- Married with no children
- If there are no children and the parents of the deceased are dead, the spouse inherits the entire estate. If the deceased had no children but the deceased’s parents are alive, the surviving spouse receives the first $30,000 of the estate plus one half of the remainder. The parents receive the other half.
- Married with child or children
- If the deceased was married and had children with the surviving spouse, the spouse receives the first $30,000 of the estate plus one half of the remainder. The children receive the other half. If the deceased was married but the surviving spouse is not the natural parent of at least one of the children, the spouse receives one half of the entire estate; the children receive the other half.
- No spouse survives (or the decedent was not married) but there are other relatives
- If there are no children or spouse, the estate is distributed in the following order:1) parents of the deceased
2) siblings and their children
3) grandparents and their children
4) uncles, aunts and their children and grandchildren
- No surviving relatives
- The entire estate goes to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. If the person was a resident of a State Veterans Home, the estate goes to the State Veterans Home welfare fund.
- State link
- N/A
- Other links
- http://www.pacode.com/secure/data/043/chapter7/s7.9.html
