The living document
Everything we have corrected
Most publishers hide their edits. We publish ours. When a figure changes, when a rule is updated, when a reader catches something we got wrong, it is recorded here. Anyone can claim rigour. Only a changelog demonstrates it.
The unclaimed property figure was corrected. The post said states hold about $70 billion, which no primary source supports; it now cites NAUPA's fiscal year 2024 report (about $4.5 billion returned to owners) and NAUPA's estimate that about one in seven people has unclaimed property. A statement that most states require employers to pay out accrued vacation was corrected: it depends on state law and the employer's policy.
The unclaimed property figure of about $70 billion, which no primary source supports, was replaced with NAUPA's fiscal year 2024 figure of about $4.5 billion returned to owners.
Two unsourced figures were removed: about $70 billion in unclaimed property and 67 percent of Americans with no will.
Updated to 2026 figures from the IRS: the basic exclusion is $15 million for deaths in 2026 ($13.99 million for deaths in 2025), and the top trust and estate income tax rate applies above $16,000 (Rev. Proc. 2025-32). An unsourced range for state estate tax exemptions and an unsourced share of estates owing no tax were removed.
Two statements were corrected: California does not scale its probate filing fee to the value of the estate, and Florida's simplified route is summary administration. Unsourced cost percentages, fee ranges, and timelines were replaced with what each state sets. The California statutory attorney schedule is now cited to Probate Code section 10810.
The advice to order 15 to 20 death certificates was replaced with counting the institutions that will each want an original, matching the Library.
The advice to order 10 to 15 death certificates was replaced with counting the institutions that will each want an original, matching the Library.
The prevalence of prolonged grief disorder was corrected from 7 to 10 percent to 4 to 15 percent of bereaved adults, as the cited American Psychiatric Association page states.
Two unsourced claims were removed: that Oregon has the most generous state mandate (Illinois also provides up to two weeks) and that 3 to 5 days is the most common policy.
The guide said hospices must offer bereavement services for up to thirteen months. The regulation, 42 CFR 418.64(d)(1), says up to one year following the death of the patient. The guide now quotes it.
The figure for unclaimed property returned by the states was updated to NAUPA's fiscal year 2024 report: about $4.5 billion.
VA burial allowance corrected from $978 to $1,002, effective 1 October 2025.
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