Probate is a special kind of hell.
We met with the lawyer Dad used when Mom passed (and I think he had, previous to that, helped Dad set up their estate in a trust) and he got us squared away with an appointment at the probate office.
Said appointment was yesterday.
It was an easy enough appointment. I came home with an inch of paperwork and instructions that are almost easy to read.
But honestly. There has to be an easier way to do this.
Also? It's almost ridiculously comical how the fees work. It's "Oh, hey, give all the heirs this form. Then get this form notarized saying you gave the heirs the form and send it in. But with a filing fee."
Everything has a filing fee.
Pretty sure there's a fee for breathing the rarified air in the courthouse. I'm just not sure where I go to pay it.
They'll probably bill me.
I emailed the lawyer to say thanks, I got the forms and had he already registered the estate with an EIN? He replied no, but he can walk me through it, just make an appointment.
People? Don't do this. The IRS website is clear and easy. Also the probate office gave me step-by-step instructions just in case. I'm not saying I won't need another appointment with him at some point, but I am saying I'm going to exhaust all my other options first, since the time he spent getting me the appointment with the probate office cost me almost $700.
*spot the quote, Shakespeare edition
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