How to File Small Estate Affidavit in Arizona: Step by Step

Filing Small Estate Affidavit in Arizona means completing the official form under A.R.S. §§ 14-3971(B)–(D), 14-3972, after the 30-day waiting period following death has passed. Here is the full sequence, with the statutory fact behind each step.

1. 1

   Add up the decedent's personal property, wherever located

   Total the value of all of the decedent's personal property — bank accounts, vehicles, securities, money owed to the decedent, and similar items — wherever it is located, less liens and encumbrances, as of the date of death. A.R.S. § 14-3971(B)(2) caps this at $200,000. Real estate is handled by a different affidavit and does not count toward this total.

2. 2

   Wait at least 30 days from the date of death

   The holder's duty to pay or deliver begins thirty days after death, and the affidavit must state that thirty days have elapsed. The statute states no shorter period.

3. 3

   Confirm no personal representative has been appointed or petitioned for

   The affidavit requires that no application or petition for appointment of a personal representative is pending or has been granted in any jurisdiction. If one was granted, the representative must have been discharged or more than a year must have passed since a closing statement was filed.

4. 4

   Confirm the funeral and last-illness expenses are paid

   The affidavit requires a statement that the funeral expenses and the expenses of the decedent's last illness have been paid.

5. 5

   Download your county court's current affidavit form

   No single statewide form was found. Use the form from the superior court in your county — Maricopa County's PBSE11f (revised 09/2025) is the reference form for this guide, and Pima County uses the same packet. Check the revision date and the dollar cap printed on the form: some counties' older forms still show $75,000.

6. 6

   Complete the affidavit, attach any will or assignments, and sign it before a notary

   Fill in the decedent's information, your relationship, the value statement, the personal-representative statement, the expenses statement, and the entitlement box that applies. Attach a copy of the will if you are named in one, or copies of any written assignments from heirs with equal or greater rights. List the property and any debts owed to the estate. Sign under oath before a notary — no court filing is required for this affidavit.

7. 7

   Present the affidavit and a certified death certificate directly to each asset holder

   Take the notarized affidavit and a certified death certificate to the bank, brokerage, or other institution holding each asset. A.R.S. § 14-3971(B) says the holder shall pay or deliver, and § 14-3972(A) discharges a holder who does. For securities, the transfer agent changes registered ownership on the same affidavit (§ 14-3971(C)).

8. 8

   Use the Motor Vehicle Division's own form for vehicles, and a separate court-filed affidavit for real estate

   For a vehicle, MVD uses its Non-Probate Affidavit (form 32-6901) and Title & Registration Application (form 96-0236) — at least 30 days after death, all title owners deceased, $200,000 total limit. This affidavit never transfers real estate: a house or land requires a different affidavit under § 14-3971(E), filed in the superior court no sooner than six months after death, for estates with real property up to $300,000.

Get the official Arizona form

Download the state's own fill-in instrument directly — never a third-party paywalled copy: Official Small Estate Affidavit form . No single statewide form for this affidavit was found — each county court publishes its own version. The Maricopa County Superior Court's current form (PBSE11f, revised 09/2025) is used here as the reference, and Pima County uses the same packet. Always download the current version from your own county's court site: at least one county's published form (Mohave, last revised 11/2019) still prints the old $75,000 cap.

The step that isn't really paperwork

Presenting it to the bank, DMV, or title company is where families actually lose time — most front-line staff have never processed this kind of filing before. Free one-pager: what to bring and what to say before you go, emailed now. Then a few short follow-ups over the next few weeks — then we stop. No ongoing newsletter.

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