Quick answer: once 45 days have passed and the gross probate estate is at or under $100,000, complete Form 54985 and present it directly to each bank, employer, or institution holding the decedent's personal property. Check whether an estate qualifies with the Indiana small estate checker.
Step by step
- Wait 45 days from the date of death.
- Total the gross probate estate, subtracting liens, encumbrances, and reasonable funeral expenses. Exclude real estate and anything that already passes outside probate.
- Complete Form 54985, Indiana's official Small Estate Affidavit, stating the successor's relationship to the decedent and the estate's value.
- Present it directly to each bank, employer, or other institution holding the decedent's personal property, along with proof of death.
- Handle real estate separately — through an opened estate or the IC 29-1-7-23 title affidavit, since the small estate affidavit never reaches it.
No court, no filing fee
This is a private-party process, not a court proceeding — the affidavit goes to whoever holds the asset. That means no court filing fee attaches to this route, unlike Indiana's flat $177 fee for opening a full estate.
More than one successor can use it
Multiple distributees can each present affidavits for their own respective shares of the personal property, as long as the estate as a whole still meets the $100,000 threshold — useful when several heirs are each collecting different accounts or items.
A local probate attorney can review your estate — many offer a free consultation.
Form 54985 works identically whether the decedent lived in Marion, Allen, Lake, or any other Indiana county — the form and threshold are set statewide.