The Michigan small estate affidavit PC 598 lets a deceased person’s successor collect bank accounts, investment holdings, vehicle titles, and other personal property without opening probate. You fill out the one-page form, sign it in front of a notary, and hand it to whoever holds the asset along with a certified death certificate. For deaths in 2026, the estate’s value (minus liens and encumbrances) must be $53,000 or less, and the estate cannot include any real property.
Who Can Use the PC 598
Six conditions must all be true. Miss any one and the affidavit is invalid; you will need a court-ordered assignment or a full probate proceeding instead.
- At least 28 days have passed since the date of death.
- No court in any state has appointed a personal representative, and no application for one is pending.
- No one has filed a petition asking a judge to assign the estate’s assets.
- The gross value of the decedent’s property, minus liens and encumbrances, does not exceed the small estate limit for the year of death.
- The estate includes no real estate whatsoever — no house, no vacant lot, nothing.
- You are a surviving spouse, adult child, other heir under Michigan’s intestacy laws, or a devisee named in the will.
These come from MCL 700.3983 and are restated as attestations on the form itself.1Michigan Legislature. Michigan Compiled Laws 700.3983 – Collection of Personal Property by Sworn Statement
The Value Threshold by Year
The base statutory limit is $50,000, adjusted annually by a cost-of-living factor from the Michigan Department of Treasury.2Michigan Legislature. Michigan Compiled Laws 700.1210 – Cost-of-Living Adjustment Recent limits:
- 2026: $53,000
- 2025: $51,000
- 2024 (Feb. 21–Dec. 31): $50,000
- 2024 (Jan. 1–Feb. 20): $28,000
The legislature raised the base amount effective February 21, 2024, which explains the mid-year jump.3Kent County, MI. Small Estates When you calculate the estate’s value, subtract liens tied to specific property (a car loan balance, for example) from the gross value of that property.
What Doesn’t Count and What Can’t Be Transferred
The PC 598 is limited to personal property. Item 3 requires you to swear that no real property is in the estate.4Michigan Courts. Affidavit of Decedent’s Successor for Delivery of Certain Assets Owned by Decedent If the decedent owned any real estate, however modest, you cannot use the affidavit.
Assets that pass outside of probate — life insurance with a named beneficiary, jointly held accounts with right of survivorship, retirement accounts with a designated beneficiary — are not counted toward the threshold and do not need the affidavit to transfer. If the estate looks slightly over the limit, remove the non-probate assets before you decide; sometimes what’s left qualifies.
Filling Out the Form
Download the current version from the Michigan Courts website or pick one up at the probate court. The most recent revision is dated April 2024. Work through it in order.
Header
Enter the decedent’s full legal name in the “Estate of” field. Fill in the city, township, or village where they lived, the county, the state, and the date of death. The form does not ask for a Social Security number.4Michigan Courts. Affidavit of Decedent’s Successor for Delivery of Certain Assets Owned by Decedent
Items 1 Through 6
These are the sworn checkbox statements. Item 1 asks you to select your relationship to the decedent: surviving spouse, adult child, other heir, devisee under a will (with the date of the will written in), or fiduciary for an heir who lacks legal capacity. Items 2 through 6 track the eligibility conditions above. Read each carefully; you are signing under penalty of perjury, which is a felony under Michigan law.5Michigan Legislature. Michigan Compiled Laws 750.422 – Perjury Committed in Courts
Item 7: The Property You’re Claiming
This is where people trip up. List every asset specifically. For a bank account, give the bank’s full name and the account number. For a vehicle, the year, make, model, and VIN. For securities, the company name and account or certificate number. Vague descriptions like “all bank accounts” tend to come back rejected.
Item 8: Other People Entitled to a Share
If anyone else has a legal right to part of the estate, list their name, address, relationship to the decedent, and percentage share.3Kent County, MI. Small Estates Sole heirs or sole devisees can note that. You cannot leave the section blank when other people have claims.
Item 9 and Signature
Item 9 confirms the death certificate is attached. Sign, print your name, and give your full mailing address. Do not sign yet if you haven’t been to the notary.
Notarizing the Affidavit
The form must be notarized, and you sign in front of the notary so they can witness it. The notary block records the date, county, state, signature, printed name, and commission expiration.4Michigan Courts. Affidavit of Decedent’s Successor for Delivery of Certain Assets Owned by Decedent Banks, UPS stores, and county clerk offices commonly offer notary services for a small fee. The form also supports electronic notarization if your notary uses an approved platform.
The Death Certificate
You need a certified copy of the death certificate — not a photocopy, not a funeral home printout. Order through your county clerk, the local vital records office, or the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services. A certified copy typically costs about $26, with additional copies around $12 each when ordered together. If you’ll be claiming assets from several institutions, order one certified copy for each. Bring the will too if you are claiming as a devisee; the asset holder may want to see it.
Presenting the Affidavit
Take the notarized affidavit and certified death certificate to whoever holds the property. For a bank account, ask the branch for someone who handles estate transfers. For brokerage accounts and mutual funds, the transfer agent processes the request. The statute says the holder “shall” pay or deliver the property upon being presented with a valid affidavit and death certificate, making it mandatory rather than discretionary.1Michigan Legislature. Michigan Compiled Laws 700.3983 – Collection of Personal Property by Sworn Statement Once the holder releases the assets, they are discharged from further liability, so they cannot be sued later by another heir for handing over funds on a facially valid affidavit.
Some institutions add their own internal paperwork on top of the statutory requirements. Those extra steps are not required by law, but arguing with them usually just slows things down.
Transferring a Vehicle Title
Vehicles go through the Secretary of State. Bring the notarized PC 598, the certified death certificate, and the existing title if you have it. Under MCL 257.236, the Secretary of State will issue a new title in your name if the vehicle’s total value is at or below the applicable threshold: $100,000 for 2024 and 2025, with a cost-of-living adjustment for 2026 and beyond.6Michigan Legislature. Michigan Compiled Laws 257.236 – Procuring Title to Vehicle Acquired by Operation of Law You’ll also owe the standard title transfer fee and any sales or use tax, though certain family transfers qualify for a tax exemption.
Debts, Creditors, and Medicaid Recovery
The affidavit does not erase the decedent’s debts. If you collect assets and the decedent owed money, creditors can pursue you up to the value of what you received.
Medicaid estate recovery works differently, and this is where the PC 598 has a real practical effect. Michigan’s Department of Health and Human Services can seek reimbursement for Medicaid long-term care benefits paid on behalf of a deceased recipient, but only from assets that pass through probate administration. According to the department’s own guidance, if no probate estate is opened, MDHHS cannot file a recovery claim.7Michigan Department of Health and Human Services. Michigan Estate Recovery Frequently Asked Questions Because the PC 598 bypasses probate entirely, assets transferred by affidavit are not currently subject to Medicaid estate recovery.
When the PC 598 Won’t Work
Several common situations close off the affidavit route:
- The estate includes real property. File a Petition and Order for Assignment with the probate court, which lets a judge transfer both real and personal property in a qualifying small estate under MCL 700.3982.8Michigan Legislature. Michigan Compiled Laws 700.3982 – Court Order Distributing Small Estates
- The estate exceeds the value threshold. A full probate administration is required, with a personal representative appointed by the court.
- A personal representative has already been appointed. The estate is under court supervision and the representative handles distributions.
- Someone has already filed a petition for assignment. That court process takes priority.
- Fewer than 28 days have passed. There is no way to shorten the wait.