the state serves its code as an application rather than as text — representative pay | 2026-09-17 |
| Code of Alabama, tit. 43, ch. 2 (presentation of claims) | The Alabama creditor period is left unstated here for the same reason, and the risk of guessing it is higher — creditor deadline | 2026-09-17 |
Alabama decision map
The four facts that change the Alabama route
Each Alabama answer below links to the page that sets out its source.
| Question | Recorded Alabama answer |
|---|---|
| What route is being screened? | Summary distribution of small estate (Ala. Code §§ 43-2-690 to 43-2-692) |
| What property and basis count? | personal probate property only; gross value with statutory exemptions not classified by this worksheet. |
| What is the amount screen? | No numeric ceiling verified |
| What is the time or deadline record? | 30 days after death; creditor deadlines: 180 days |
| What does the cost record establish? | $45 is the recorded statewide amount. |
| What does compensation use? | Statutory ceiling, measured on money received and paid out during administration. |
Limits and unresolved costs
- Small estate threshold is a CPI-indexed administrative figure (§ 43-8-116) — published as UNKNOWN with base allowances ($15,000 homestead etc.) and mechanism captured; the current operative dollar amount must be read from the AOC/Treasurer publication.
- Filing fee $45.00 is the statewide floor; § 12-19-90(d) lets counties add local charges, so a county-specific total may exceed $45.00.
Continue
What Alabama courts publish
Every link is probed before each release.
- Forms indexAlabama Judicial System — eFormsAlabama Administrative Office of Courts
Limits on court material
- Probate is heard in the county Probate Court. Filing fees for the grant of letters are a $45.00 statewide figure (§ 12-19-90) but § 12-19-90(d) expressly preserves local fee laws, so individual counties may add charges.
- Alabama publishes no single statewide small-estate affidavit. The summary-distribution petition is filed with the Probate Court of the county of residence, and each probate court issues its own form, so the county court is the place to obtain it.
Alabama primary sources
- Ala. Code § 43-2-692 — Ala. Code § 43-2-692 — Petition for Summary Distribution
- Ala. Code § 43-2-691 — Ala. Code § 43-2-691 — Definitions (small estate amount)
- Ala. Code § 43-8-116 — Ala. Code § 43-8-116 — Adjustments to Exemption Values (CPI)
- Ala. Code § 43-8-110 — Ala. Code § 43-8-110 — Homestead Allowance
- Ala. Code § 43-2-848 — Ala. Code § 43-2-848 — Compensation of Personal Representative
- Ala. Code § 12-19-90 — Ala. Code § 12-19-90 — Judge of Probate; Schedule of Fees
- Ala. Code § 43-2-350 — Ala. Code § 43-2-350 — Time and Manner of Filing Claims
Every quotation, edition label and machine check is on the Alabama source record.
Alabama record: 7/7 verified, 23 matched checks, latest source re-fetch October 3, 2026. Source record · method · report a correction