Executor of Estate Checklist (Free Printable): 12 Duties in Order, the First Week, and What Not to Touch Yet

Being named executor means two things at once: you are grieving, and you are now the person a court, a bank, and a dozen relatives expect to have a plan. You don't need a plan today. You need the order. The twelve duties below are that order. The first week is mostly phone calls, and almost nothing has to be decided until the court has made you official.

Press Print at the top and this page prints as a checklist, no signup. There's also a free PDF version with a call log to fill in. One honest line first: I'm not a lawyer or an accountant. This is an organizer's list — what to gather, who to call, what to check, and in what order. Where a rule matters, it links to the government page it came from, and where a rule is state-specific it says "ask the clerk" instead of guessing.

1. The twelve duties, in order

The IRS puts the job in one sentence: an estate administrator collects the assets, pays the creditors, and distributes what's left (IRS). Everything below is that sentence, expanded and put in order. The order matters more than the speed.

• 1. Find the will. The original, plus any trust, codicil (an amendment), or letter of instruction. Read it once for three things: who is named executor, who the beneficiaries are, and whether it mentions a list of specific items.
• 2. Order certified death certificates. Ten or more, through the funeral home — the cheapest and fastest place. Banks, insurers, the DMV, and the court each want their own.
• 3. Secure the property. Lock the home, hold the car keys, stop deliveries or forward the mail, photograph valuables, and keep the homeowner's and auto insurance paid. An empty house is the estate's biggest asset and its biggest risk.
• 4. Open probate. File the will with the probate court in the county where they lived. The court appoints you and issues Letters Testamentary (some states call it something similar) — the document that lets you act for the estate. The IRS notes probate generally opens 30 to 90 days after the death, depending on the state. Until the Letters issue, you are the named executor, not yet the acting one.
• 5. Get the estate its own tax number and bank account. The estate needs an EIN from the IRS (free, online) and a bank account in the estate's name. Every dollar in and out of the estate goes through that account — never yours. (IRS: estate income tax returns)
• 6. Tell the IRS you're in charge. Form 56, Notice Concerning Fiduciary Relationship, tells the IRS to deal with you about their taxes. (IRS: deceased person)
• 7. Notify. Social Security (the funeral home usually has; you confirm), their employer or pension, each life insurer, each bank, one credit bureau, and — once the Letters issue — their creditors. The phone list is in section 2.
• 8. Inventory the assets and list the debts. Accounts, property, vehicles, valuables, retirement accounts, insurance payable to the estate — with values as of the date of death. Have anything appraised that needs it. The IRS says your first responsibility to the court is this accounting of assets and debts.
• 9. Handle creditor claims — from the estate. Valid debts are paid from estate money, in the order your state sets. Ask the clerk how claims are noticed and how long creditors have in your state; it varies.
• 10. File the taxes. The final Form 1040 for the year they died (and any unfiled prior years). Form 1041 for the estate itself, if the estate earns more than $600 in a year — interest, dividends, rent after the death. Form 706, the estate tax return, only applies to large estates. (IRS Publication 559)
• 11. Distribute. Only now — after debts, taxes, and expenses — to the people the will names. Get a signed receipt from each.
• 12. Close the estate. Give the court a final accounting of everything in and out, and ask to be discharged. That paper is what ends your responsibility.

Expect months, not weeks. The IRS, the court, and the creditor process each have their own clock, and you can't skip ahead on any of them.

2. The first week: eight phone calls

Almost none of these are decisions. Keep one notebook — or the call log in the printable — and write down every call: who, when, what they said, what they need from you. Ask a friend to sit with you and write while you talk.

• The funeral home — order 10 or more certified death certificates, and ask whether they have reported the death to Social Security.
• The county probate clerk — how do I open the estate, what do I bring, and is there a small-estate process that applies. Clerks can't give legal advice, but they will tell you the forms and the fees.
• Social Security, 1-800-772-1213 — confirm the death is recorded; ask what happens to any payment for the month they died. (SSA)
• Their employer, or their pension — final paycheck, unused vacation, any life insurance through work, and a pension survivor option if there's a spouse.
• Each life insurance company — life insurance usually pays the named beneficiary directly, outside the estate. Ask what they need to start a claim.
• Each bank — tell them, and ask what happens to the accounts. Don't close or move anything yet; you don't have authority until the Letters issue.
• One credit bureau — Experian, Equifax, or TransUnion. One death notice reaches all three and helps prevent identity theft in their name (Experian).
• The home and auto insurer — tell them the owner has died and the home may be empty. Ask what keeps the coverage in force.

