New Jersey Form L-8 is the Self-Executing Waiver Affidavit that lets a Class A beneficiary release a deceased New Jersey resident’s bank accounts, stocks, bonds, brokerage accounts, and certain insurance proceeds without first obtaining a formal tax waiver from the New Jersey Division of Taxation. It is signed under oath, notarized, and delivered straight to the bank, transfer agent, or brokerage holding the asset, which then lifts the automatic 50% hold the state places on the account at death.
The form solves a very specific bottleneck: when a New Jersey resident dies, financial institutions are required by N.J.S.A. 54:35-5 to freeze half of every account in the decedent’s name until they receive proof that no inheritance tax is owed, and a botched L-8 keeps that money locked up for months. According to the NJ Division of Taxation, the inheritance tax still applies to roughly 11% of New Jersey decedents whose assets pass to non-Class A heirs, but the vast majority of estates qualify for the L-8 shortcut and never need to file a full Inheritance Tax Return.
Here is what this guide will give you:
- 📄 A line-by-line walkthrough of every box, schedule, and signature block on Form L-8
- 👨👩👧 Three full real-world filing scenarios you can copy almost word for word
- ⚠️ The ten most common L-8 mistakes that get the form rejected by banks
- 🏦 Filing instructions for every channel: in person, by mail, and through bank portals
- ❓ Twelve plain-English FAQs that answer the questions filers actually ask
What Form L-8 Is and Who Must File It
Form L-8, titled the Affidavit for Non-Real Estate Investments (also called the Self-Executing Waiver Affidavit), is published by the New Jersey Division of Taxation, Inheritance and Estate Tax Branch. It is the document that tells a financial institution it can safely release a dead person’s intangible personal property — checking accounts, savings accounts, certificates of deposit, brokerage accounts, individual stocks, corporate bonds, mutual funds, and life insurance proceeds payable to a named beneficiary — because the heirs all qualify as Class A and no inheritance or estate tax is due.
The form is filed by the executor named in the will, the administrator appointed by the surrogate, the surviving joint tenant on the account, or the named beneficiary on a transfer-on-death (TOD) or pay-on-death (POD) registration. It can only be used if every person inheriting from the decedent falls into Class A: a surviving spouse, civil union partner, domestic partner, parent, grandparent, child, stepchild, legally adopted child, grandchild, or great-grandchild. Siblings, nieces, nephews, in-laws, friends, and unrelated heirs are not Class A, and the moment one of them touches the estate, the L-8 shortcut disappears and the executor must file a full Inheritance Tax Return (Form IT-R) instead.
The L-8 does double duty as both an affidavit (a sworn statement of facts) and a self-executing waiver (a tax release that takes effect on its own, without the Division of Taxation having to issue Form O-1). That self-executing power is why financial institutions accept it directly. It applies only to resident decedents — a person who lived in New Jersey on the date of death — and only to non-real-estate assets; real property requires its sister form, Form L-9, filed with the county where the property sits.
New Jersey repealed its separate Estate Tax for decedents dying on or after January 1, 2018, but the Inheritance Tax under N.J.S.A. 54:34-1 remains fully in force. That repeal is why modern L-8 filings rarely involve an estate tax calculation, but the inheritance tax piece — and the Class A test — still controls whether you can use this form at all.
Before You Start: Documents and Information You Need
Walking up to the bank with a half-finished L-8 is the fastest way to lose a morning. Gather everything in this checklist before you put pen to paper, because every item ties to a specific line on the affidavit and a missing piece will get the form bounced.
- Certified death certificate with raised seal. The bank will keep a copy and match the decedent’s name and Social Security number to the account records; without it, the institution will not release a dollar.
- Decedent’s full legal name and Social Security number. These appear on the very first line; a typo in the SSN routes the affidavit to the wrong file at the Division of Taxation.
- Date of death and county of residence. The county determines which surrogate has jurisdiction over the will and confirms the decedent was a New Jersey resident.
- Original or certified copy of the will (if testate). If the decedent left a will and the asset does not pass by survivorship or contract, the institution must see the will plus any codicils before releasing funds.
- Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration. Issued by the county surrogate, these prove who has authority to sign on behalf of the estate; without them, only a joint owner or named beneficiary can sign.
- Account number, registration, and date-of-death balance. You will list each asset on the reverse side of the L-8 with its market value as of the date of death — pull the statement that brackets that date.
- Names, addresses, and relationships of every beneficiary. Each one is listed on the back schedule, and each must qualify as Class A.
- Affiant’s photo ID and Social Security or federal EIN. The notary will check the ID, and the Division uses the SSN/EIN to track the affiant.
- Notary access. The L-8 must be sworn before a notary public or commissioner of deeds; banks usually have one on staff at no charge.
- A separate L-8 for each institution. One form per bank, brokerage, or transfer agent — you cannot bundle a Chase account and a Fidelity account onto one affidavit.
If the decedent owned stock in a publicly traded company directly (not through a brokerage), you will also need the transfer agent’s name, the certificate numbers, and the number of shares — those go on Schedule B of the form.
Where to Get the Form and How to Access It
The official, current version of Form L-8 is the PDF posted on the New Jersey Division of Taxation Inheritance and Estate Tax Forms page; the direct file is the Form L-8 PDF hosted on nj.gov. Always check the small revision date in the lower-left corner of page one before you fill anything in — older copies floating around legal blogs and stationery stores reference the repealed pre-2018 estate tax thresholds and will confuse a bank’s compliance officer.
The form is fillable directly in any modern PDF viewer such as Adobe Acrobat Reader, Preview on Mac, or the built-in PDF tools in Chrome and Edge. You can also print it blank and complete it by hand in black ink; the Division accepts either, and so does every New Jersey bank, but typed entries reduce the odds of a rejection for “illegible” handwriting.
The L-8 is also available at every county surrogate’s office in New Jersey, and most surrogates will hand you a clean copy when you pick up Letters Testamentary. Some banks — Bank of America, TD Bank, PNC, Wells Fargo, and Valley — keep blank L-8s in their estate-services department, but the version they hand out is sometimes a year or two stale, so the safer move is to download the current PDF from nj.gov yourself.
You do not file Form L-8 through any online portal. The Division of Taxation does not have an e-file option for self-executing waivers, and the NJ Taxation e-services portal does not accept inheritance tax forms from individuals. The only “filing” that happens electronically is when the receiving bank scans the executed affidavit and forwards it to its own internal estate desk.
Step-by-Step: How to Fill Out Form L-8 Line by Line
Form L-8 is two pages: page one is the affidavit body, and page two (the reverse) is the schedule of beneficiaries and the schedule of assets. Every box matters, and the bank will reject the form if any line on either side is blank. Work through them in this order.
Decedent’s Name (Last, First, Middle)
This is the very first field on page one and it asks for the deceased person’s full legal name exactly as it appears on the death certificate. Print the last name in the first box, the first name in the middle box, and the middle name (or middle initial with a period) in the third box, in black ink and ALL CAPS for legibility. Maria Elena Lopez writes LOPEZ / MARIA / ELENA across the three boxes.
If the decedent used a maiden name, a hyphenated name, or a Jr./Sr. suffix, copy the certificate exactly — banks cross-reference the name on the affidavit against the name on the account, and a “Maria E. Lopez” account will not match a “Maria Elena Lopez-Garcia” affidavit. The most common mistake here is dropping the middle name to save space, which causes the institution’s compliance team to flag the affidavit for a manual review that adds two to four weeks. A misconception worth correcting: filers often think nicknames or “also known as” names are acceptable, but the L-8 must mirror the death certificate, full stop.
Decedent’s Social Security Number
Write the nine-digit Social Security number in the XXX-XX-XXXX format using the three sub-boxes provided. Do not use the decedent’s federal Employer Identification Number (EIN) or the estate’s EIN here — that goes in a different box at the bottom. Maria Elena Lopez writes 123-45-6789.
