Informal Probate Michigan: How It Works and What Forms You Need

Michigan's probate system has two tracks: one that runs through a sitting judge, and one that doesn't. For the vast majority of Michigan estates — those without contested wills, family conflicts, or missing original documents — the informal track is available. It's administered by the county Probate Register rather than a judge, moves faster, costs less in legal fees, and keeps the estate out of public courtroom proceedings.

Here's what informal probate in Michigan actually requires, which SCAO forms you'll need, and where the process can go sideways.

What Makes an Estate Eligible for Informal Probate?

Informal (unsupervised) probate is governed by the Michigan Estates and Protected Individuals Code (EPIC). To qualify, you need:

• The original Last Will and Testament. A photocopy won't work. If the original can't be located or has been lost, you may need to petition for formal proceedings to establish a lost will.
• No anticipated disputes. If any heir is threatening to contest the will, claim undue influence, or challenge the Personal Representative's appointment, informal proceedings are inappropriate. The moment litigation enters the picture, the court moves to Formal Probate before a judge.
• A willing, qualified Personal Representative. The person named in the will (or, if no will, the next eligible person under MCL 700.3203) must be willing to accept the appointment and submit to the court's jurisdiction.

If your estate meets these criteria, you initiate the process not with a hearing, but with a paper application.

The SCAO Forms for Informal Probate — In Filing Order

The State Court Administrative Office (SCAO) publishes all Michigan probate forms free at courts.michigan.gov. The problem is the site lists them alphabetically and numerically, with no guidance on sequencing. Here's the order that actually matters.

Forms to File When Opening the Estate

PC 557 — Notice of Intent to Request Informal Appointment Before you file the main application, this notice must be served on anyone who has a prior or equal statutory right to serve as Personal Representative. Under MCL 700.3203, this typically means the surviving spouse, adult children, or other close relatives who rank ahead of or equally with you. Give them actual notice before walking up to the Register's window.

PC 558 — Application for Informal Probate and/or Appointment of Personal Representative This is the primary intake document. It identifies the decedent, the estate, and the applicant, and requests both admission of the will and formal appointment as Personal Representative. File this with the county Probate Register, not the judge's calendar. Attach the original will.

PC 565 — Testimony to Identify Heirs Required alongside PC 558. This is a sworn statement identifying every person entitled to a share of the estate — surviving spouse, children, parents, siblings, depending on who survives. Errors here create problems later when you're trying to close.

MC 97 — Protected Personal Identifying Information Required to protect sensitive personal data (Social Security numbers, dates of birth) from appearing in public court files. Standard companion document to any initial probate filing.

Filing fee: $175 paid to the county Probate Register at the time of application.

Forms Issued by the Register After Approval

PC 568 — Register's Statement The Register reviews the application and, if everything is in order, issues this document admitting the will and confirming the Personal Representative's appointment. No court hearing is required. You are now officially appointed — but you can't act yet.

PC 571 — Acceptance of Appointment You must file this before receiving your Letters of Authority. By signing it, you formally agree to submit to the court's jurisdiction and acknowledge your fiduciary duties. Don't take this lightly — signing it creates personal liability for mismanagement.

PC 572 — Letters of Authority for Personal Representative This is the document everyone will ask to see. Banks, financial institutions, transfer agents, the Secretary of State's office — all of them require a certified copy of Letters of Authority before they'll let you access or transfer the decedent's assets. Informal probate does not use "Letters Testamentary" — that term doesn't exist under Michigan law. Request multiple certified copies; they cost a small fee but are essential.

Forms Used During Administration

PC 573 — Notice of Appointment and Duties of Personal Representative Must be served on all interested persons within 14 days of appointment. This notifies heirs and beneficiaries of their rights to receive an inventory and accounting, and their right to petition for supervised administration if they have concerns.

PC 574 — Notice to Creditors Published in a county-designated legal newspaper to start the 4-month creditor claim window. You also directly notify all known creditors. This publication triggers the statute of limitations that permanently bars late creditor claims.

PC 577 — Inventory (Decedent Estate) Due within 91 days of receiving your Letters of Authority. Lists every probate asset and its fair market value as of the date of death (not today's value — the date of death). The total from this form drives the calculation of the mandatory SCAO Inventory Fee under MCL 600.871.

In unsupervised administration, the physical inventory is not always filed in the public court record, but the valuation totals must be submitted to compute and pay the inventory fee.

PC 583 / PC 584 — Account of Fiduciary (Short Form / Long Form) Annual accountings of all estate income, expenses, and distributions. Required if the estate remains open more than one year, and always required at closing.

PC 587 — Notice of Continued Administration If the estate is still open after one year, file this within 28 days of the one-year anniversary of your appointment. Explains the reason for the delay to the court and all interested parties.

Forms for Closing the Estate

PC 591 — Sworn Statement to Close Unsupervised Administration The finish line. This sworn statement, filed once all assets are distributed, all debts paid or barred, and all taxes resolved, certifies that the estate has been fully and lawfully administered. After filing, there is a 28-day window for any interested person to object. If no objection is filed, your appointment automatically terminates and the estate is permanently closed.

Bond Requirements in Informal Probate

In unsupervised informal administration, bond is generally not required. A bond is only mandated if:

• A beneficiary or unsecured creditor requests it
• The will itself requires bond

If bond is waived in the will, beneficiaries can still petition for it after appointment — a fact some Personal Representatives don't discover until it's too late.

What Can Derail Informal Probate

A missing original will. Probate Registers won't accept photocopies for informal proceedings. If the original is lost, you'll need to petition for formal probate and prove the will's terms through other evidence.

A beneficiary who objects. Any interested party can file a petition to convert informal proceedings to supervised administration at any time before closing. If someone does, you lose the Register-only track and end up before a judge anyway.

Improper inventory valuation. The inventory must use the fair market value of assets on the date of death, not a current appraisal date. Using the wrong date understates or overstates the inventory fee and can trigger administrative corrections that delay closing.

Paying creditors out of priority order. Even in informal, unsupervised proceedings, the statutory payment priority under MCL 700.3805 applies. Pay administration costs and family allowances first, then funeral expenses, then taxes — before any general unsecured creditors.

Informal Probate vs. Formal Probate: When to Switch

Informal probate is right when the will is clear, the family agrees, and you're simply administering a straightforward estate. Choose formal probate — or expect to be converted into it — when:

• The will is being challenged for fraud, undue influence, or lack of capacity
• Multiple people claim equal right to serve as Personal Representative and won't agree
• A beneficiary has already filed with the court demanding supervised administration
• The estate is insolvent and creditor priorities are disputed

The Michigan Probate Process Guide provides the complete sequencing for both informal and formal tracks, with instructions for each SCAO form and the inventory fee calculation worksheet built in.

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