Wenn Eltern ihre Kinder im Testament enterben oder ihnen weniger als den gesetzlichen Anteil am Erbe zukommen lassen, steht den Kindern in der Regel ein Pflichtteil zu. Doch wie hoch ist dieser genau, und gibt es Möglichkeiten, den Pflichtteil zu reduzieren oder zu umgehen? In diesem Beitrag erklären wir, wie sich der Pflichtteil berechnet, welche […]

The German right to a compulsory portion protects the direct relatives of the testator from being completely disinherited. The right to a compulsory portion is based on the constitutional principle of family solidarity. The compulsory portion is not a genuine inheritance right, but must be actively enforced by the person entitled to the compulsory portion […]

“I disinherit you!” is easier said than done. The hurdles for disinheritance are very high under German inheritance law. This applies at least to heirs who are entitled to a compulsory portion in accordance with the statutory order of succession.

An accident or serious illness can lead to situations in which you are no longer able to say which medical treatments you want or refuse. You can make provisions for this situation with a clearly formulated living will. General formulations can render the living will ineffective.

If several persons inherit together, they are jointly entitled to the administration and distribution of the estate, unless the deceased has made a different arrangement. In practice, this often means that the community of heirs also becomes a community of fate in matters of property, which can usually only be ended by the so-called “settlement”.

If you do not wish to bequeath your estate in accordance with the statutory order of succession, you have two options for making individual arrangements for your inheritance: a handwritten will or a notarized will. What are the advantages of a notarized will over a handwritten will?

If the deceased failed to make a testamentary succession arrangement, the estate is distributed in accordance with statutory inheritance law. Inheritance is determined according to a statutory order of precedence based on the degree of kinship to the deceased person.

What happens if someone dies without leaving a will or an inheritance contract? In this case, the statutory succession applies in Germany, which we explain in this article.

The basic rule in Germany is that when a person dies, the statutory succession applies. It is also possible to deviate from these statutory regulations. To do this, the future testator must draw up a will during their lifetime. Here you can find out what types of wills there are in Germany.