NHJB-2145-Pe: New Hampshire Petition for Estate Administration
NHJB-2145-Pe: New Hampshire Petition for Estate Administration
Form NHJB-2145-Pe is the document that opens a probate case in New Hampshire. Every estate that goes through the Circuit Court Probate Division starts here — whether the deceased left a will or died intestate, whether you are handling a $15,000 savings account or a multi-property estate worth several hundred thousand dollars.
You do not fill out NHJB-2145-Pe on paper. New Hampshire requires mandatory electronic filing for all probate cases. The form is generated through the state's e-filing portal based on your answers to a series of questions.
What the Petition Asks For
The e-filing system walks you through the information that populates NHJB-2145-Pe. You will need to provide:
Decedent information: Full legal name, date of birth, date of death, Social Security number, and county of domicile at the time of death. The county determines venue — all ten county Probate Division locations (Belknap, Carroll, Cheshire, Coos, Grafton, Hillsborough, Merrimack, Rockingham, Strafford, and Sullivan) funnel to the central court in Concord, but the assigned county judge oversees your case.
Estate type: Whether the person died testate (with a will) or intestate (without one). If testate, you will need the original will — and it must be mailed to the court after e-filing.
Petitioner details: Your name, address, relationship to the deceased, and whether you are the person nominated in the will or an heir seeking appointment as administrator. If you live outside New Hampshire, you must also file Form NHJB-2120-P (Appointment of Resident Agent) to designate someone in-state who can accept legal papers on your behalf.
Beneficially interested persons: The names and addresses of every heir, beneficiary, and known creditor. The court uses this list to send formal notices. Missing someone here can create problems later — any omitted party can petition to reopen the case.
Estimated estate value: A rough figure for the gross value of the estate. This determines two things: your court entry fee tier and the bond amount the court may require.
Waiver of Administration request: If the estate qualifies, you can request a Waiver of Administration under RSA 553:32 directly on the petition. This allows you to handle the estate without full court supervision — no inventory filing, no formal accounting, no annual bond renewals. The waiver is available when there are no disputed claims, no minor beneficiaries, and when all interested parties consent.
Court Entry Fees
The filing fee for NHJB-2145-Pe is based on the gross estate value you report:
| Estate Value | Entry Fee |
|---|---|
| $10,000 or less | $150 |
| $10,001 to $25,000 | $205 |
| Greater than $25,000 | $305 |
Every estate also pays a mandatory Probate Estate Publication Fee of $55 for the notice to creditors. Fees are paid through the e-filing portal at the time of submission.
What Happens After You File
Filing NHJB-2145-Pe does not immediately give you authority to act on behalf of the estate. The sequence after filing is:
Mail the originals. The court requires the original will (if one exists), the original certified death certificate with a raised seal, and the original corporate surety bond (if required). Mail these to the Concord court via certified mail or trackable delivery. The court will not move forward until the physical documents arrive and are matched to the electronic docket.
Wait for the bond determination. If the estate exceeds $25,000 in gross value, the court typically requires a corporate surety bond. Securing one involves a credit check and underwriting — expect two to six weeks. Premiums run 0.5% to 1% of the bond amount annually. For a $300,000 estate, that is $1,500 to $3,000 per year.
Receive the Certificate of Appointment. Once the court processes your petition, verifies the originals, and confirms the bond (or waiver), it issues a Certificate of Appointment. This document is your legal authority to act — banks, title companies, and financial institutions will require certified copies before releasing assets.
Notices go out. The court publishes a notice to creditors, which starts a six-month claim period (RSA 556:5). Interested persons also receive individual notice of your appointment.
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Common Mistakes That Delay Processing
Forgetting to mail the originals. The e-filing system accepts your petition, but the case stalls until the physical documents arrive. Some filers assume electronic filing is the entire process.
Underestimating the estate value. If you report a value below $25,000 and the court later learns the estate is worth more, you may need to post a bond retroactively. Report honestly — the fee difference between the $205 and $305 tiers is not worth the complications.
Missing interested persons. Leaving a known heir or creditor off the petition does not eliminate their claim. It creates grounds for them to challenge the proceeding later.
Not requesting the Waiver of Administration upfront. If the estate qualifies, requesting the waiver on the initial petition is far simpler than converting to waiver status after full administration has begun.
When You Do Not Need NHJB-2145-Pe
Not every estate requires probate. New Hampshire does not have a small estate affidavit (the statute was repealed), but some assets pass outside probate entirely: jointly held property with survivorship rights, accounts with named beneficiaries (life insurance, retirement accounts, TOD/POD designations), and assets held in a living trust.
If the only assets are non-probate transfers, you may not need to file the petition at all. But if any asset lacks a designated beneficiary or transfer mechanism, you will need NHJB-2145-Pe to establish the legal authority to collect and distribute it.
Getting It Right the First Time
The NH Judicial Branch website provides the form as a PDF, but the court expects e-filed petitions, not mailed paper copies. The e-filing portal generates NHJB-2145-Pe based on your inputs, so understanding what information you need before you start is the key to a clean filing.
If you want a step-by-step walkthrough of the entire probate process — from the petition through the final accounting — the New Hampshire Probate Process Guide covers each phase in sequence, including the Waiver of Administration decision, bond requirements, and the e-filing process.
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