Don't have children? Find out who will inherit your estate after your death.

Most people would like to have control over what happens to their life's assets after they pass away. They then decide to make a will. However, not everyone wants to or has the time to do so. Inheritance is then governed by legal provisions, which are not always favorable to the deceased person's loved ones.

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Inheritance. Who takes over your estate after your death?

If someone fails to leave a will before their death, or if their will is invalidated, the fate of their estate is determined by inheritance law . Statutory inheritance, guided by the provisions of the Code, does not always take into account the deceased's intentions, especially if they were single.

Death without a will. What does the spouse get?

According to the law, the deceased's children and spouse inherit first, in equal shares. This means that with one child, the widow/widower and their offspring each receive half of the estate . With two children, each of the three individuals (the husband or wife and two children) receives one-third. However, the law protects the spouse. Their share can never be less than one-fourth of the entire estate.

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If the deceased's father and mother are both alive, the inheritance is divided as follows: one-half of the inheritance goes to the widow/widower, one-quarter to each parent, and if one of them is deceased, a quarter is given (equally) to the deceased's siblings. The siblings will share half of the inheritance (and the spouse the other half) if the parents of the person whose estate is being divided are also deceased.

In the case where the parents are alive but there are no offspring or spouses to whom the estate would be inherited by law, the entire estate goes to the father and mother. If either of them dies, their share goes to their siblings. If a brother or sister predeceases the testator, their share passes to their children.

Death without an heir. The State Treasury may gain.

Next, there is a situation in which the estate owner had no descendants, spouse, parents, siblings, or descendants of siblings. In such a case, the entire estate (one-quarter each) falls to the grandparents. Their share of the estate passes to the heirs, i.e., the testator's uncles, aunts, and/or their children.

Almost at the very end, according to statutory inheritance, are stepchildren. However, if the presence of heirs is gradually eliminated, the estate is inherited by the municipality where the deceased's last residence was located. If the address cannot be determined, the estate is administered by the State Treasury .

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