In the state of Alabama, if a loved one dies without a will and leaves behind a spouse, what your spouse receives depends on whether you have living parents and children. If you do not, your spouse inherits all of your intestate property. The size of each share depends greatly on how many children you have and whether or not you are married.

Read the following to understand who gets what according to intestate succession:

• If a loved one dies with children, but no spouse, parents, or siblings, the children inherit everything.
• If a loved one dies with a surviving spouse but no children, parents, or siblings, the spouse inherits everything.
• If a spouse and children survive who are related to the deceased and the spouse, the spouse inherits the first $50,000 of the intestate property, plus half of the balance on the intestate property. The children inherit the remaining intestate property.
• If a spouse and children survive who are not related to the spouse, the spouse inherits half of the intestate property and the children receive the remainder of the estate.
• If only a spouse and parents survive, the spouse inherits the first $100,000 of the intestate property, plus half of the balance of your intestate property.
• If parents survive but no children, spouse, or siblings, the parents inherit all of the estate.
• If siblings survive, but no children, spouse or parents, the siblings inherit all of the estate.
• If the deceased has no living family, the estate is turned over to the state. However, this rarely happens because the law is designed to get your property to anyone who was remotely related to you. If there are any surviving cousins, great uncles, aunts, or siblings of a spouse, they will receive the estate before the state of Alabama.

To learn more about intestacy laws, visit www.nolo.com.

For more information about intestacy laws in Alabama, contact the experts at Meyerson and O’Neill law firm today at 877-373-8059.