If the decedent had a Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN) instead of a Social Security number, enter the ITIN in the same format; the form does not have a separate ITIN field. The most frequent error is transposing two digits, which causes the Division of Taxation to log the affidavit under the wrong taxpayer file and may delay future correspondence on the estate. A widespread misconception is that the SSN is optional because the decedent has died — it is not, and a blank SSN box will get the affidavit returned to the affiant unfiled.
Date of Death (mm/dd/yy)
Enter the date the person died exactly as it appears on the death certificate, in two-digit month, two-digit day, and two-digit year format. Maria’s date of death of March 14, 2025 is written as 03/14/25.
If the death certificate shows a “presumed” or “found” date because the decedent’s body was discovered later, use the legal date of death from the certificate, not the date of discovery. The most common slip is using the funeral date or the date Letters Testamentary were issued instead of the actual date of death; this matters because the date of death sets the valuation date for every asset listed on the back of the form, and the wrong date can put the estate on the hook for inheritance tax that is not actually owed. A misconception is that you can use the decedent’s “official” date from the obituary — only the certificate-issued date controls.
County of Residence
Write the New Jersey county where the decedent lived on the date of death — Bergen, Middlesex, Essex, Monmouth, Hudson, and so on. Maria lived in Edison, so she enters Middlesex.
If the decedent had moved into a nursing home in a different county within the past year, the county of legal residence (domicile) controls, not the location of the facility; check the death certificate, which lists “usual residence.” A common mistake is naming the county where the bank branch sits instead of the county where the decedent lived, which has nothing to do with anything but confuses the affidavit. A misconception is that out-of-state residents can use Form L-8 — they cannot; non-residents need Form L-9NR for real estate or a full Form O-1 waiver for intangibles.
Testate / Intestate Checkbox
Check the Testate box if the decedent left a valid will, or the Intestate box if the decedent died without one. Pick exactly one; checking both, or neither, voids the affidavit. If Maria left a will naming her husband, she checks Testate.
If the will is being contested, you still check Testate — the existence of a will, not its admission to probate, controls this box. The most common error is leaving both boxes blank because the affiant is not sure whether an old will is still valid; the bank will return the form. A misconception is that a holographic (handwritten) will does not count — in New Jersey, a handwritten will signed in the testator’s own hand under N.J.S.A. 3B:3-2 qualifies as a valid will.
Class A Beneficiary Certification (Numbered Items 1–4)
This is the heart of the form. Items 1 through 3 list the qualifying Class A relationships — parent or grandparent, child or descendant, surviving spouse — and item 4 confirms how the assets are passing (by contract, survivorship, specific bequest, or because every heir is Class A). You do not check or initial these items; you sign the affidavit at the bottom certifying that the assets listed on the reverse pass only to people who fit one of these categories. Maria’s husband Carlos signs because every dollar passes to him as the surviving spouse.
If even one beneficiary is a sibling, niece, nephew, in-law, friend, or charity that is not a qualified 501(c)(3), you cannot use this form — full stop. The most damaging mistake on the entire L-8 is signing this certification when a non-Class A beneficiary is in the mix; doing so under oath exposes the affiant to perjury liability under N.J.S.A. 2C:28-3 and personal liability for the unpaid inheritance tax. The misconception filers carry is that a “small” gift to a non-Class A person — a $5,000 bequest to a niece, for example — is too small to matter; it is not, and it kills the L-8 entirely.
Beneficiary Schedule (Reverse Side)
The back of the form lists each beneficiary by name, relationship to the decedent, the description of property they are receiving, and the market value at the date of death. Use one row per beneficiary per asset, and attach a rider on plain paper if you run out of rows. Carlos Lopez, Spouse, Wells Fargo Checking #1234, $42,318.77 is a typical row.
If a beneficiary’s interest is contingent (for example, a child takes only if the spouse predeceases), list both layers and note “contingent” next to the contingent taker’s name. The most common mistake is listing only the affiant and forgetting other beneficiaries who share the asset, which makes the form look incomplete and triggers a bank reject. A misconception is that you can write “per stirpes” or “per will” instead of naming each person — the Division wants names, full stop.
