Massachusetts Voluntary Administration: How-To

Quick answer: once 30 days have passed and personal property (excluding one vehicle) is at or under $25,000, file a statement with the Register of Probate and pay the $115 fee. Check whether an estate qualifies with the Massachusetts voluntary administration checker.

Step by step

1. Wait 30 days from the date of death.
2. Confirm there's no real estate in the decedent's name, at any value.
3. Total the qualifying personal property, excluding one motor vehicle.
4. Confirm the total is $25,000 or less.
5. Gather the original will (if any), the certified death certificate, and asset and debt information.
6. File the voluntary administration statement with the Register of Probate at the Probate and Family Court in the decedent's county.

Debts come before distribution

The court can still require full probate

If disputes arise among heirs, or the estate turns out to be larger than $25,000 once everything is accounted for, the court may require informal or formal probate instead of letting voluntary administration proceed.

Meaningfully faster and cheaper

Voluntary administration typically takes 1 to 3 months to complete, compared to 6 to 12 months or more for informal or formal probate — and the $115 filing fee is a fraction of the $390 total for a standard informal probate petition.

Suffolk, Middlesex, and Norfolk County each process this filing through their own Register of Probate, but the $25,000 threshold and 30-day wait apply identically statewide.

How-to — frequently asked questions