Connecticut
Death Laws & End-of-Life Guide

At a Glance

Filing and registration of death certificates in Connecticut.

A death certificate must be filed with the registrar of vital statistics in the town where the death occurred. This must be done not later than five business days after death for paper certificates, and not later than three calendar days for electronic filings, to obtain a burial permit. The funeral director or embalmer in charge is responsible for completing and filing the death certificate.

Who can order copies.

Anyone at least 18 years old can purchase a certified copy of a Connecticut death certificate. The decedent's social security number on the certificate is only accessible to the decedent's spouse or next of kin, requiring proof of identity and relationship.

• -Connecticut Department of Public Health, Vital Records Unit: https://portal.ct.gov/dph/vital-records/death-certificates
• -Cost: approximately $20 per certified copy
• -Online ordering available through VitalChek (additional fees may apply).

Who can order a death certificate in Connecticut?

Anyone at least 18 can buy a certified copy of a Connecticut death certificate. The version with the Social Security number goes only to the spouse or next of kin, with proof of identity and relationship. The spouse, child or parent of a deceased veteran gets one free copy. Certified copies come from Connecticut's State Vital Records Office, Connecticut Department of Public Health; the vital records office of the town where the death occurred issues copies too, usually faster, online or by phone through VitalChek, in person at the town or state office, or by mail with a money order.

How do I get a death certificate in Connecticut?

Order certified copies from Connecticut's vital records office; this section's source link is the official process. The funeral home or cremation provider usually orders the first copies for you. Ask each bank, insurer, court, and agency whether it needs its own certified copy before you decide how many to order.

How much does a death certificate cost in Connecticut?

$20 per certified copy in Connecticut, as shown above. Additional-copy pricing varies; the official source linked in this section has the current fee schedule.

At a Glance

When probate is required.

In Connecticut, a full probate process is generally required if the deceased person's solely owned assets (probate estate) exceed $40,000. If the total value of personal property doesn't exceed $40,000 and there's no solely owned real estate, a small estate affidavit (Affidavit in Lieu of Probate of Will/Administration PC-212) may be used.

If you die without a will.

If a person dies in Connecticut without a valid will (intestate), their property is distributed according to state law. The distribution depends on surviving family members:

• -If there's a surviving spouse and no surviving issue (children, grandchildren) or parents, the spouse inherits the entire intestate estate.
• -If there's a surviving spouse, no surviving issue, but surviving parent(s), the spouse inherits the first $100,000 plus three-quarters of the balance of the intestate estate.
• -If there's a surviving spouse and surviving issue, all of whom are also issue of the surviving spouse, the spouse inherits the first $100,000 plus one-half of the balance of the intestate estate.
• -If there's a surviving spouse and surviving issue, one or more of whom aren't issue of the surviving spouse, the spouse inherits one-half of the intestate estate.

Avoiding probate.

Common methods to avoid probate in Connecticut include establishing a revocable living trust, using beneficiary designations on accounts (such as Payable-on-Death or Transfer-on-Death), and holding property in joint ownership with rights of survivorship. These assets can pass directly to beneficiaries outside of the probate court process.

Handwritten wills.

Connecticut doesn't accept an unwitnessed handwritten will signed here. Every will has to be signed by the person and by two witnesses, each signing in the person's presence (Conn. Gen. Stat. § 45a-251). The same section has one opening: a will that was valid under the law of the state or country where it was signed can be probated in Connecticut. So a handwritten will made in a state that allows them can pass property here, and one signed in Connecticut can't.

Source: Conn. Gen. Stat. § 45a-251 (Connecticut General Assembly) ↗

How long does probate take in Connecticut?

A straightforward Connecticut probate typically runs several months to over a year, as shown in this section. Contested wills, missing heirs, or real property in other states stretch it well past that.

What is the small-estate limit in Connecticut?

$40,000. Estates under that figure can use the simplified process or affidavit covered above instead of full probate.

Do I need a probate attorney in Connecticut?

Not always. If the estate qualifies for the simplified process covered above, many people handle it without a lawyer. Hire one for full probate, a contested will, or property in more than one state. Before you hire anyone, know the fee structures: hourly, flat, and (in a few states) statutory percentages. Our probate attorney cost guide covers what each should run you.

Does Connecticut allow transfer-on-death deeds?

No. Connecticut has no transfer-on-death deed statute. Connecticut has no TOD deed (the legislature has repeatedly declined to adopt one, most recently in 2026); a living trust or joint ownership with survivorship does the same job here.

