After a death in Ohio: what to do, step by step

Step 1: Get death certificates

Where to order: A local health department or the Ohio Department of Health Office of Vital Statistics (official site). The funeral home usually orders the first certified copies for the family.

Eligibility rules and fees for this state are not yet verified on this site; check the official vital records office.

How many to order →

Step 2: Find and file the will

Effectively yes, within one year. A beneficiary who knows about the will and controls it, and without reasonable cause conceals it or fails to have it offered for probate within one year after the death, loses what the will leaves them; that share passes as if they had died first.

Where: Probate Division of the Court of Common Pleas for the county.

• A beneficiary who withholds a will or fails to offer it for probate within one year forfeits their gift under it. Source: Ohio Rev. Code § 2107.10, checked Oct 29, 2026.

How to file a will →

Step 3: Decide whether probate is needed

Ohio shortcut: Release from administration for estates up to $35,000, or $100,000 if all goes to the surviving spouse.

• An estate may be released from administration if assets are $35,000 or less, or $100,000 or less when everything passes to the surviving spouse. Source: Ohio Rev. Code § 2113.03, checked Oct 29, 2026.
• A separate summary release from administration is also available in qualifying cases. Source: Ohio Rev. Code § 2113.031, checked Oct 29, 2026.

Ohio probate & small estates → · When do you need probate?

Step 4: Find the right court

File in the county where the person lived. Ohio probate courts by county →

Official forms, fees and e-filing:

• Ohio standard probate forms: decedent’s estate (Supreme Court of Ohio)
• Ohio courts directory (Supreme Court of Ohio)

Step 5: Creditors and debts

Creditors must present claims in writing within 6 months after the death, whether or not an executor has been appointed. Late claims are generally barred forever. The executor must allow or reject claims within 30 days after they are presented.

• All claims must be presented within six months after the death; late claims are barred (limited exceptions in § 2117.061). Source: Ohio Rev. Code § 2117.06(B)–(C), checked Oct 29, 2026.
• Executor allows or rejects claims within 30 days after presentation. Source: Ohio Rev. Code § 2117.06(D), checked Oct 29, 2026.

How to find debts →

Step 6: Assets, taxes, distribution and closing

Find assets, file the final income tax return, pay valid debts, distribute, and close the estate with the court if a case was opened.

Find assets · Final tax return · Executor checklist

Documents you will usually need

• Certified death certificates
• The original will, if there is one
• Court letters (testamentary or of administration) once appointed
• An IRS EIN for the estate bank account
• Account statements, deeds, titles and insurance policies