If you die without a will in New Mexico, your assets will go to your closest relatives under state "intestate succession" laws. Here are some details about how intestate succession works in New Mexico.
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 New Mexico.
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 children | spouse inherits everything |
parents but no children or spouse | parents inherit everything |
siblings but no children, spouse, or parents | siblings inherit everything |
a spouse and children | spouse inherits all of your community property and 1/4 of your separate property children inherit 3/4 of your separate property |
In New Mexico, if you are married and you die without a will, what your spouse gets depends in part on how the two of you owned your property -- as separate property or community property. Generally, community property is property acquired while you were married, and separate property is property you acquired before marriage. There are a couple of big exceptions: Gifts and inheritances given to one spouse are separate property, even if acquired during marriage.
If you want to learn more about how community property works, read Separate and Community Property During Marriage: Who Owns What?
Your spouse will inherit your half of the community property. If you have separate property (many spouses mix everything together and don't have any separate property) your spouse will inherit all or a portion of it. The size of your spouse's share of your separate property depends on whether or not you leave living descendants. If you do, they and your spouse will share your separate property.
If you're concerned about this area of the law, see an experienced attorney for help.
If you die without a will in New Mexico, your children will receive an "intestate share" of your property. The size of each child's share depends on how many children you have and whether or not you are married. (See the table above.)
For children to inherit from you under the laws of intestacy, the state of New Mexico 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.
In case you want to read the law, New Mexico Statutes § § 45-2-115 to 45-2-122 cover parent-child relationships. These matters can be tricky, 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, siblings, parents, grandparents, aunts or uncles, great uncles or aunts, nieces or nephews, cousins of any degree, or the descendants of a spouse who dies before you do. (See New Mexico Statutes § 45-2-103.)
Here are a few other things to know about New Mexico intestacy laws.
To learn more about intestate succession, read How an Estate Is Settled If There's No Will.
You can find New Mexico's intestate succession laws in Sections 45-2-101 to 45-2-114 of the New Mexico Statutes.
For more about estate planning, go to the Wills, Trusts & Probate section of Nolo.com.
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