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Connecticut Executor Bond Requirement

Updated September 7, 2026. Quick answer: In Connecticut, connecticut requires a bond of a fiduciary as a general matter, with the amount and security set by the probate judge; the version of § 45a-139 fetched contains no will-based or beneficiary-consent waiver mechanism; the only waiver route in this section is judicial discretion tied to estate size.

Does Connecticut require an executor to post a bond?

Connecticut requires a bond of a fiduciary as a general matter, with the amount and security set by the probate judge; the version of § 45a-139 fetched contains no will-based or beneficiary-consent waiver mechanism; the only waiver route in this section is judicial discretion tied to estate size.

“A probate judge may waive the requirement of a bond if the assets of the estate are less than twenty thousand dollars, or if the amount of the estate which is not restricted by Probate Court order is less than ten thousand dollars.”

Source: Conn. Gen. Stat. § 45a-139

Can the will waive it in Connecticut?

Sometimes. Nothing in the fetched text of § 45a-139 lets a will itself waive bond; waiver is a discretionary act of the probate judge, not a testamentary election.

Can the heirs or beneficiaries waive it in Connecticut?

No. No heir/beneficiary consent-waiver mechanism appears in this section; the judge alone may waive bond, and only where estate value falls under the statutory thresholds.

If a bond is required, how much?

“in such amount and with such security as shall be required by the judge of probate…waivable if the assets of the estate are less than twenty thousand dollars, or if the amount of the estate which is not restricted by Probate Court order is less than ten thousand dollars”

Source: Conn. Gen. Stat. § 45a-139

In dollar terms, that means Connecticut’s probate judge may waive bond outright once the estate’s assets are under $20,000 (or the portion not restricted by a Probate Court order is under $10,000).

What makes Connecticut different

Connecticut ties its bond waiver to a dollar-value small-estate threshold rather than to who consents (will language or beneficiary agreement); a size-based rule that is notably different from the will/heir-consent waiver pattern used almost everywhere else in this survey.

Sources read this session
Bond-requirement sourceConn. Gen. Stat. § 45a-139
Connecticut courts (general reference)Connecticut judicial branch
Connecticut Secretary of State / legislatureConnecticut state government
Supplemental-figure sourceConn. Gen. Stat. § 45a-139
ConfidenceHigh

Every statute quoted on this page was read directly from the state’s own legislature/code site this session, or, where that site blocked automated access, from a reputable legal-citation mirror quoting the same official text with its official citation (disclosed below). General information, not legal advice; a probate court has final discretion over bond in every state; confirm your own case with the court or a local attorney before relying on the default described here.

Related: how long creditors have to file a claim against an estate in Connecticut.

Related: how long you have to contest a will in Connecticut.

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