Montco register of wills says office cleared $100 million backlog of inheritance checks, tax returns

Montgomery County Register of Wills Tina Lawson announced Friday that her office has cleared $100 million in backlogged inheritance checks and tax returns.

The backlog had not been previously disclosed to the public, but a release from Lawson’s office referred to a “whirlwind first 100 days in office” for the Democrat who began serving in January.

The news release said Lawson’s office had worked quickly to work through 65 bins of stockpiled checks and returns, reducing it to 2½ bins of documents.

Lawson was elected in 2023. She succeeded Bruce Hanes, a Democrat who had held the office since 2008.

Reached by phone Friday, Hanes declined to comment on the backlog or whether he was aware of it while in office.

The release did not explain how the backlog was discovered.

The register of wills and clerk of Orphans Court handles inheritance tax filings, marriage licenses, probate and adoption proceedings in the county.

Lawson has worked to modernize the office, the release said, purchasing check processors and scanners to replace a handwritten log of checks received in the office.

“I’m trying to make the office run more efficiently,” Lawson said in a statement. “(Residents) need services. We need to be responsive.”

Montgomery County Commissioner Neil Makhija, a Democrat elected last year, said he supported ensuring Lawson’s office had the resources to make the office more effective.

“Whether you’re getting a marriage license or dealing with a loved one’s estate, your interaction with that office comes at a critical time in life — and how quickly county government responds matters,” Makhija said in a text message.