Legal Definitions - beneficiary heir

A beneficiary heir is a person who inherits real or personal property, whether by will or by intestate succession. In civil law, a beneficiary heir is an heir who accepts an inheritance but whose liability for estate debts is limited to the value of the inheritance. This means that if the debts of the estate exceed the value of the inheritance, the beneficiary heir is not responsible for paying the difference.

For example, if John's father dies and leaves him a house worth $200,000, but the estate has debts of $300,000, John is only responsible for the value of the house. He does not have to pay the additional $100,000 in debt.

Beneficiary heirs are different from unconditional heirs, who choose to inherit without any reservation or without making an inventory. Unconditional heirs are responsible for all debts of the estate, even if they exceed the value of the inheritance.