In Tennessee is Life Insurance a Probate Asset that Requires a Probate Proceeding?

The answer is almost always no.  As long as the life insurance policy has named beneficiaries (other than the estate) it is not subject to probate in Tennessee and passes outside of probate. (for a discussion on other assets that are no probate assets read this article here).  Most often, the named beneficiaries simply need to fill out some forms that the life insurance company has and the money will be distributed rather quickly.  This payment is not subject to creditors of the person who died (See T.C.A. § 56-7-201).

T.C.A. § 56-7-201 also provides that even if the estate is listed as a beneficiary of the life insurance policy, the money is still not subject to the debts of the decedent unless specifically stated in the will.  The entire text of T.C.A. § 56-7-201 provides as follows:

On the death of an insured, any life insurance acquired by the insured or the insured's spouse and payable to the intestate insured's estate benefits the surviving spouse and children and the proceeds shall be divided between them according to the statutes of distribution without being in any manner subject to the debts of the decedent. If the proceeds of the insurance are payable to the estate of a testate decedent or the trustee of a revocable trust of which the decedent was a settlor, the proceeds shall pass as part of the estate or trust and under the dispositive provisions of the will or trust agreement, as ordinary cash, whether or not the will or trust agreement uses any apt or express words referring to the insurance proceeds, but the proceeds shall not be subject to the debts of the decedent unless specifically charged with the debts in the will or trust agreement.

As a result, even naming the estate as a beneficiary in your life insurance policy does not have all of the potentially negative baggage for other probate assets.  In fact, there is a good argument that doing so can be a good decision in certain circumstances.  You would need to consult with an experienced Tennessee estate planning attorney to discuss your specific circumstance more.  For a listing of assets that are probate assets, read this article here.

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What is the priority for claims or demands against an estate under Tennessee law?

T.C.A. § 30-2-317 provides a list showing the priority for any claim or demand against the estate of a deceased individual in Tennessee.  Claims and demands against an estate are divided into certain categories and the statue provides the order in which the claims or demands are to be paid.  Specifically, T.C.A. § 30-2-317 provides a priority for claims and demands as follows:

(a) All claims or demands against the estate of any deceased person shall be divided into the following classifications, which shall have priority in the order shown:

(1) First: Costs of administration, including, but not limited to, premiums on the fiduciary bonds and reasonable compensation to the personal representative and the personal representative's counsel;

(2) Second: Reasonable funeral expenses;

(3) Third: Taxes and assessments imposed by the federal or any state government or subdivision of the federal or any state government, including claims by the Bureau of TennCare pursuant to § 71-5-116; and

(4) Fourth: All other demands that may be filed as aforementioned within four (4) months after the date of notice to creditors.

Category number four is a catch-all category for any claims that are filed with the probate court for the debts of the deceased individual within four months of the notice provided to the creditors.  This statute also provides specific instructions to the personal representative of how to pay the claims according to the specific priority found in the statute.  T.C.A. § 30-2-317(b) provides as follows:

(b) All demands against the estate shall be paid by the personal representative in the order in which they are classed, and no demand of one class shall be paid until the claims of all prior classes are satisfied or provided for; and if there are not sufficient assets to pay the whole of any one class, the claims in that class shall be paid pro rata.

It is very important for the personal representative to be aware of the rules pertaining to the priority of payment for any claim or demand against the estate.  This is where a probate attorney can be very helpful to guide and advise the personal representative in this process so Tennessee