Under majority-rule purging, which statement correctly describes how an advancement is treated in hotchpot and distribution?

• A. The advancement is subtracted from the hotchpot.
• B. The hotchpot is not used if there are two heirs.
• C. The share is calculated without considering the advancement.
• D. The advancement is added to the hotchpot, and the recipient’s share is reduced by that amount.

Answer: (D)

Under majority-rule purging, any advancement given to an heir during the decedent’s life is treated as part of the estate for purposes of equalizing shares. This is done by adding the advancement to the hotchpot—the pool used to calculate each heir’s share. Then the recipient’s final portion from the estate is reduced by the amount of that advancement.

This ensures an even distribution: the heir who already received money or property through an advancement doesn’t end up getting more than their fair share. For example, if the estate is 100,000 and one heir received a 20,000 advancement, you’d add 20,000 to the hotchpot to make 120,000, compute equal shares, and then subtract 20,000 from the recipient’s final amount, so totals still reflect what each should receive without double-counting the lifetime gift.