Q: My father passed away with no assets, and outstanding debt. What is my probate or tax responsibility?
He was on medicaid in a nursing home and all of his income went to that. Do i have I have to file a will in probate if I am the only heir and their are no assets to distribute? I have also found out owed a significant amount in back taxes, do I have to file a return with the IRS if there is no money to pay outstanding taxes?
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A: There is no Statute mandating Probate of every Decedent's Estate. Many, many Next Of Kin make this mistake. If there are no assets to distribute, there is no purpose for a Probate. Also land rarely goes through an Estate. If something happens to go to you, worry about any possible lien attachments then.
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