Children and inheritance in New York

When it comes to estate planning, you may have a number of issues in front of you, such as creating a will and determining how your assets will be distributed after you pass away. If you have children, there may be additional considerations you should take into account. For example, you may need to figure out how to divide property among your children or you may need to take steps to ensure that they can actually inherit your assets after your death. At Joseph A. Ledwidge, P.C., we understand how complicated estate planning can be for people in Jamaica, New York, and across the nation.

According to the New York State Unified Court System, there are a number of requirements which must be met in order for children to inherit property  after their parents pass away. If a child was born to parents who were not married, paternity must have been established for him or her to inherit property after a parent passes away. If you are not married to your child’s other parent, you may want to establish paternity to make sure your child is able to inherit property.

In New York, a legal relationship between parents and children must be established for children to inherit assets from a will. If foster children were not adopted, they do not have a right to inheritance. However, adopted children have the same inheritance rights as biological children. If you visit the section of our site devoted to estate administration, you can read more on wills and inheritance .