Source: legislative record ↗

Time off work after a death in Connecticut

Connecticut doesn't require a private employer to give bereavement leave, paid or unpaid. Whatever you get is your employer's policy, and it can be changed or refused.

Who it covers. Nobody, for bereavement. The paid sick leave law is reaching nearly all employers (25 or more employees January 1, 2025, 11 or more in 2026, 1 or more in 2027) but a death is not a permitted use.

How much. 0

Paid or unpaid. Not applicable. Bereavement pay in Connecticut is employer policy.

Connecticut employees do get up to 40 hours a year of accrued paid sick leave, and family violence victims get 12 unpaid protected days under § 31-51ss, but nothing in Connecticut law protects time off to grieve or attend a funeral.

Source: No bereavement statute. Conn. Gen. Stat. §§ 31-57r to 31-57w (paid sick leave, expanded effective January 1, 2025) omit bereavement from the permitted uses. ↗

Can I leave money to care for my pet in Connecticut?

Yes. Connecticut enforces pet trusts under Conn. Gen. Stat. § 45a-489a, so money you set aside for an animal is legally binding on whoever you put in charge of it. The trust ends when the last animal it covers dies, and Connecticut sets no year limit on it. Connecticut makes you name a trust protector in the document, and that person's only job is to act for your animals. The protector can go to Superior Court or probate court to enforce the trust, remove or replace the trustee, or force an accounting, and the trust pays the protector's costs and lawyer if the protector wins. The trustee owes the protector a sworn account every year, and if it looks like the trustee is taking the money, the protector can ask the Attorney General to step in. A judge can cut the amount back if the trustee or the protector asks and the money is more than your animal needs. Anything cut goes where your trust says first, then to whoever you named to receive what's left, then back to you if you're living, then under your will's residuary clause, and otherwise to your heirs. The statute requires your trust instrument to name that protector, so pick the person, and a backup, before you sign, and pick someone who'll actually read the yearly account.

Source: Conn. Gen. Stat. § 45a-489a ↗

How to set one up, and what it costs →

Die without a will in Connecticut and this law picks your heirs.

If you die intestate (without a valid will) in Connecticut, Conn. Gen. Stat. §§ 45a-437 to 45a-439 decides who inherits everything a will would have covered. The shares depend on exactly who survives you: spouse, children, parents, siblings. What you told people you wanted doesn't matter. Only a signed will changes these defaults.

What your spouse gets.

What your spouse inherits depends on who else survives you. The four common family shapes:

• -Spouse only (no descendants or parents): entire estate
• -Spouse + parents (no descendants): first $100,000 plus 3/4 of the balance; parents take the rest
• -Spouse + joint descendants: first $100,000 plus 1/2 of the balance; children take the rest
• -Spouse + blended family: spouse takes 1/2 of the estate, no lump sum; the decedent's children take the other half
• -Source: Conn. Gen. Stat. §§ 45a-437, 45a-439

Children's shares.

The children take the whole estate in equal shares, and a deceased child's descendants take that child's share by representation.

No spouse, no children: the line of succession.

After children come the parents, then siblings and their descendants, then next of kin in equal degree (no representation past siblings' descendants), then: unusually, stepchildren and their descendants; only after that does property escheat to the state under § 45a-452.

At a Glance

What Connecticut requires.

In Connecticut, an Advance Health Care Directive typically combines a Living Will and the Appointment of a Health Care Representative (Healthcare Power of Attorney). Any person 18 or older can execute one. The document has to be signed and dated by the maker with at least two witnesses, and the witnesses attest that the maker appeared to be 18 or older, of sound mind, and able to understand the nature and consequences of health care decisions (Conn. Gen. Stat. §§ 19a-575, 19a-575a). No notary is required.

Healthcare power of attorney.

Connecticut law allows individuals to appoint a Health Care Representative through an Advance Health Care Directive. This person is authorized to make medical decisions on your behalf if you become unable to do so. This appointment is often part of a combined advance directive document.

POLST / MOLST forms.

Connecticut recognizes Medical Orders for Life Sustaining Treatment (MOLST) forms. Unlike advance directives, which are for future medical decisions, MOLST forms are medical orders for patients with serious advanced illnesses who may die within 1-2 years. They're completed by a healthcare professional and reflect a patient's current wishes regarding life-sustaining treatments. Since May 26, 2026, a MOLST is valid only if it's completed on the form the Department of Public Health prescribes, and a physician assistant can decide that a patient's condition qualifies, along with a physician or an APRN.