Asset Schedule (Reverse Side)
Below the beneficiary schedule, list each asset being released by this specific affidavit. For bank accounts, write the institution name, the title of the account (joint, individual, POD), and the balance as of the date of death. For stocks, write the company name, the manner of registration, and the number of shares. For bonds, write the issuer, registration, date, and face value. Wells Fargo Bank, Joint with Right of Survivorship — Maria Lopez and Carlos Lopez, $42,318.77 as of 03/14/2025.
If the asset value fluctuated through the day of death, use the closing balance for cash accounts and the mean of the high and low trading price for publicly traded securities, consistent with IRC §2031 valuation rules that New Jersey follows by reference. The most common mistake is using the current balance instead of the date-of-death balance, which inflates or deflates the valuation and may trigger an inheritance tax liability on a non-Class A estate. A misconception is that small accounts (under $1,000) do not need to be listed — every dollar in the institution’s possession must appear, or the bank will not release any of it.
Affiant Signature Block
The person signing — the executor, administrator, or surviving joint tenant — prints their name, signs, and writes their Social Security or federal identification number, street address, town, state, and zip code. Carlos Lopez signs his own name, prints 123 Maple Street, Edison, NJ 08817, and writes his SSN 987-65-4321.
If two co-executors are appointed, both must sign separate affidavits, or one signs with the other’s written consent attached. The most common error is signing in blue ink when the institution requires black ink for archival scanning, which causes the form to be rejected on intake at some larger banks. A misconception is that an attorney-in-fact under a power of attorney can sign — they cannot, because the power of attorney died with the decedent under N.J.S.A. 46:2B-8.5.
Notary Acknowledgment
The notary public completes the Subscribed and sworn before me this ___ day of , line, signs, prints their name, affixes their seal or stamp, and writes their commission expiration date. Subscribed and sworn before me this 24th day of April, 2025 with the notary’s signature and embossed seal.
If the affiant is out of state, the affidavit can be notarized by any notary commissioned in the affiant’s home state — New Jersey accepts out-of-state notarizations under the Uniform Recognition of Acknowledgments Act. The most frequent slip is signing the affidavit at home and bringing it to the notary already signed; the notary must witness the signature, so they will make you sign again. A misconception is that an online (remote) notarization is not valid for L-8 — New Jersey accepts remote online notarization under N.J.S.A. 52:7-10.10, and banks will honor it.
Releasing Institution Block
The bank, brokerage, or transfer agent fills in the bottom block: institution name, address, and the signature of the officer accepting the affidavit. The affiant leaves this blank — the institution completes it on intake. Wells Fargo Bank, 100 Main Street, Edison, NJ 08817, by Branch Manager L. Chen.
If the institution will not complete this block at the counter and instead promises to “send it in later,” request a stamped or signed copy as your proof of delivery before you leave. The common mistake is the affiant filling in the institution block themselves to “save time” — banks will void and re-execute the affidavit if the institution officer did not personally complete that block. The misconception is that this block is optional; it is the proof the institution actually accepted the form, and the Division of Taxation cross-checks it.
Three Filled-Out Examples Using Real Scenarios
Three filers, three flavors of L-8. Each table walks the entire form for one named person.
