§ 29-1-8-1 — Small estates; payment upon presentation of affidavit; vehicle or watercraft; securities; insurance death benefit; safe deposit box; digital asset

(a) Forty-five (45) days after the death of a
decedent and upon being presented an affidavit that complies with
subsection (b), a person:
(1) indebted to the decedent; or
(2) having possession of personal property or an instrument
evidencing a debt, an obligation, a stock, or a chose in action
belonging to the decedent;
shall make payment of the indebtedness or deliver the personal
property or the instrument evidencing a debt, an obligation, a stock, or
a chose in action to a distributee claiming to be entitled to payment or
delivery of property of the decedent as alleged in the affidavit.
(b) The affidavit required by subsection (a) must be an affidavit
made by or on behalf of the distributee and must state the following:
(1) That the value of the gross probate estate, wherever located,
(less liens, encumbrances, and reasonable funeral expenses) does
not exceed:
(A) twenty-five thousand dollars ($25,000), for the estate of an
individual who dies before July 1, 2006;
(B) fifty thousand dollars ($50,000), for the estate of an
individual who dies after June 30, 2006, and before July 1,
2022; and
(C) one hundred thousand dollars ($100,000), for the estate of
an individual who dies after June 30, 2022.
(2) That forty-five (45) days have elapsed since the death of the
decedent.
(3) That no application or petition for the appointment of a
personal representative is pending or has been granted in any
jurisdiction.
(4) The name and address of each distributee that is entitled to a
share of the property and the part of the property to which each
distributee is entitled.
(5) That the affiant has notified each distributee identified in the
affidavit of the affiant's intention to present an affidavit under this
section.
(6) That the affiant is entitled to payment or delivery of the
property on behalf of each distributee identified in the affidavit.
(c) If a motor vehicle or watercraft (as defined in IC 9-13-2-198.5)
is part of the estate, nothing in this section shall prohibit a transfer of
the certificate of title to the motor vehicle if five (5) days have elapsed
since the death of the decedent and no appointment of a personal
representative is contemplated. A transfer under this subsection shall
be made by the bureau of motor vehicles upon receipt of an affidavit
containing a statement of the conditions required by subsection (b)(1)
and (b)(6). The affidavit must be duly executed by the distributees of
the estate.
(d) A transfer agent of a security shall change the registered
ownership on the books of a corporation from the decedent to a
distributee upon the presentation of an affidavit as provided in
subsection (a).
(e) For the purposes of subsection (a), an insurance company that,
by reason of the death of the decedent, becomes obligated to pay a
death benefit to the estate of the decedent is considered a person
indebted to the decedent.
(f) For purposes of subsection (a), property in a safe deposit box
rented by a decedent from a financial institution organized or
reorganized under the law of any state (as defined in IC 28-2-17-19) or
the United States is considered personal property belonging to the
decedent in the possession of the financial institution.
(g) For purposes of subsection (a), a distributee has the same rights
as a personal representative under IC 32-39 to access a digital asset (as
defined in IC 32-39-1-10) of the decedent.
Formerly: Acts 1953, c.112, s.801; Acts 1965, c.379, s.2; Acts
1971, P.L.406, SEC.1; Acts 1975, P.L.288, SEC.12. As amended by
Acts 1977, P.L.2, SEC.80; Acts 1977, P.L.298, SEC.1; P.L.71-1991,
SEC.15; P.L.77-1992, SEC.5; P.L.118-1997, SEC.16; P.L.59-2000,
SEC.1; P.L.61-2006, SEC.4; P.L.51-2014, SEC.3; P.L.137-2016,
SEC.1; P.L.163-2018, SEC.9; P.L.231-2019, SEC.13; P.L.56-2020,
SEC.4; P.L.151-2022, SEC.1.