CT risk area
Intestacy risk in Connecticut
How assets are distributed when there is no will and state default rules control the outcome.
Connecticut intestacy gives the surviving spouse a dollar-based share that varies by parents and descendants, with the remaining estate distributed to relatives by statute.
Who inherits first if there is no will?How do spouse and children shares change by scenario?What are the most common surprises families face?
At a glance
Key takeaways
- If there is no surviving issue or parent, the spouse receives the entire intestate estate.
- If parents survive but no issue, the spouse receives the first $100,000 plus three-fourths of the balance.
- If all issue are also the spouse's, the spouse receives the first $100,000 plus one-half of the balance.
- If any issue is not the spouse's, the spouse receives one-half of the intestate estate.
Questions to consider
Questions this risk area helps you evaluate in Connecticut
- Who inherits first if there is no will?
- How do spouse and children shares change by scenario?
- What are the most common surprises families face?
State overview
Connecticut intestacy gives the surviving spouse a dollar-based share that varies by parents and descendants, with the remaining estate distributed to relatives by statute.
- If there is no surviving issue or parent, the spouse receives the entire intestate estate.
- If parents survive but no issue, the spouse receives the first $100,000 plus three-fourths of the balance.
- If all issue are also the spouse's, the spouse receives the first $100,000 plus one-half of the balance.
- If any issue is not the spouse's, the spouse receives one-half of the intestate estate.
- When there are no children, remaining intestate property passes to parents, then siblings, then next of kin, then stepchildren.
- Issue includes children who qualify for inheritance under the parent-child rules in the probate code.
Sources
- https://www.cga.ct.gov/2025/pub/chap_802b.htm
- https://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/intestate-succession-connecticut.html
Risk sources
- Uniform Probate Code (2019) - Intestate succession (Article II)
Article II, Part 1 covers intestate succession, spouse/descendant shares, and representation rules.
National sources provide baseline context; state statutes and court rules control in Connecticut.