If a loved one has recently passed away in Florida — or if you are thinking ahead about your own estate — there is important news. Florida has passed CS/SB 1500, a meaningful reform to the state’s probate law that takes effect on July 1, 2026. The bill passed both chambers of the Florida Legislature unanimously. The headline change: the threshold for summary administration has been doubled, rising from $75,000 to $150,000 in non-exempt probate assets. The law also raised several related thresholds, including the no-administration personal property limit, which increases from $10,000 to $20,000. For many Florida families, these changes mean a faster, cheaper, and far less stressful path through the probate process.
What Is Summary Administration?
Florida offers two main types of probate. Formal administration is the full-length court process — it typically takes six to twelve months, requires a court-appointed personal representative, involves a mandatory creditor notice and claims period, and can cost considerably in legal and court fees depending on estate complexity. Summary administration, governed by Florida Statute §735.201, is the streamlined alternative. It does not require a personal representative, eliminates the mandatory creditor claims period, and typically wraps up in four to eight weeks. At the end, a judge signs a single Order of Summary Administration directing assets to be distributed directly to the beneficiaries.
What Changed — and What It Means in Plain English
Under the old law, summary administration was only available if the estate’s non-exempt probate assets were worth $75,000 or less. CS/SB 1500 doubles that cap to $150,000. Two things are critical to understand about how that number is calculated. First, your homestead property is not counted — the family home is excluded from the calculation entirely, as are certain other exempt assets such as specified household furnishings and up to two personal vehicles. Second, assets that pass outside of probate — such as retirement accounts with named beneficiaries, life insurance proceeds, payable-on-death or transfer-on-death accounts, and jointly held property — also do not count toward the cap. An estate can have a substantial gross value and still qualify for summary administration if non-exempt probate assets fall below $150,000.
Consider a practical example. A retired Floridian passes away owning a $300,000 home, a checking account with $120,000, and a life insurance policy naming her children as beneficiaries. Under the old law, the $120,000 bank account would have pushed the estate into formal administration — a lengthy, expensive process. Under the new law, that same estate qualifies for summary administration, because the home and the life insurance are excluded from the count, and the bank account falls under the new $150,000 threshold.
Who Benefits Most?
This reform is especially significant for middle-income Florida families — those who had more than $75,000 in non-exempt assets but whose estates were never truly complex enough to warrant a full-blown court proceeding. These families were stuck in an uncomfortable middle zone: too much for the old summary threshold, too modest to justify the cost and delay of formal probate. That zone has now expanded considerably. The new law is also a useful nudge to take stock of your own estate plan. Because homestead, retirement accounts, and accounts with transfer-on-death designations all pass outside of probate, many people are surprised to discover just how little of their estate is actually subject to probate — often well below $150,000.
Important Limitations to Know
The new $150,000 threshold applies only to decedents who pass away on or after July 1, 2026. Estates of those who passed away before that date are governed by the old $75,000 rule. Additionally, if a decedent’s will specifically directs formal administration, summary administration is unavailable regardless of estate size. And of course, summary administration remains available for any estate — regardless of value — when more than two years have passed since the date of death. It is also worth noting that summary administration is still a court proceeding: it requires a petition to be filed with the probate court, and all beneficiaries named in the petition must sign it. While significantly faster than formal administration, it is not a purely private process.
Does This Change Whether You Need an Estate Plan?
Not fundamentally. A properly funded revocable trust still avoids probate entirely — no court order, no filing, no waiting period — and remains the most comprehensive planning tool available. An unfunded or partially funded trust, however, will not achieve that result; assets must actually be titled in the trust or properly designated to it. The CS/SB 1500 reform does make the fallback position meaningfully better for families who relied on a will alone or whose planning is incomplete. If you have been putting off an estate plan review, this is a good moment to take stock of what you actually own and how it would move through the system today. Contact Kramer Green to schedule a consultation today.