Location: MA
I’m asking about the Massachusetts estate forms MPC 853 and MPC 855.
The forms our lawyer drafted list only debited transactions that went directly through the estate account, not all the expenses we paid individually. We planned to reimburse ourselves out of the estate account, but haven’t done so yet. Our attorney created this document even though we’d made it clear the information we’d provided was incomplete. (We were surprised!)
For example, I paid for the funeral under the assumption it was an estate expense and my sibling agrees. The funeral isn’t listed on the form, neither are all the other expenses we each paid individually — like for our Mom’s house: landscaping, household utilities, insurance, etc. etc. until it sold.
Curiously, the attorney added their fee to the “SCHEDULE B- Payment of Debts, Administration Expenses, Taxes & Distributions” list on form MPC853, though. This seems to indicate all those other estate transactions should be on the form, too?
My sibling and I are comfortable settling up all the actually numbers between us after the court approves it, but I’m reluctant to sign the incomplete documentation without some reassurance that it’s legal to do so. Is it?
Thoughts?
Comments
You should direct your questions to your attorney. Be specific, ask about the expenses you believe should be included.