If a husband dies without a will in Sri Lanka, how much does the wife get?

Under the General Law, a surviving wife takes one half (1/2) of her late husband's net estate when there are surviving children. The other half is divided equally among the children. If there are no children but a parent survives, the wife still takes half and the parents share the rest; with no children, parents or siblings, the wife takes the whole estate.

How is property divided among children when a parent dies without a will in Sri Lanka?

The children share equally the portion left after the spouse's half — so with a surviving spouse the children split one half of the estate between them; with no surviving spouse they split the whole estate. Each child takes an equal share. A child who died before the parent but left their own children passes that share down to those grandchildren (per stirpes).

Do parents inherit if their child dies without a spouse or children?

Yes. When the deceased leaves no spouse and no descendants, the surviving parents take the whole estate — both parents share it equally (half each), or a single surviving parent takes all of it. Parents inherit only in the absence of descendants; children and their descendants always come first.

Does Sri Lanka's General Law apply to everyone, or are there separate rules?

Sri Lanka has four inheritance systems. The General Law is the default and covers most people, but three special personal laws override it: Kandyan Law (for Kandyan Sinhalese), Thesawalamai (for Jaffna Tamils) and Muslim Law (Faraid). This calculator handles the General Law only. Muslim-law estates should use the separate Faraid calculator.

What is the difference between intestate and testate succession?

Testate succession is when a person leaves a valid will (testament) that directs how their property is shared. Intestate succession is when there is no valid will, so the estate is divided by the default statutory rules instead. This tool covers the intestate case — it does not apply if a valid will exists.

Does the surviving spouse's half depend on when the couple married?

The half share of the estate applies to the deceased's separate property regardless of the marriage date. Ordinance No. 15 of 1923 abolished community of property for marriages contracted after 1923, so today each spouse owns their property separately and the survivor inherits a half of the deceased's own estate under the General Law.

Does this calculator deduct debts, funeral costs or estate duty?

No. You enter a single net estate figure — total assets minus liabilities — and the tool divides that value. It does not value property, net off debts, or compute any tax. Sri Lanka currently levies no estate duty, so the shares shown are shares of value only.

What happens to siblings and half-blood relatives?

Siblings inherit only when there is no spouse, no descendants and no surviving parent — then they share the estate (or its residue after a spouse's half) equally. This version treats all siblings and children as ordinary heirs; half-blood, adoption and legitimacy questions can change the result, so consult a lawyer for those cases.

Is this legal advice?

No. This is general information based on the cited statutes and standard texts on Sri Lankan succession. Real estates involve valuation, debts, disputed claims and personal-law questions the tool does not model. Before transferring property or drafting a deed, confirm the division with a qualified lawyer or notary.

Sri Lanka · Law

Sri Lanka Inheritance Calculator (No Will — Intestate)

When someone dies without a will in Sri Lanka, the General Law decides who inherits. Enter the net estate and who survives — spouse, children, parents or siblings — and see each heir's exact share as a fraction, a percentage and a rupee amount. Free, no signup, sources cited below.

By Induwara Ashinsana— Executive Director, Ryzera TechnologiesUpdated Jul 11, 2026

Divide an estate (no will)General Law

Shares reconciled

Net estate value (Rs)

Total assets less debts. No estate duty applies in Sri Lanka.

Surviving spouse?

A married spouse living at the date of death.

Living children

Sons and daughters alive at the death.

Predeceased children with own children

Advanced: each takes a child's share per stirpes.

Try a scenario

Spouse and children

The surviving spouse takes 1/2; the 2 children share 1/2 equally (1/4 each).

Surviving spouse1/2

Rs 2,500,000

50% of the estate

Children×21/2

Rs 2,500,000

Rs 1,250,000 each · 1/4 per person

Share of the estate

Surviving spouse1/2 · 50%

Children (2)1/2 · 50%

Heir	Fraction	Percent	Amount
Surviving spouse	1/2	50%	Rs 2,500,000
Children× 2	1/2	50%	Rs 2,500,000
Total estate	1	100%	Rs 5,000,000

Shares are computed as exact fractions and reconciled to the last cent (2 groups, total Rs 5,000,000). Muslim-law estates follow different rules — use the Faraid calculator.

