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Maine Inheritance Law & Probate Procedure

Maine PROBATE COURT FINDER:
- Probate Court for Penobscot County: Key information about your local probate court (Probate Court in Maine) for Penobscot County.
How Probate Works in Maine: How to handle the probate of an inheritance at Penobscot County's probate court.
- Here are links to:
  - Maine Probate Forms and the
  - Maine State Probate Court Website.
Small Estates Procedures in Maine: Learn how to use Maine's Small Estate procedures that can save you time and money.
- You can use an Affidavit in Maine for estates with less than $40,000, not counting liens or encumbrances (like a mortgage). There is a thirty-day waiting period.
  
  Me. Rev. Stat. Ann. 3-1201 and following.
  
  You can use a summary probate procedure for estates in which the value of the estate, less liens or encumbrances, doesn't exceed the homestead allowance, exempt property, family allowance, and cots of administration, funeral expenses, and last illness expenses.
  
  Me. Rev. Stat. Ann. 3-1203 and following.
  
  A surviving spouse who inherits everything outright can also use a summary probate procedure.
Maine Estate Taxes:
- The state of Maine imposes an estate tax on property owned in Maine. If you are inheriting property from the state of Maine, it may be subject to estate tax if the overall value of the estate is more than $6,410,000.
Avoiding Probate in Maine. Find out what property bypasses probate death and goes directly to beneficiaries. such as:
- Transfer on Death Deeds (TODDs)

Bankruptcy & Debt

MEANS TEST CALCULATOR
- for Penobscot County, Maine (applies the state and county income and expense standards into your means test calculation. Updated with the latest median income and expense standards for May 15, 2024)
Maine BANKRUPTCY EXEMPTION FINDER: Search detailed listings of bankruptcy exemptions under Maine law and Federal law, for use in filing out Schedule C, when you file for bankruptcy.
- Federal Exemptions available in Maine?:
  - No. Me. Rev. Stat. Ann. tit. 14, § 4426.
- Maine Homestead Exemption
  - Real or personal property (including cooperative) used as residence to $80,000; if debtor has minor dependents in residence, to $160,000; if debtor over age 60 or physically or mentally disabled, $160,000 (joint debtors in this category may double); proceeds of sale exempt for six months
- Maine Vehicle Exemption
  - $10,000
Maine BANKRUPTCY COURT ESSENTIAL INFO: Get information about using your local bankruptcy court.
FREE BANKRUPTCY FORMS:
We'll tell you which bankruptcy forms you need and where to find them.

Maine Unemployment Benefits

Benefit Amounts in Maine: Learn how unemployment works, how much you'll get, and for how long.
- Minimum:
  - $100 per week
- Maximum:
  - $573 per week
- Duration:
  - In Maine, you can receive unemployment benefits for a maximum of 26 weeks under state law.
Eligibility: >Whether you qualify for unemployment.
How to Apply: How to apply for unemployment in Maine.
- Maine Department of Labor
  - 800-593-7660
Unemployment Office Near Me? How to find your local unemployment office.
COVID-19 Benefits: We tracked the rise and fall of COVID-19 unemployment benefit payments.
Maine Wage & Hour Law
- Maine Minimum Wage:
  - The minimum wage in Maine is $14.15 an hour. Because this is higher than the federal minimum wage of $7.25, employees in Maine must be paid at least $14.15 an hour.
    
    Bangor Minimum Wage
    
    The minimum wage in Bangor is $12.15 an hour. Although Bangor had its own minimum wage law previously, that law was repealed in 2017, when the state of Maine raised its minimum wage. Now, employees in Bangor are entitled to the state minimum, $12.15 currently.
- Overtime Pay: Every state has rules about weekly maximum hours and overtime. Learn about the overtime laws in Maine and whether they apply to you.
- Wage Claims: If you're being unlawfully underpaid, you need to learn how to file a "Wage Claim" in Maine.
- Tips : Every state has special pay rates for tipped workers. Find out the rules for tipped workers in Maine.
  - In Maine, your employer may pay you a minimum wage of $7.08 an hour, as long as you earn enough in tips to bring your total hourly pay up to the full minimum wage, $14.15 an hour. If you don’t earn enough in tips to bring your compensation to the full minimum wage, your employer must make up the difference.