(a) Thirty days after the death of a decedent, any person indebted to the decedent or having possession of tangible personal property or an instrument evidencing a debt, obligation, stock, or chose in action belonging to the decedent shall make payment of the indebtedness or deliver the tangible personal property or the instrument evidencing the debt, obligation, stock, or chose in action to a person claiming to be the successor of the decedent upon being presented an affidavit made by or on behalf of the successor. Before this affidavit may be presented to collect the decedent’s personal property, it must:

(1) state that the value of the entire probate estate (the decedent’s property passing under the decedent’s will plus the decedent’s property passing by intestacy), wherever located, less liens and encumbrances, does not exceed twenty-five thousand dollars;

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Terms Used In South Carolina Code 62-3-1201

  • Affidavit: A written statement of facts confirmed by the oath of the party making it, before a notary or officer having authority to administer oaths.
  • Corporation: A legal entity owned by the holders of shares of stock that have been issued, and that can own, receive, and transfer property, and carry on business in its own name.
  • Decedent: A deceased person.
  • Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
  • Obligation: An order placed, contract awarded, service received, or similar transaction during a given period that will require payments during the same or a future period.
  • Personal property: All property that is not real property.
  • Probate: Proving a will

(2) state that thirty days have elapsed since the death of the decedent;

(3) state that no application or petition for the appointment of a personal representative is pending or has been granted in any jurisdiction;

(4) state that the claiming successor, which for the purposes of this section includes a person who remitted payment for reasonable funeral expenses, is entitled to payment or delivery of the property;

(5) be approved and countersigned by the probate judge of the county of the decedent’s domicile at the time of his death, or if the decedent was not domiciled in this State, in the county in which the property of the decedent is located, and only upon the judge’s satisfaction that the successor is entitled to payment or delivery of the property; and

(6) be filed in the probate court for the county of the decedent’s domicile at the time of his death, or, if the decedent was not domiciled in this State, in the county in which property of the decedent is located.

(b) A transfer agent of any security shall change the registered ownership on the books of a corporation from the decedent to the successor or successors upon the presentation of an affidavit as provided in subsection (a).

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