Year's support
An award to a surviving spouse and minor children that comes off the top of the estate, ahead of creditors.
What it means
A few states set aside an amount for the family's support for the year after a death, awarded by the probate court and taking priority over most claims against the estate.
Georgia uses the term as the name of the award itself, and the Department of Revenue accepts a certified copy of it as the inheritance document that moves a vehicle title.
Other states reach a similar result under a different name, and the amounts and the priority are not the same.
Why it matters
It can move property without letters, so a family that assumed probate was unavoidable may already hold the document an agency will accept.
It comes ahead of creditors, which changes what is left for everybody else.
When you are likely to meet it
- On a Georgia title application, as one of three accepted inheritance documents.
- When a probate court's forms list it alongside an application for letters.
How this varies by state
Who qualifies, how much it is and how it is claimed are all set by state law.