Scenario 1: Carlos Lopez, Surviving Spouse Releasing a Joint Bank Account
| Form Section | What Carlos Enters |
|---|---|
| Decedent’s Name | LOPEZ / MARIA / ELENA |
| Social Security Number | 123-45-6789 |
| Date of Death | 03/14/25 |
| County of Residence | Middlesex |
| Testate / Intestate | Testate (Maria left a will) |
| Class A Certification | Signs as surviving spouse under item 3 |
| Beneficiary Schedule | Carlos Lopez, Spouse, Wells Fargo joint checking, $42,318.77 |
| Asset Schedule | Wells Fargo Bank, Joint WROS, balance $42,318.77 on 03/14/2025 |
| Affiant Signature | Carlos Lopez, 123 Maple St., Edison, NJ 08817, SSN 987-65-4321 |
| Notary Block | Notarized at the Wells Fargo branch the same day |
Scenario 2: Aisha Bennett, Adult Child Receiving a TOD Brokerage Account
| Form Section | What Aisha Enters |
|---|---|
| Decedent’s Name | BENNETT / ROBERT / JAMES |
| Social Security Number | 234-56-7890 |
| Date of Death | 11/02/25 |
| County of Residence | Bergen |
| Testate / Intestate | Intestate (no will) |
| Class A Certification | Signs as child under item 2 |
| Beneficiary Schedule | Aisha Bennett, Daughter, Fidelity TOD brokerage, $186,420.50 |
| Asset Schedule | Fidelity Investments, TOD to Aisha Bennett, $186,420.50 on 11/02/2025 |
| Affiant Signature | Aisha Bennett, 88 River Rd., Hackensack, NJ 07601, SSN 345-67-8901 |
| Releasing Institution | Fidelity transfer agent in Covington, KY accepts via mail |
Scenario 3: Marcus Kim, Executor Releasing Apple Stock to Three Class A Heirs
| Form Section | What Marcus Enters |
|---|---|
| Decedent’s Name | KIM / SOO-YOUNG / — |
| Social Security Number | 345-67-1234 |
| Date of Death | 07/19/25 |
| County of Residence | Monmouth |
| Testate / Intestate | Testate |
| Class A Certification | Signs as executor; all three heirs are Class A |
| Beneficiary Schedule | Marcus Kim (son) 1/3, Janet Kim (daughter) 1/3, Helen Kim (spouse) 1/3 — Apple Inc. common stock, 300 shares total |
| Asset Schedule | Apple Inc., registered Soo-Young Kim, 300 shares, mean price $214.30 = $64,290.00 |
| Affiant Signature | Marcus Kim, Executor, 17 Ocean Ave., Red Bank, NJ 07701, SSN 456-78-2345 |
| Releasing Institution | Computershare (Apple’s transfer agent) accepts by certified mail |
How to File the Completed Form
The L-8 is filed with the institution holding the asset, not with the Division of Taxation. The bank, brokerage, or transfer agent is then required by the form’s instructions to forward the original to the Division of Taxation, Individual Tax Audit Branch — Transfer Inheritance Tax, 50 Barrack Street, PO Box 249, Trenton, NJ 08695-0249 within five business days of execution. Your job ends at the institution’s counter; their compliance department handles the rest.
In person at the bank or brokerage branch. This is the fastest channel. Bring the original signed and notarized L-8, the certified death certificate, your photo ID, and (if testate) the will or Letters Testamentary. There is no fee. Processing time is typically same-day to 72 hours for the hold to drop. Ask for a date-stamped photocopy as your proof of filing.
By mail to the institution. Use USPS Certified Mail with Return Receipt to the bank’s estate-services department or the brokerage’s transfer agent. There is no filing fee, but certified mail costs about $4.85. Processing time runs 7–14 business days. The green return receipt is your proof of filing — keep it with the estate file.
By fax or secure upload (large institutions only). Fidelity, Schwab, Vanguard, and Bank of America accept L-8 affidavits through their secure document-upload portals or dedicated estate fax lines (numbers vary by institution and change frequently — always confirm by phone). No fee. Processing runs 5–10 business days. Save the upload confirmation page or the fax confirmation slip as your proof.
Through a county surrogate (only when bundled with probate). When you open the estate at the county surrogate’s office, some surrogates will help you execute the L-8 alongside the probate paperwork; the surrogate is a notary at no extra charge. The probate filing fees (typically $100–$200 plus per-page short-certificate fees) are not L-8 fees — the L-8 itself is free.
What Happens After You File
Once the institution receives a properly completed L-8, the bank’s internal compliance team reviews it for the Class A certification, the asset valuation, and the notary acknowledgment. If everything matches, the 50% hold under N.J.S.A. 54:35-5 is released and the funds become available to the affiant or the estate within one to three business days for cash accounts and three to ten business days for brokerage accounts that require security re-registration.
