Blog & Resources

If an executor sells his mother’s Chester County home, does he have to pay the Pennsylvania probate tax before dividing up the sale proceeds with his siblings?

First, let’s clarify a few things. In Pennsylvania, the “probate tax” is the Pennsylvania Inheritance Tax. Because the estate is being divided up between the mother’s children, that rate is 4.5% on the date of death value of her entire taxable estate. The taxable estate includes the house.

If you are a Delaware County resident with a will, following your death your executor will take your death certificate, the original copy of your will, a checkbook and an ID card to the Delaware County Register of Wills Office to be sworn in as the executor of your estate.

Being an executor means that this person is a fiduciary with many responsibilities and duties. Selecting the correct person for the job is a vital part of your estate plan.

The filing of your Bucks County Will with the Register of Wills just got easier.

The Bucks County Register of Wills, Don Petrille, announced that his office will begin accepting credit and debit cards for the payment of all office fees. The Clerk of the Orphans’ Court will also accept credit and debit cards for all court filings.

If you are a Bucks County resident with a will, following your death your executor will take your death certificate, the original copy of your will, a checkbook and an ID card to the Bucks County Register of Wills Office to be sworn in as the executor of your estate.

Being an executor means that this person is a fiduciary with many responsibilities and duties. Selecting the correct person for the job is a vital part of your estate plan.

Montgomery County Orphans’ Court Local Rule 3.7A states that the Clerk of the Orphans’ Court of Montgomery County shall now accept all legal papers and exhibits either by traditional paper filings or Petitions for Probate and other filings may be made by electronic filing through the Clerk of Orphans’ Court of Montgomery County Electronic Filing System.

Unlike other counties, Montgomery County chose not to change its filing rules so that all filing must be electronic by a certain date. This will be helpful for older practitioners who might need some time to modify their practice to include electronic filing. Over time, though, electronic filing will make the Montgomery County system much more user friendly, speed up the process and reduce costs.

The only constant is change, and that holds especially true for filing fees. Effective immediately, the Chester County Register of Wills and Clerk of Orphans’ Court announced that the Commonwealth’s portion of all initial Petition filing fees will increase from $23.50 to $35.50; a 51% increase.

Normally, if a dispute regarding a Will or Trust cannot be settled between the parties, the dispute is heard by one of the Orphans’ Court Judges. These hearings can last several days, require months of preparation, may involve dozens of witnesses and experts costing the parties large sums of money. In some cases, this is the only way to settle the dispute. In other cases Mediation is a reasonable alternative to an Orphan’s Court hearing.

A little preparation will greatly decrease the amount of time you will spend in the Register of Wills’ office. If you are the named executor in a will and are preparing to take the will to the Register’s office, here is what you will need:

Marriage is supposed to be for love and planning the wedding can be exciting, but take a few minutes and think about the less-fun aspects of your upcoming marriage such as the income tax ramifications. By spending some time thinking through various tax implications you just might have a happier …and more profitable… marriage.

Governor Tom Corbett’s announcement in May of 2014 that he will not pursue an appeal of U.S. District Judge John Jones’ decision in Whitewood v. Wolf means that same-sex marriage is here to stay in Pennsylvania. This means a same-sex marriage will result in the same tax treatment both with the IRS and with the Pennsylvania Department of Revenue. Equality is finally here, but some tax aspects of the equal treatment are advantageous and some are disadvantageous.

Often people will ask me if their assets are large enough to justify an estate plan. The simple answer is that if your life never changes, if you never get ill, if your assets never change and if your children’s lives are worry free, you might not need an estate plan. Otherwise, if your life is like the rest of ours, you will benefit form an estate plan. It might not be a complicated plan, but the chances are that even a simple estate plan will provide you great benefits.