When someone dies without a valid will, his or her condition is called “intestacy.” Each state has its own laws for determining how the deceased\u2019s estate is divided in cases of intestacy.<\/p>\n
When the deceased\u2019s spouse is still living, all community property (meaning property acquired during the marriage) automatically goes to the spouse, while separate property (meaning property acquired before the marriage or gifts and inheritance gifted to only one spouse) is split differently depending on the relationship the deceased shares with other living relatives.\u00a0<\/p>\n
If the deceased had more than one child with the living spouse, then the spouse will receive one-third of the deceased\u2019s separate property, with the other two-thirds being divided equally among the children.<\/p>\n
If the couple only has one surviving child or no children, then the spouse receives one-half of all separately owned property. The remaining half is then either given to the child, or, if there is (more…)<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" When someone dies without a valid will, his or her condition is called “intestacy.” Each state has its own laws for determining how the deceased\u2019s estate is divided in cases of intestacy. When the deceased\u2019s spouse is still living, all…<\/span><\/p>\n