- Married with no children
- If there is no surviving child or parent of the deceased, the spouse get the entire estate. If there is no surviving child but the decedent is survived by parets, the spouse get the first $50,000 plus one half of the balance of the estate.
- Married with child or children
- If there are surviving children who are also issue of the surviving spouse, the spouse gets the first $50,000 plus one half of the balance of the estate. If the surviving children are not children of the surviving spouse, the spouse receives half of the estate and the children receive the balance.
- Order of estate distribution if spouse survives
- The part of the estate not passing to the surviving spouse goes to:
1) the children of the decedent
2) the parents of the decedent
3) the issue of the parents
4) grandparents or issue of grandparents
5) great grandparents or issue of great grandparents - No spouse survives (or the decedent was not married) but there are other relatives
- 1) the children of the decedent
2) the parents of the decedent
3) the issue of the parents
4) grandparents or issue of grandparents
5) great grandparents or issue of great grandparents - No surviving relatives
- The entire estate goes to the state of Maine.
- State link
- http://www.mainelegislature.org/legis/Statutes/18-A/title18-Asec2-102.html
- Other links
- http://www.mainelegislature.org/legis/Statutes/18-A/title18-Asec2-103.html
