553:32 Waiver of Administration. –
I. (a) Notwithstanding any provision of law, there shall be no requirement for an inventory of the estate, no requirement for a bond, and no requirement for an accounting for assets in any of the following circumstances:
(1) Whenever a decedent dies testate and an individual is named in the will as the sole beneficiary of the decedent's estate and is appointed to serve as administrator.
(2) Whenever a decedent dies testate and all individuals named in the will as beneficiaries of the decedent's estate are appointed to serve as co-administrators or any appropriate person is appointed to serve as administrator with the assent of all such beneficiaries.
(3) Whenever a decedent dies testate, a trust is named in the will as the sole beneficiary of the estate, and any appropriate person, including one or more trustees of such trust, is appointed to serve as administrator with the assent of all such trustees.
(4) Whenever a decedent dies intestate and an individual, including a surviving spouse, is the sole heir of the decedent's estate and is appointed to serve as administrator.
(5) Whenever a decedent dies intestate and all heirs of the decedent's estate, including a surviving spouse, if any, are appointed to serve as co-administrators or any appropriate person is appointed to serve as administrator with the assent of all such heirs.
(6) Whenever, in the discretion of the court, the court determines it is appropriate under the circumstances.
(b) Administration of the estate shall be completed upon the administrator's filing, and the probate court's approval, of an affidavit of administration. Such filing shall occur not less than 6 months and no more than one year after the date of appointment of the administrator. Upon motion of the administrator, for good cause shown, the court may extend the one year deadline for filing the affidavit of administration. The affidavit of administration shall state that to the best of the knowledge and belief of the administrator there are no outstanding debts or obligations attributable to the decedent's estate and shall list all real estate owned by the decedent at the time of death, including the location, book, and page.
(c) If the administrator fails to file the affidavit of administration within the time prescribed in subparagraph (b), including any extensions granted, the court may take appropriate action in the discretion of the court, including, but not limited to, issuing a notice of default, a show cause order, or requiring full administration of the estate.
II. (a) Any interested person may petition for a full administration of the estate at any time from the original grant of administration to the filing of the affidavit of administration, and such petition may be granted by the probate court for good cause shown.
(b) Where full administration is granted subsequent to an original grant of administration under this section, the deadlines for filing an inventory in RSA 554:1, RSA 554:26-a, and RSA 553:13, I(a), and for filing an account of administration in RSA 554:26-a, shall run from the date of the grant of full administration. All other deadlines, including but not limited to the deadline to request proof in solemn form in RSA 552:7, the notice to legatees and heirs at law in RSA 552:15, the publication of notice of appointment in RSA 553:16, the requirement that an estate be open for at least 6 months before a motion for summary administration may be filed in RSA 553:33, II, for petitioning to distribute assets of an insolvent estate in RSA 554:19-b, the deadline for waiver or release of the will and homestead rights and election of statutory rights by a surviving spouse in RSA 560:10 and RSA 560:14, and deadlines relating to suits in RSA 556, shall run from the original grant of administration.
III. Disclaimer, ademption of legacies, or declination to serve as executor may be effectively used to cause the estate to conform to the requirements of paragraph I.
IV. A guardian may be appointed as administrator if the ward qualifies under the provisions of this section.
V. If the administrator is unable to complete the administration of the estate, administration may be completed in accordance with this section by the successor administrator.
VI. The provisions of this section do not relieve the administrator from the responsibility for payment of the expenses of administration and decedent's debts from the assets of the estate pursuant to RSA 554 and RSA 556.
Source. 2001, 195:3. 2005, 252:3, eff. Jan. 1, 2006. 2011, 88:26, eff. July 1, 2011. 2013, 67:2, 3, eff. Jan. 1, 2014. 2021, 206:2, Pt. VI, Sec. 2, eff. July 1, 2021.