Dying Without a Will
RSA 561:1 — the estate goes as the intestacy section orders
The property of a person who dies without disposing of it by will descends and is distributed as the intestacy section orders, to a surviving spouse, descendants, parents and other relatives in the shares it sets.
Who handles this in New Hampshire: legal aid programs, lawyer referral and the state offices, listed in the New Hampshire directory.
In the cases the section lists, among them a will naming one person as the sole beneficiary who is also the administrator, no inventory, bond or accounting is required.
Summary administration is available to close an estate when the court's further supervision is no longer needed.
How the shares fall in a particular family is a question for a licensed New Hampshire attorney.
Sources for this section (3)
- RSA 561:1 — Distribution Upon Intestacy
- RSA 553:32 — Waiver of Administration
- RSA 553:33 — Summary Administration
Legal information, not legal advice. Verified as of October 2026. Applying it to a particular situation is the work of a licensed New Hampshire attorney.