Erbenhaftung

In the US, the responsibility of paying a debtor's bills after death falls on the estate rather than on heirs receiving an inheritance. After a death, the executor of an estate is responsible for notifying creditors and paying existing debts using funds available to the estate, either with cash or liquidated assets. Although heirs will not be paid an inheritance until after debts are fulfilled, they usually do not have any financial obligation to creditors.