The institution forwards the original affidavit to the Division of Taxation in Trenton. The Division logs it under the decedent’s SSN and closes the inheritance tax file as a “Class A only” estate. You will not receive a separate confirmation letter from the Division — the absence of a tax bill is your confirmation.
If a non-Class A beneficiary is later discovered (a forgotten niece in the will, for example), the executor is personally liable for the unpaid inheritance tax under N.J.S.A. 54:35-2 and must immediately file a full Inheritance Tax Return. Voluntarily disclosing the error before the Division finds it usually avoids penalties; waiting until the Division audits the estate adds interest and a 5% late-filing penalty.
Mistakes to Avoid When Filling Out the Form
- Listing a non-Class A beneficiary anywhere. A single sibling or niece on the schedule disqualifies the entire L-8 and forces a full Inheritance Tax Return.
- Using the current balance instead of the date-of-death balance. Wrong valuation triggers a Division of Taxation review and may create phantom tax liability.
- Bundling multiple institutions on one form. One L-8 per institution is the rule; combined forms are returned unprocessed.
- Leaving the testate/intestate box unchecked. Banks will not process the form without it because the box drives whether a will copy is required.
- Signing before the notary. The notary must witness the signature in person or via approved remote notarization.
- Using an outdated form revision. Pre-2018 versions reference repealed estate tax thresholds and confuse compliance officers.
- Forgetting the will copy on a testate estate. When the asset does not pass by survivorship or contract, the will must accompany the affidavit.
- Misspelling the decedent’s name. A name mismatch with the death certificate kicks the form back for re-execution.
- Skipping the affiant’s SSN. Without the SSN, the Division cannot log the affidavit and the bank holds the funds.
- Failing to attach a rider for additional assets. When the schedule runs out of rows, plain-paper riders must be stapled and signed; loose pages are ignored.
- Filing the L-8 with the Division of Taxation directly. The Division’s instructions explicitly say to file with the institution, not Trenton.
- Using the L-8 for real estate. Real property requires Form L-9, recorded with the county clerk where the property sits.
Do’s and Don’ts
- Do download the current L-8 PDF directly from nj.gov so you know the revision is current.
- Do have the affidavit notarized at the bank branch where you will file it, because the staff will catch errors before the notary stamps it.
- Do make at least three copies after notarization — one for the bank, one for the estate file, one for the affiant.
- Do list every asset at the institution on a single L-8, even tiny custodial accounts, so the bank can release the entire relationship at once.
- Do check the death certificate against every name and date on the form before signing, because corrections after notarization require a fresh affidavit.
- Do keep the green Certified Mail receipt or the bank’s date-stamped copy permanently with the estate’s tax records.
- Don’t sign the affidavit if you are unsure whether every beneficiary is Class A; consult a New Jersey estate attorney first because the perjury risk under N.J.S.A. 2C:28-3 is real.
- Don’t alter the printed form by crossing out or adding language; banks reject altered affidavits.
- Don’t use white-out — any correction requires a fresh form and a fresh notarization.
- Don’t assume a TOD or POD designation eliminates the need for the L-8; the bank still needs the waiver to release the lien.
- Don’t wait months to file; New Jersey’s hold persists indefinitely, and bills, mortgages, and funeral costs do not.
- Don’t rely on a power of attorney signed by the decedent; that authority terminated at death.
Pros and Cons of Filing on Your Own vs. With Help
- Pro — Free. The L-8 has no filing fee, while an estate attorney typically charges $300–$1,500 to prepare and supervise execution.
- Pro — Fast. A prepared affiant can finish the form in 30 minutes and walk out of the bank with the hold lifted.
- Pro — Simple for clean estates. When the decedent left only a spouse and children, the form is genuinely straightforward.
- Pro — Surrogates and bank staff help for free. Both will answer basic questions and notarize on the spot.
- Pro — No tax return required. A correctly filed L-8 closes the inheritance tax obligation without a separate filing.
- Con — Perjury exposure. A wrong Class A certification is a sworn false statement, and the affiant is personally liable.