3. What not to touch yet: seven things

This is the section the step lists skip. Each of these feels like being helpful. Each one can cost the estate — or you — later.

• Don't hand anything out. Not the car to the son who needs one, not the ring that was "always meant for" a granddaughter. Distribution is duty 11, after debts and taxes. The FTC notes an executor who doesn't follow the state's probate rules can become personally responsible for debts (FTC).
• Don't mix money. No estate bills from your own account, no estate cash in your wallet. Wait for the estate account (duty 5), then pay from it and keep every receipt.
• Don't pay debts in the order collectors call. Collectors will call. States set an order for claims, and funeral and administration costs usually come before credit cards. Ask the clerk how your state does it before paying anyone.
• Don't cancel their phone number or close their email. The sign-in codes for their bank, their email, and their Apple or Google account may go there. Our Legacy Contact guide covers what Apple and Google allow.
• Don't sell the house or the car yet. Not before you hold the Letters, and not before you know what the will says about them.
• Don't throw away their mail or papers for the first year. Statements you've never seen are how executors find the accounts nobody mentioned. Annual statements show up once.
• Don't sign for the estate before you're appointed. The Letters are what give you the authority. Before them, "I'm the executor" is a plan, not a position.

4. The ten documents to find first

Put these in one folder before the calls pile up. The court, the IRS, and every bank will ask for something from this list:

• The original will, any trust, and any codicil
• Certified death certificates — 10 or more
• Their Social Security number, birth certificate, and marriage certificate or divorce decree
• Deeds and titles — the house, land, vehicles
• Bank and brokerage statements — the most recent for every account
• Retirement accounts and pensions — with the beneficiary forms, which usually control who gets them
• Life insurance policies
• The last three years of tax returns
• The debts — mortgage, loans, credit cards, medical bills
• Digital access — the phone passcode, the email password, any password list; and their DD-214 if they served

5. The filings, in order

Six pieces of paper carry most of the job. None of them is hard on its own; the order is the hard part.

All of these are described on the IRS's deceased person page, and in detail in Publication 559, which is written for exactly this reader.

6. Who pays what

The FTC's rule is short: a person's debts don't go away when they die, and they are paid from the estate — not from the family's own money. If the estate can't cover a debt, it usually goes unpaid. The exceptions on their list: someone cosigned the debt, a spouse in a community property state, a spouse in a state that requires certain debts to be paid, or the person responsible for the estate didn't follow the state's probate laws. That last one is yours. It is the whole reason duties 9 through 11 happen in that order. Collectors are allowed to contact you as executor; if a call feels off, ask them to put it in writing. (FTC: debts and deceased relatives)

Ways to do this, honestly compared

Common questions

What are the duties of an executor, in order?

Find the will; order death certificates; secure the property; open probate and receive Letters Testamentary; get an EIN and open an estate account; file Form 56; notify agencies, employers, insurers, banks, and one credit bureau; inventory assets and debts; handle creditor claims from the estate; file the final and estate tax returns; distribute to heirs; close the estate with a final accounting. Section 1 has each one explained.

What should an executor do in the first week?

Phone calls, not decisions — the eight in section 2. The one that saves the most time later is the county probate clerk: ask how to open the estate and what to bring.

What should an executor not do?

Hand anything out, mix estate money with your own, pay debts in the order collectors call, cancel the phone or email, sell the house or car, throw away mail, or sign for the estate before the court appoints you. Section 3 explains each.

Does an executor have to pay the deceased person's debts?

From the estate, yes; from your own money, generally no — according to the FTC. The exception that matters for executors is skipping the state's probate rules, which is why distribution waits until debts and taxes are done. If the estate owes more than it has, that is a question for a lawyer in your state, not for a checklist.

Is there a free printable executor checklist?

This page is one — press Print at the top and it prints with the checkboxes intact. The free PDF adds a call log and a documents-and-filings cover sheet, and there's a no-email download link under the form.

Other lists worth reading: the IRS's responsibilities of an estate administrator and Publication 559 are the primary sources for the tax side. If you are also the surviving spouse, our checklist after the death of a spouse covers the benefits and the things in both your names; if a parent has died, the checklist after the death of a parent is the one to use alongside this. Nothing here is legal, financial, or tax advice.

For your own family, later

Most of an executor's hours go to hunting — for accounts, passwords, papers, and what the person actually wanted. In Case Anything Happens is a printed planner that holds all of it in one place, so whoever is named for you gets a folder instead of a search. Many people fill it in once this job is over, because they now know exactly what was missing. $59 printed and mailed, 365-day keep-the-book guarantee.

See the planner →