General-Law shares per the . Informational only — not legal advice.

How it works

When a person dies intestate (without a valid will) in Sri Lanka, their estate is divided by the default statutory rules rather than by their wishes. Most people fall under the General Law, set out in the Matrimonial Rights and Inheritance Ordinance No. 15 of 1876 (as amended by Ordinance No. 15 of 1923) and the settled General-Law order of succession applied by the courts. The estate here is the deceased's separate net property — community of property was abolished for marriages contracted after 1923, so each spouse owns their assets separately.

The order of heirs is fixed. Descendants come first, then parents, then siblings, then wider next-of-kin. The surviving spouse takes a set share that sits alongside whichever class inherits:

Spouse and children. The spouse takes 1/2; the children share the other 1/2equally. A predeceased child's own children take that child's share by representation (per stirpes).
Spouse, no children, parents alive. The spouse takes 1/2; the parents share the other half (both alive → 1/4 each; one alive → 1/2).
Spouse, no children, no parents, siblings alive. The spouse takes 1/2; the siblings share the other half equally.
Spouse only. With no descendants, parents or siblings, the spouse takes the whole estate.
No spouse. The first surviving class takes everything: children share the whole estate equally (per stirpes for a predeceased child); failing that, parents take all (half each, or all to one); failing that, siblings share the whole estate equally.

Every share is computed as an exact rational fraction and only converted to rupees at the final step, so the parts always sum to the full estate. The rupee amounts are reconciled to the last cent — any residual cent from an odd division (for example three children splitting Rs 5,000,000) is assigned to the largest remainder so nothing is lost. The tool cross-checks the result two ways: it sums the exact fractions to confirm they equal 1, and sums the rupee amounts to confirm they equal the estate. Three special personal laws — Kandyan Law, Thesawalamai and Muslim (Faraid) law — override the General Law for those communities and are out of scope here.

Worked examples

Spouse + 2 children · Rs 12,000,000

Rule: spouse takes 1/2, children share the other 1/2.
Spouse: 1/2 × 12,000,000 = Rs 6,000,000
Each child: (1/2 × 12,000,000) ÷ 2 = 6,000,000 ÷ 2 = Rs 3,000,000
Check: 6,000,000 + 3,000,000 + 3,000,000 = Rs 12,000,000 ✓

No spouse, 4 children · Rs 8,000,000

Rule: no spouse, so children share the whole estate equally.
Each child: 8,000,000 ÷ 4 = Rs 2,000,000
Check: 4 × 2,000,000 = Rs 8,000,000 ✓

Spouse, no children, both parents · Rs 10,000,000

Rule: no descendants — spouse 1/2, parents share the other 1/2.
Spouse: 1/2 × 10,000,000 = Rs 5,000,000
Each parent: (1/2 × 10,000,000) ÷ 2 = 5,000,000 ÷ 2 = Rs 2,500,000
Check: 5,000,000 + 2,500,000 + 2,500,000 = Rs 10,000,000 ✓

Spouse + 3 children (odd split) · Rs 10,000,000

Rule: spouse 1/2, three children share the other 1/2 (1/6 each).
Spouse: 1/2 × 10,000,000 = Rs 5,000,000
Each child: 1/6 × 10,000,000 = Rs 1,666,666.67 (to the cent)
Residual cents go to the largest remainders so the children's shares total exactly Rs 5,000,000.
Check: 5,000,000 + 5,000,000 = Rs 10,000,000 ✓

Frequently asked questions

Sources & references

This tool covers the General Law only. Kandyan Law, Thesawalamai and Muslim (Faraid) law follow different rules — Muslim-law estates should use the Sri Lanka Faraid inheritance calculator. The fractions and precedence order on this page were last cross-checked against the cited sources on 2026-07-11. This is legal information, not legal advice — confirm any division with a qualified lawyer or notary before transferring property.

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