How the Intestate Succession Law Operates in Pennsylvania

Experienced wealth planning and management professional Curtis Randle-El serves Randle El Wealth Advisors as private wealth advisor. Randle El Wealth Advisors is based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Curtis Randle-El offers diverse financial services such as professional athlete financial services, comprehensive wealth management, insurance and risk management, philanthropy strategic planning, and estate planning.

Estate planning involves the preparation of pertinent documents that become enforceable at the time of death. The will, for instance, specifies the executor who will execute the distribution of the decedent’s assets. In Pennsylvania, if a person dies without a will, the intestate succession law comes to effect.

The intestate succession law affects only the assets that would have passed through the decedent’s will. These are the assets that are owned by the decedent alone and are under his or her name. Here’s how the intestate succession law in Pennsylvania operates in different scenarios.

First, if the decedent has surviving children but no spouse, the children will inherit all the intestate assets.

Second, if the decedent has surviving spouse but no children or parents, the spouse inherits all the intestate assets.

Third, if the decedent has surviving spouse and children from that spouse, the spouse inherits the first $30,000 of the intestate assets plus half of the balance, after which the children inherit the rest of the assets.

Fourth, if the decedent has surviving spouse and children from another partner, the spouse inherits half of the intestate assets, after which the children inherit the rest of the assets.

Fifth, if the decedent has surviving spouse and parents, the spouse inherits the first $30,000 of the intestate assets plus half of the balance, after which the parents inherit the rest of the assets.

Sixth, if the decedent has surviving parents but no spouse or children, the parents inherit all the intestate assets.

Seventh, if the decedent has surviving siblings but no spouse, children or parents, the siblings inherit all the intestate assets.