- Con — Class A determination is harder than it looks. Stepchildren of step-parents, mutually acknowledged children, and civil-union timing edge cases trip up pro se filers.
- Con — Multi-institution estates multiply the paperwork. Each bank needs its own L-8, and inconsistencies between forms cause rejections.
- Con — Mixed beneficiary classes silently disqualify the form. A pro se filer may not realize a $1,000 bequest to a niece kills the whole shortcut.
- Con — No do-over without a new notarization. Every correction means restarting the form and finding a notary again.
L-8 vs. L-9 vs. Form O-1 at a Glance
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| What does Form L-8 cover? | Bank accounts, stocks, bonds, brokerage, life insurance — Class A only |
| What does Form L-9 cover? | New Jersey real estate of a resident decedent — Class A only |
| What does Form O-1 cover? | Any asset when non-Class A heirs are involved or tax is owed |
| Who issues the waiver on L-8 / L-9? | The affiant; the form is self-executing |
| Who issues Form O-1? | The Division of Taxation, after the IT-R is filed and tax paid |
| Where is the form filed? | L-8 with the institution; L-9 with the county clerk; O-1 with the institution after Trenton issues it |
| Typical processing time? | L-8: 1–10 business days; O-1: 3–6 months after IT-R filing |
FAQs
Can I use Form L-8 if my brother inherited part of the estate?
No. A sibling is a Class C beneficiary, not Class A, so the entire estate must be reported on a full Inheritance Tax Return (Form IT-R) and a Form O-1 waiver issued by the Division of Taxation.
Do I write the decedent’s maiden name or married name in the name box?
Yes, copy the death certificate exactly. If the certificate uses the married name, use that; if it lists the maiden name as an “AKA,” include it in the middle box.
Is Form L-8 filed with the New Jersey Division of Taxation?
No. It is filed directly with the bank, brokerage, or transfer agent holding the asset, which then forwards the original to Trenton within five business days.
Do I need a separate L-8 for each bank?
Yes. One L-8 per institution is the rule, although a single L-8 can cover multiple accounts at the same institution.
Can a power of attorney sign the L-8?
No. The power of attorney terminated when the decedent died, so only an executor, administrator, joint owner, or named beneficiary can sign.
Does Form L-8 work for real estate?
No. Real property requires Form L-9, which is recorded with the county clerk where the property sits, not with a financial institution.
Do I have to list a $200 savings account on the schedule?
Yes. Every account at the institution must appear on the schedule, regardless of size, or the bank will not release any of the relationship.
Can I cross out a typo and initial it?
No. Banks reject altered affidavits; reprint the form, fill it in cleanly, and have it notarized fresh.
Is remote online notarization valid for the L-8?
Yes. New Jersey authorizes remote online notarization under N.J.S.A. 52:7-10.10, and banks accept it on the L-8.
Does the decedent’s date of death need to be after January 1, 2018?
No. The L-8 has been in use since long before 2018; the 2018 date matters only for the repealed New Jersey Estate Tax, not the inheritance tax that the L-8 addresses.
Do I write the date of death balance or the current balance in the asset schedule?
Yes, use the date-of-death balance from the closing statement that brackets the day the decedent died — never the current balance.
Can I use Form L-8 if the decedent lived in Pennsylvania but had a TD Bank account in Cherry Hill?
No. Form L-8 is only for New Jersey resident decedents; non-residents need a Form O-1 waiver issued by the Division of Taxation after a non-resident inheritance tax filing.
Related reading
- How to Fill Out New Jersey Affidavit of Next of Kin + FAQs
- How to Fill Out New Jersey Affidavit of Surviving Spouse / Partner + FAQs
- How to Fill Out New Jersey Application for Probate (w/Examples) + FAQs
- How to Fill Out New Jersey Form IT-NR (w/Examples) + FAQs
- How to Fill Out New Jersey Form L-9 (w/Examples) + FAQs
- How to Fill Out a New Hampshire Small Estate Affidavit (w/ Examples) + FAQs
- How to Fill Out New Jersey Form NJ-1080-C (w/Examples) + FAQs