Source: Probate Court Administrator, 2026 Legislative Summary (P.A. 26-68, section 192) ↗

Where do I get Connecticut's advance directive form?

Start with Conn. Gen. Stat. §§ 19a-575, 19a-575a, 19a-577 (Ch. 368w), linked as this section's source. Use the current form or sample that the official source provides or identifies. Form authority and execution requirements vary by state, so confirm the source before signing and get legal help if your situation or the instructions are unclear.

Does Connecticut require a notary or witnesses for an advance directive?

Connecticut requires 2 adult witnesses; notarization isn’t required. Anyone 18 or older of sound mind can make one.

At a Glance

Cremation rules in Connecticut.

No body may be cremated in Connecticut until at least 48 hours after death, unless the death was the result of a communicable disease (Conn. Gen. Stat. § 19a-323(d)). Before the cremation, a medical examiner or other authorized designee completes a cremation certificate saying no further examination or inquiry is needed, and the town registrar issues the cremation permit. The estate pays $150 for the cremation certificate, waived for a stillborn fetus or anyone under 18. A casket isn't required by statute, though crematories require a rigid combustible container. Authorization comes from the legally authorized person, usually the next of kin.

Green burial and alternatives.

Connecticut allows green burial, which means no embalming, a biodegradable casket or shroud, and direct earth burial. Alkaline hydrolysis, sometimes called water cremation, is regulated by name in Connecticut as of 2024: a crematory that performs it has to sit on the grounds of a licensed funeral home, and it can't be performed without the same permit a cremation needs. Human composting isn't addressed in Connecticut statutes.

• -Green burial is permitted and growing in availability in Connecticut cemeteries.
• -Alkaline hydrolysis: permitted with a cremation permit, and the facility must be on the grounds of a licensed funeral home (Conn. Gen. Stat. §§ 19a-320(d), 19a-323(d), added by P.A. 24-68).
• -Embalming isn't required by Connecticut law, except in specific cases of communicable disease.
• -Home burial may be permitted, but local zoning ordinances and health department regulations should be consulted.

Funeral home regulations.

Funeral homes in Connecticut are licensed by the state. They're subject to regulations regarding price disclosure, including the FTC Funeral Rule, which requires them to provide an itemized price list to consumers. The Connecticut Department of Public Health oversees funeral service licensing and regulations.

Who decides what happens to the body in Connecticut

Connecticut sets this order by statute. The first person on the list who is available and willing decides, and a funeral home takes its instructions from them.

1. individual designated in a written document under § 45a-318(a), and any alternate named in it (a DD Form 93 has the same legal effect under subsection (h))
2. spouse, unless the spouse abandoned the decedent before death or has been adjudged incapable
3. surviving adult children (majority of the class)
4. surviving parents (majority of the class)
5. surviving siblings (majority of the class)
6. any adult in the next degree of kinship in the order named by law to inherit, of the third degree of kinship or higher (majority of the class)
7. the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner
8. such adult person as the Probate Court shall determine

Naming someone in advance. A dedicated written document under Conn. Gen. Stat. § 45a-318(a): any person 18 or older and of sound mind may execute it, subscribed by them and attested by two witnesses. It can give disposition directions and name an agent to carry them out, or just name someone to have custody and control, and it can name an alternate. A model form headed "DISPOSITION OF REMAINS AND APPOINTMENT OF AGENT" is printed at subsection (g), though its use isn't required. Under subsection (a)(2) a conservator of the person or an agent under a power of attorney can execute one on behalf of a conserved person or principal. A DD Form 93 gets the same legal effect (subsection (h)), and § 45a-318(b) also recognizes a document executed under § 19a-575a, the health care instructions and appointment of health care representative statute.

When the same tier disagrees. Two mechanisms. Within a class, § 45a-318(e) gives control to a majority of the members of the class who can be located and indicate willingness within a reasonable time, capped at ten days after the decedent is identified, and that decision has to be in writing. Above that, § 45a-318(i) gives the Probate Court for the decedent's district jurisdiction to hear and decide any issue about custody, control, or disposition on the petition of a designated individual, the person entitled under subsection (d), a town official, or the funeral director, embalmer, or other person holding the body. Subsection (j) shields a funeral director or embalmer who refuses to proceed until a Probate Court order or a written agreement signed by the parties arrives, and lets them embalm or refrigerate and shelter the body meanwhile and add that cost to the bill.

