If you die without a will in Maryland, your assets will go to your closest relatives under state "intestate succession" laws. Here are some details about how intestate succession works in Maryland.
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 Maryland.
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 | spouse inherits everything |
spouse and children who are minors | spouse inherits 1/2 of your intestate property children inherit everything else |
spouse and descendants who aren't descendants of your spouse, but no children who are minors | spouse inherits the first $100,000 of your intestate property, plus 1/2 of the balance descendants inherit everything else |
parents but no spouse or descendants | parents inherit everything |
siblings but no spouse, descendants, or parents | siblings inherit everything |
(Md. Code Est. and Trusts §§ 3-102; 3-103; 3-104 (2023).)
In Maryland, if you are married and you die without a will, what your spouse gets depends on whether or not you have living 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 children who are minors. Your spouse inherits 1/2 of your intestate property. (Md. Code Est. and Trusts § 3-102 (2023).)
Example: Barrett is married to Jed and also has a 12-year-old 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 $100,000 worth of Barrett's property. Barrett's daughter inherits the remaining $100,000 share of Barrett's property.
If you die with descendants who aren't descendants of your spouse but no children who are minors. Your surviving spouse inherits the first $100,000 of your intestate property, plus 1/2 of the balance. (Md. Code Est. and Trusts § 3-102 (2023).)
Example: Bill is married to Karen, and Bill has two grown children 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 $400,000 worth of other property that would have passed under a will, so Karen inherits $250,000 worth of that property—that is, $100,000 plus 1/2 of the $300,000 balance. The two children split the remaining $150,000 worth of property.
If you die without a will in Maryland, 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 or not you are married and whether your children are minors. (See the table above.)
For children to inherit from you under the laws of intestacy, the state of Maryland 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, you can search the code from the website of the Maryland General Assembly.
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, great grandparents, nieces, nephews, cousins, aunts, uncles, or the descendants of a spouse who dies before you do. (Md. Code Est. and Trusts § 3-104 (2023).)
If you do die without a will and without any heirs, your estate will be paid to either the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene or the county board of education. (Md. Code Est. and Trusts § 3-105 (2023).)
Here are a few other things to know about Maryland intestacy laws.
To learn more about intestate succession, read How an Estate Is Settled If There's No Will.
You can find Maryland's intestate succession laws in the Estates & Trusts chapter of the Maryland Code § § 3-101 to 3-112. If you want to read the law, you can search the Maryland Code from the website of the Maryland General Assembly.
For more about estate planning, go to the Wills, Trusts & Probate section of Nolo.com.
Ready to create your will?