If you die without a will in Alaska, your assets will go to your closest relatives under state "intestate succession" laws. Here are some details about how intestate succession works in Alaska.
Only assets that pass through probate are affected by intestate succession laws. Many valuable assets don't go through probate, and therefore aren't affected by intestate succession laws. Here are some examples:
These assets will pass to the surviving co-owner or to the beneficiary you named, whether or not you have a will. However, if you don't have a will and none of the named beneficiaries are alive to take the property, then the property could end up being transferred according to intestate succession.
To learn more about these types of assets, go to the How to Avoid Probate section of Nolo.com or read about Avoiding Probate in Alaska.
Under intestate succession, who gets what depends on whether or not you have living children, parents, or other close relatives when you die. Here's a quick overview:
If you die with: |
here's what happens: |
children but no spouse | children inherit everything |
spouse but no descendants or parents | spouse inherits everything |
parents but no spouse or children | parents inherit everything |
siblings but no children, spouse, or parents | siblings inherit everything |
spouse and descendants from you and that spouse, and the spouse has no other descendants | spouse inherits everything |
spouse and descendants from you and that spouse, and the spouse has descendants from another relationship | spouse inherits the first $150,000 of your intestate property, plus 1/2 of the balance your descendants inherit everything else |
spouse and descendants from you and someone other than that spouse | spouse inherits the first $100,000 of your intestate property, plus 1/2 of the balance your descendants inherit everything else |
spouse and parents | spouse inherits the first $200,000 of the intestate estate, plus 3/4 of the balance parents inherit everything else |
In Alaska, if you are married and you die without a will, what your spouse gets depends on whether or not you have living parents or descendants -- children, grandchildren, or great-grandchildren. If you don't, then your spouse inherits all of your intestate property. If you do, they and your spouse will share your intestate property as follows:
If you die with parents but no descendants. Your surviving spouse inherits the first $200,000 of your intestate property, plus 3/4 of the balance.
Example: Gerry is married to Joe, and her father is still alive. Gerry and Joe signed an agreement that they wanted their house to be treated as community property; it is designated community property with right of survivorship. Joe is also the named beneficiary of Gerry's retirement account. When Gerry dies, Joe automatically inherits the house and any remaining retirement funds; those things are not intestate property. Because Gerry has significant additional property that would have passed under a will, Joe inherits $200,000 worth of that property plus 3/4 of everything else. The remaining 1/4 of the intestate property goes to Gerry's father.
If you die with children or other descendants from you and the surviving spouse, and your surviving spouse has no descendants from previous relationships. Your surviving spouse inherits all of your intestate property.
If you die with children or other descendants from you and the surviving spouse, and your surviving spouse has other descendants from previous relationships. Your surviving spouse inherits the first $150,000 of your intestate property, plus 1/2 of the balance.
Example: Bill is married to Karen, and they have two grown children. Karen also has a son from a previous marriage. Bill and Karen own a large bank account in joint tenancy, and Bill took out a life insurance policy naming Karen as the beneficiary. When Bill dies, Karen receives the life insurance policy proceeds and inherits the bank account outright. Bill also owns a good deal of other property that would have passed under a will, so Karen inherits $150,000 worth of that property plus half of everything else. The remaining half of Bill's intestate property goes to Bill's and Karen's two children.
If you die with descendants who are not the descendants of your surviving spouse. Your spouse inherits the first $100,000 of your intestate property, plus 1/2 of the balance.
Example: Barrett is married to Jed and also has a daughter from a previous marriage. Barrett owns a house in joint tenancy with Jed, plus $200,000 worth of additional, separate property that would have passed under a will if Barrett had made one. When Barrett dies, Jed inherits the house outright and $150,000 worth of Barrett's property -- that is, $100,000 plus half of the remainder. Barrett's daughter inherits the remaining $50,000 share of Barrett's property.
In addition, if you own inalienable stock in a corporation organized under the Alaska Native Claims Act, your spouse's inheritable share depends on whether you have children, grandchildren, or great grandchildren. If you don't, your spouse inherits all of it. If you do, your spouse takes half.
If you die without a will in Alaska, your children will receive an "intestate share" of your property. The size of each child's share depends on how many children you have, whether you are married, and whether your children are also your spouse's children. (See the table above.)
For children to inherit from you under the laws of intestacy, the state of Alaska must consider them your children, legally. For many families, this is not a confusing issue. But it's not always clear. Here are some things to keep in mind.
If you want to read the law, Alaska Statutes § § 13.12.108 and 13.12.114 cover parent-child relationships.
This can be a tricky area of the law, so if you have questions about your relationship to your parent or child, get help from an experienced attorney.
If you die without a will and don't have any family, your property will "escheat" into the state's coffers. However, this very rarely happens because the laws are designed to get your property to anyone who was even remotely related to you. For example, your property won't go to the state if you leave a spouse, children, grandchildren, parents, grandparents, siblings, nieces, nephews, aunts, uncles, or cousins.
Here are a few other things to know about Alaska intestacy laws.
To learn more about intestate succession, read How an Estate Is Settled If There's No Will.
You can find Alaska's intestate succession laws here: Alaska Statutes § § 13.12.101-13.12.114.
For more about estate planning, go to the Wills, Trusts & Probate section of Nolo.com.
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