The designated agent doesn't lose the right by delay alone: the statutory list in subsection (d) only kicks in if there's no written designation, or the designee and any alternate decline or can't be found within 48 hours of the death or the discovery of the body. Connecticut also strips an estranged spouse, using "abandoned" as the test. Under subsection (k), where several people share equal priority, a funeral director or embalmer may act on the instructions of the first one to make arrangements, as long as nobody else in that class has filed a written objection and the director has no other knowledge of an objection.

Source: Conn. Gen. Stat. § 45a-318 (Document directing or designating individual to have custody and control of disposition of deceased person's body) ↗

If you can't afford the funeral in Connecticut

Three separate pots of money, on three different agencies' websites, collected nowhere. A family that qualifies for all three usually claims none of them.

1. When nobody can pay. Funeral and Burial Allowance, a statewide payment made by the state rather than the towns. Connecticut Department of Social Services.

What it pays. "The Department's maximum payment is $1,800 (effective July 1, 2024)." It's reduced by liquid assets in the estate, life insurance, funeral funds, prepaid contracts, and "contributions (regardless of source) that exceed $3,400."

What disqualifies you. Two routes in. Anyone who was receiving State Administered General Assistance (SAGA), Temporary Family Assistance (TFA), or State Supplement qualifies. So does anyone else who died indigent, meaning they "Die without sufficient estate" and "Do not have a legally liable relative able to pay." You don't have to have been on benefits.

The official page ↗

2. If the death was caused by a crime. "Funeral (up to $6,000) to any person who paid some or all of the expenses," inside "Survivor Benefits (up to $25,000)" for expenses not covered by insurance or other financial resources.

Connecticut crime victim compensation ↗

3. Money the person was already owed. Search Connecticut's unclaimed property before you borrow anything. Searching and claiming are free.

Connecticut unclaimed property ↗

One year and it's gone: "Applications must be made within one year of the date of death." The money also never reaches the family, since "Payments can only be made to the funeral director, cemetery or crematory. Family members and individuals cannot be reimbursed." The part most people miss is the $3,400 threshold. Friends, a church, and a GoFundMe can contribute up to $3,400 before the state payment starts shrinking. The funeral director, a family member, or anyone who made the arrangements can file.

At a Glance

Connecticut has an estate tax with a high exemption.

Connecticut imposes a state estate tax. For deaths occurring in 2026, the Connecticut estate tax exemption amount is $15 million per person. Estates valued above this threshold are subject to a flat tax rate of 12% on the amount exceeding the exemption. This exemption is aligned with the federal estate tax exemption for 2026.

Connecticut doesn't have an inheritance tax.

Connecticut doesn't impose an inheritance tax. This means beneficiaries receiving assets from a deceased person's estate in Connecticut don't pay a state tax on their inheritance. This is distinct from the state's estate tax, which is levied on the total value of the deceased person's estate before distribution.

Federal estate tax.

The federal estate tax applies to estates over $15 million per person (2026), $30 million for married couples. This is separate from any state estate or inheritance tax. The Working Families Tax Cuts Bill (Public Law 119-21, 2025) made the higher exemption permanent, so the drop to roughly $7 million once scheduled under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act never took effect.

Does Connecticut have an estate tax?

Yes. Connecticut levies its own estate tax, with a state exemption of $15 million and rates of 12%. The federal estate tax can also apply, but only to estates over $15 million per person (2026).

Does Connecticut have an inheritance tax?

No. Connecticut doesn’t tax inheritances. Heirs owe no state tax on what they receive, though the estate itself can owe state estate tax before anything is distributed.

What is the federal estate tax exemption for 2026?

$15 million per person, $30 million for a married couple, indexed for inflation. The Working Families Tax Cuts Bill (Public Law 119-21, 2025) made the higher exemption permanent. Estates below the threshold owe no federal estate tax.

At a Glance

Registering as a donor in Connecticut.

You can register as an organ and tissue donor in Connecticut through several methods. The most common ways are online via the Donate Life Connecticut registry or when obtaining or renewing your Connecticut driver's license or ID card at the DMV.

• -Donate Life Connecticut online registry: https://registerme.org/campaign/ct
• -Register at the Connecticut Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) when applying for or renewing a driver's license or state ID.
• -You can also indicate your wishes on an advance directive, though official registration is recommended.

Your family can't override an adult donor's decision.

In Connecticut, a registered organ donor decision is legally binding. Nobody else can make, amend, or revoke your gift after your death (Conn. Gen. Stat. § 19a-289g(a)). One exception: if the donor is an unemancipated minor, a parent who is reasonably available can revoke or amend the gift (Conn. Gen. Stat. § 19a-289g(f)). Organ procurement organizations still consult families in practice, so tell yours what you decided.