The executor checklist: every task, in order

What an executor checklist covers

An executor’s job runs from securing the home and ordering death certificates, through probate, notifying agencies and creditors, managing and selling assets, and paying debts and taxes, to distributing what is left and closing the estate. A complete checklist covers all of it: 156 tasks in 12 categories, listed in full at the bottom of this page.

The phases below put those tasks in the order most estates encounter them. The order is approximate. Probate courts, banks, and the IRS each move on their own schedule, so you will usually have two or three phases open at once. What matters is that nothing gets missed, and that money does not leave the estate before it should.

How to use this checklist

• Strike what does not apply. No rental property means the entire Rental Property category goes. No firearms, no firearm task. Deciding this deliberately at the start is most of the value of a long list.
• Do the authority tasks early. Until the court issues Letters Testamentary, you cannot open an estate bank account, retitle accounts, or sell property. Phase 2 gates everything after it.
• Keep records from day one. Every dollar in or out of the estate, every notice sent, every certified copy handed over. The final accounting in Phase 6 is built from these notes, and beneficiaries can demand them.
• Do not distribute early. Debts, creditor claims, and taxes come before beneficiaries. An executor who pays heirs first and runs short can be personally liable for the difference.

Phase 1: The first two weeks

These tasks do not require court authority. Anyone in the family can start them, and the named executor should make sure they happen. See what to do when someone dies for a day-by-day version.

• Obtain multiple certified copies of the death certificate. Ten to fifteen is common; see how many you need.
• Locate the will and any trust documents. The original, not a copy.
• Confirm the named executor or personal representative.
• Secure the deceased’s home and personal property. Change locks if necessary.
• Arrange funeral or memorial services.
• Notify close family members and beneficiaries.
• Care for pets or dependents.
• Forward the deceased’s mail through the post office.
• Ensure utilities remain on (water, electricity, gas) and homeowner’s insurance stays in force.
• Secure valuables in the home and photograph them.
• Secure online banking access and the password manager before accounts lock or lapse.
• Notify the Social Security Administration of the death. The funeral home often does this; confirm it. See how to notify Social Security.

Phase 2: Getting legal authority

Probate is the court process that confirms the will and appoints you. Whether it is required, and how long it takes, depends on the state and the size of the estate. Smaller estates may qualify for a small estate affidavit instead.

• File the will with the probate court (if required). Some states set a deadline measured in days from the death.
• Petition the court to be appointed executor.
• Obtain Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration. Order several certified copies; banks will keep them.
• Hire an estate attorney if needed. Real estate in another state, a business, disputes, or an insolvent estate are the usual reasons.
• Apply for an EIN for the estate. Free and immediate online at IRS.gov/EIN.
• Open an estate bank account. All estate money flows through this account from now on.
• Notify beneficiaries of the probate process.
• Publish notice to creditors if required. This starts the state’s claim window.
• File IRS Form 56 to notify the IRS that you are acting for the estate.

Phase 3: Notifications and inventory

With Letters in hand you can act. This phase is mostly correspondence: telling every institution that holds an asset or a debt, and building the inventory the court and the beneficiaries will eventually see.

Agencies and institutions

• Notify the Department of Veterans Affairs (if a veteran).
• Notify the mortgage lender and homeowner’s insurance company of the death.
• Contact retirement plan administrators (401k, IRA, pensions, annuities) and confirm named beneficiaries.
• Locate all life insurance policies, including employer group life, mortgage life, and credit-card accident cover.
• Notify brokerage firms and provide executor documentation.
• Notify the DMV of the death.
• Notify tenants of the owner’s passing and provide updated rent payment instructions.
• Request the deceased’s credit reports to surface undisclosed debts.
• Notify creditors.

Inventory

• Gather financial records and statements.
• Create a full inventory of assets and liabilities.
• Determine which assets pass through probate vs outside probate (joint accounts, beneficiary designations, and trust assets usually do not).
• Locate the deed and mortgage documents; determine property ownership structure.
• Locate safe deposit boxes and inventory the contents with a witness.
• Create an inventory of personal belongings; identify jewelry, art, and collectibles for separate appraisal.
• Identify and value cryptocurrency holdings on each exchange or wallet.
• Identify email, social media, domain names, and online businesses owned.
• Obtain a property appraisal or broker opinion of value for real estate.

Phase 4: Managing the estate’s assets

The longest phase. The estate keeps paying its bills and maintaining its property until each asset is sold, transferred, or distributed. This is where an executor without a system loses track.

Real estate

• Continue mortgage payments if required; pay property taxes and HOA dues.
• Inspect the home for maintenance issues; arrange lawn care or snow removal.
• Clean and declutter; make necessary repairs; stage the home for listing if it will be sold.
• Hire a real estate agent, review offers, and complete closing paperwork.
• Deposit sale proceeds into the estate account, or coordinate the deed transfer if the property goes to a beneficiary.
• For rentals: continue collecting rent, keep insurance active, and handle lease terminations or transfers.

Financial accounts and insurance

• Freeze or retitle bank accounts; transfer balances to the estate account; close unnecessary accounts.
• Retitle or liquidate brokerage accounts as required.
• Assist beneficiaries with retirement-account claims; address the year-of-death required minimum distribution and inherited IRA rules.
• Submit death certificates to life insurers, assist beneficiaries with claims, and confirm payout amounts.

Personal property, vehicles, digital assets

• Obtain appraisals for valuable items; identify items with sentimental value for family discussion.
• Locate and inventory firearms; comply with state transfer rules.
• Transfer vehicle titles, maintain insurance temporarily, and finalize any lien releases.
• Download important digital records; close or memorialize accounts; cancel digital subscriptions.
• Arrange an estate sale if necessary; donate items per the will and obtain donation receipts.

Phase 5: Debts, bills, and taxes

Valid debts are paid from estate funds, in the order the state sets, before anything goes to beneficiaries. Taxes have fixed deadlines that do not wait for probate.

Debts

• Identify credit cards, personal loans, medical bills, and tax obligations.
• Review creditor claims; pay valid debts from estate funds; dispute improper claims.
• Pay funeral and final medical bills.
• Cancel subscriptions and services.
• Watch for identity theft or fraudulent activity on the deceased’s accounts.

Taxes

• Obtain copies of the last three years of personal tax returns.
• File the final personal income tax return (Form 1040). It is generally due April 15 of the year after death; write “DECEASED,” the name, and the date of death across the top. See IRS Publication 559.
• File the estate income tax return (Form 1041) if the estate has $600 or more of gross income in a tax year.
• File a federal estate tax return (Form 706) only if the gross estate exceeds the filing threshold for the year of death ($15,000,000 for deaths in 2026). Most estates do not.
• Determine if a state estate or inheritance tax return is required. Only some states have one.
• Review prior years for any unfiled gift tax returns.
• Address capital gains taxes from asset sales; coordinate with a CPA on estate vs. trust tax elections.

Phase 6: Distribution and closing

Once claims and taxes are settled, what remains goes to the beneficiaries under the will (or state intestacy law if there is no will). Closing is paperwork, but it is the paperwork that ends your personal exposure. See how an estate is settled for the timeline.

• Prepare accounting for beneficiaries.
• Obtain beneficiary approvals.
• Obtain signed receipts and releases from each beneficiary.
• Distribute remaining assets.
• Provide each beneficiary with their tax basis on inherited assets.
• Close the estate bank account.
• File final probate documents with the court.
• Provide a final update to beneficiaries and keep your records.

The full catalogue, by category

Every task from the phases above, grouped the way the hub groups them. Twelve categories, 156 tasks. This is the list a new estate starts with.