**Heirs at law** (noun) — The persons entitled by statute to inherit a deceased person's property when they die without a valid will. Also known as legal heirs or statutory heirs. The specific individuals and their order of priority are determined by the intestacy laws of the relevant jurisdiction.
Heirs at law are the people the law says should inherit from you if you die without a will.
Every jurisdiction has rules that set out who inherits when someone dies intestate—that is, without a valid will. These rules typically prioritize your closest family members: your spouse or partner first, then your children, then your parents, and then more distant relatives.
The exact order and the shares each person receives vary depending on where you live. But the principle is the same everywhere: if you don't make a will, the law makes one for you by designating who your heirs at law are.
The term emphasizes that these people inherit by operation of law, not because you chose them. They're entitled to your property by statute, regardless of your personal wishes or your actual relationships with them.
⏱ When you'll encounter this term
When you make a will, you override the default rules about heirs at law. You choose your own beneficiaries and decide how your property should be divided.
But if you die without a will—or if your will is invalid—your heirs at law inherit everything. That might mean your property goes to family members you're estranged from, or to distant relatives you've never met, simply because they fit the legal definition.
Understanding who your heirs at law would be can help you decide whether you need a will. If the intestacy rules would distribute your property the way you want anyway, you might feel less urgency. But for most people, the default rules don't match their intentions—especially if you have a blended family, if you want to leave something to friends or charities, or if you want to exclude someone who would otherwise inherit.
Even if you have a will, your heirs at law can still matter. If your will fails to dispose of some property, or if a gift lapses, or if the will is successfully challenged, your heirs at law may inherit what's left.
**Related terms:** [Heir](/dictionary/heir), [Intestate succession](/dictionary/intestate-succession), [Next of kin](/dictionary/next-of-kin), Statutory legacy
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