Probate
Whether you need probate in Utah after a death, and how to handle small estates and informal probate.
Closing a Utah Estate: Final Steps
The verified closing statement is the document that actually ends Utah probate — but filing it too early, or before the estate is truly ready, creates real risk for the personal representative.
Utah Probate Timeline: How Long Does It Take
Four to six months is the realistic floor for a straightforward Utah probate — set by a mandatory four-month creditor claim period that can't be shortened, no matter how simple the estate is.
Digital Assets in a Utah Estate Plan
Utah's Fiduciary Access to Digital Assets Act lets you control who can access your online accounts after death — but only if you actually use an online tool or your estate documents to say so.
Does Utah Have an Estate Tax?
Utah has no state estate tax and no inheritance tax at all — the federal estate tax exemption for 2026 is $15 million per person, so most Utah estates owe nothing at either level.
Powers of Attorney in Utah: Durable, Medical, and Financial
Utah combines a medical power of attorney and living will into one Advance Health Care Directive — and a financial power of attorney is a separate document entirely.
Wills vs. Trusts in Utah: Which Do You Need
A will generally still requires probate; a properly funded trust generally avoids it — the practical, procedural difference that matters most when comparing the two.
Contested Probate in Utah: When Formal Probate Is Required
When a Utah estate can't proceed through the streamlined informal probate process — a will contest, a custody-of-the-will dispute, or an unresolved priority question — and formal, judge-supervised probate becomes necessary.
Creditor Claims Against a Utah Estate
Creditors generally have a limited window to make a claim against a Utah estate — miss it, and the debt may go unpaid; a personal representative who ignores this process risks personal liability.
Utah Will Requirements: What Makes a Will Legally Valid
Utah's requirements for a valid will — including the handwritten holographic will exception, and why a self-proving affidavit is worth the extra notary visit.
Utah Intestate Succession: Who Inherits Without a Will
How Utah decides who inherits when someone dies without a will — including the specific $75,000 spousal threshold that surprises a lot of blended families.
Utah Personal Representative Duties: What You're Legally Required to Do
Serving as a Utah personal representative is a real fiduciary role with real legal liability — here's what you're actually required to do, and what happens if you get it wrong.
Utah Informal Probate: Step-by-Step Process
How Utah's informal probate process works, from filing the application through closing the estate — Utah's most common path when a full probate is needed.
Do You Need Probate in Utah? (Small Estate Affidavit Guide)
Whether a Utah estate actually requires probate — and how the small estate affidavit lets many families skip it entirely, without ever filing anything with the court.