Quick answer: once 30 days have passed and the entire probate estate is at or under $75,000, complete the affidavit and present it directly to each bank, employer, or agency holding the decedent's personal property. Check whether an estate qualifies with the Minnesota small estate checker.
Step by step
- Wait 30 days from the date of death.
- Total the entire probate estate, personal property only. Exclude real estate and anything that already passes outside probate.
- Confirm no probate petition is pending or has been granted.
- Complete the affidavit, itemizing the property and confirming your status as a successor.
- Present it directly to each bank, employer, or institution holding the property — including, for a vehicle, the same affidavit at the Department of Public Safety.
No court filing, no filing fee
This is a private-party process, not a court proceeding — the affidavit for collection of personal property goes to whoever holds the asset. It avoids the $310 district court filing fee entirely, since it doesn't open a court case.
One affidavit, several institutions
The same affidavit process can be used with multiple institutions holding different pieces of the decedent's property — a bank for the checking account, a brokerage for securities, the county for a safe deposit box — as long as the entire estate stays within the $75,000 cap.
A local probate attorney can review your estate — many offer a free consultation.
The affidavit works identically whether the decedent lived in Hennepin, Ramsey, Dakota, or any other Minnesota county — the threshold is set statewide.