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Executor checklist: after a death

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General information, not legal advice. Last reviewed Oct 29, 2026.

1. Get certified death certificates: how many and where.
2. Find the original will and check your state’s deadline to file or deposit it, even if there is no probate: How to file a will.
3. Secure property: lock up the home, vehicles and valuables; forward mail.
4. Veteran? Ask the funeral director to request military funeral honors and a VA headstone.
5. Notify Social Security, banks, insurers, pension or employer, and credit bureaus.
6. Find assets and debts; note which pass outside probate (joint, POD/TOD, beneficiary, trust): find assets · find debts · medical records.
7. Decide if probate is needed: When do you need probate? Small-estate shortcuts: NH · CA · TX · FL · OH
8. If needed, file with the probate court in the county where the person lived: probate courts by county.
9. Get appointed and receive letters (testamentary or of administration): How to become an executor.
10. Notify creditors as your state’s rules require.
11. Open an estate bank account (usually needs the court letters and an IRS EIN).
12. Prepare the inventory if the court requires one.
13. Pay valid debts and taxes: the final Form 1040, estate income tax returns if required, and estate tax only for very large estates (estate taxes explained).
14. Distribute assets to the people entitled to them and get receipts.
15. Close the estate with the court and close the estate account.

Before a death: Estate planning checklist.