Tips for Beneficiaries

Estates

  • Contact the fiduciary of the estate for any inquiries about the status of the administration of an estate.
  • Upon written request to the fiduciary, beneficiaries are entitled to receive copies of all inventories and accounts filed with the commissioner’s office. In the event that a fiduciary does not respond to a written request, a beneficiary may request copies from the commissioner’s office, subject to a charge. <Copy Policy> The commissioner’s office cannot accept standing requests to receive copies of filings when they are received due to the high volume of inventories and accounts received.
  • Certain parties may be entitled to claim statutory allowances from the estate if a written election is filed with the clerk of the court on or before one year from the decedent’s date of death. <Statutory Allowances>
  • When a decedent’s will includes specific monetary bequests, the beneficiary of such bequest is entitled to interest if the funds are paid more than one year after the decedent’s death.
  • The Virginia Code does not dictate a timeline for when fiduciaries must make distributions from the estate or finalize the estate. During the course of administration, the fiduciary may make partial distributions.
  • Acceptance of a distribution does not prevent a beneficiary from objecting to actions by the fiduciary in the administration of the estate.
  • If there are concerns about the estate administration that cannot be resolved with the fiduciary, a beneficiary may request a hearing in the commissioner’s office pursuant to § 64.2-1209 of the Virginia Code. <Hearings>
  • For a better understanding of estate administration, please review the materials under the<Resources Page>.