StateCalcUSA

Executor Checklist Generator

The short answer: An executor's work generally follows the same sequence — secure the will and property, get appointed by the court, collect assets, inventory and appraise, notify creditors, pay debts and expenses in the order the law sets, then distribute and close. This generator builds a printable checklist around that general sequence, and adds state-specific deadlines only where they were verified from official sources: California, Florida, Ohio, and Maryland. For every other state it falls back to "check your county probate court" with no guessed dates.

This tool is for information only. It is not legal, tax, or financial advice. Verify current law with the official sources cited before acting.

Honest scope. State-specific deadlines are verified for 4 states only (CA, FL, OH, MD). New York deadlines and all other states' deadlines are unverified, so the generator never computes a deadline date for them. Tax deadlines, filing fees, bond amounts, and small-estate thresholds are unverified for every state and do not appear in any generated checklist. Two sources carry vintage caveats, shown with the relevant items: the California DE-147 form is from 2002, and the Florida handbook is from 2007.

Build your checklist

Used only to label the checklist, and to count the one deadline that runs from death (Ohio creditor claims, 6 months after death). No other deadline date is computed from this date.

Your checklist

Generate a checklist above to see it here. Use Copy to copy the plain-text version, or Print to print this page.

This tool is for information only. It is not legal, tax, or financial advice. Verify current law with the official sources cited before acting.

The general 8-step sequence

The steps below come from official court sources (California Courts self-help and Judicial Council Form DE-147, New York Courts, the Florida 17th Judicial Circuit handbook, and Ohio Supreme Court probate materials). The sequence is general, not state law: county practice and estate type (testate or intestate, formal or simplified procedure) change the steps. No deadline is attached to a general step unless the state-specific section verifies one for the state selected.

  1. Locate and secure the will; protect the property. Find the original will, secure the residence and property, arrange insurance, and pay funeral expenses as the court sources describe.
  2. Petition the court and get appointed; obtain Letters. Ask the court to appoint a personal representative. The fiduciary generally has no power to act until the court issues Letters, apart from paying reasonable funeral expenses and preserving the estate in the circumstances the court sources describe.
  3. Collect and take control of estate assets; open a separate estate account; keep funds separate. Bring estate assets under control, open an estate bank account, and never commingle estate funds with anyone else's money, including your own.
  4. Inventory and appraise. Prepare an accurate beginning inventory, with appraisal as the court requires.
  5. Notify creditors (and heirs/beneficiaries); handle claims. Give the notices the law requires for your state and county, and handle claims as presented.
  6. Pay debts, expenses, and taxes in the order the law sets; keep complete records. Keep a complete, accurate record of every financial transaction. Ask an attorney or CPA which tax returns are required and when — no tax deadline is stated here.
  7. Distribute what remains; account and close the estate. After debts and expenses are handled, distribute what remains to heirs or beneficiaries, account to the court, and close the estate.
  8. Throughout: act prudently, maintain insurance, and consult an attorney when in doubt. A personal representative is a fiduciary. Failure to perform duties or meet deadlines can reduce compensation, cause removal, or bring other sanctions.

Vintage caveats: California Form DE-147 is Rev. January 1, 2002; its substance was re-confirmed against current statute snippets for the deadlines used here, but recheck the current form. The Florida handbook is Revised February 2007; it supports the general sequence only, and current deadlines, fees, and rule numbers need a current-year recheck. Ohio probate forms and bench-card material was search-result evidence only and needs a recheck at build.

Frequently asked questions

What does an executor do first?

In general terms, first locate and secure the will and protect the property, then petition the court to be appointed and obtain Letters. Only after appointment does the fiduciary generally have power to act, apart from paying reasonable funeral expenses and preserving the estate in the circumstances described by the court sources. The checklist on this page lists the general steps in their typical order, without attaching a deadline unless one was verified for the state selected.

Which states have verified deadlines in this checklist?

Four states only: California, Florida, Ohio, and Maryland. For every other state, including New York, the generator falls back to checking with the county probate court and the current statute, and it does not compute deadline dates. That limit is deliberate: no official deadline text was verified for the other states in the research pass.

Why does the checklist not give me exact dates for my state?

Most probate deadlines run from appointment, issuance of Letters, or publication of notice — not from the date of death — and the generator does not know those dates. The one exception computed here is Ohio creditor claims, which run 6 months after the death of the decedent under Ohio Rev. Code §2117.06. All other verified deadlines are stated as relative periods (for example, within 3 months after appointment) so you can count from the correct starting event.

Does this checklist cover taxes, fees, or small-estate rules?

No. No specific tax deadline, filing fee, bond amount, or small-estate threshold was verified from an official source for this tool, so none is printed. The checklist includes only a general item to ask an attorney or CPA which tax returns are required and when, and a general item to ask the court whether a simplified procedure applies.

Is this checklist legal advice?

No. This checklist is for information only. It is not legal, tax, or financial advice. County practice and estate type change the steps, so confirm deadlines, forms, and procedure with the county probate court and, when in doubt, an attorney before acting.

Sources

Official court and statute sources only. Every state-specific deadline in a generated checklist cites the source listed here for its state.

  • California Courts Self-Help, "Guide to property after someone dies": selfhelp.courts.ca.gov (accessed November 12, 2026)
  • California Judicial Council Form DE-147, Duties and Liabilities of Personal Representative (Rev. January 1, 2002; Prob. Code §8404): courts.ca.gov (DE-147 PDF) (accessed November 12, 2026; 2002 form — recheck the current form; cited for the California inventory, creditor-notice, Medi-Cal, and change-of-ownership items)
  • California — Cal. Prob. Code §8200 (will delivery): leginfo.legislature.ca.gov (accessed November 12, 2026; verified via the official leginfo snippet — recheck by opening the leginfo page)
  • New York Courts, Ask a Law Librarian, "A relative/friend/neighbor has died": askalawlibrarian.nycourts.gov (accessed November 12, 2026; general duties only — no New York deadline is stated)
  • Florida 17th Judicial Circuit (Broward County) Probate Division, Personal Representative's Handbook (Revised February 2007): 17th.flcourts.org (handbook PDF) (accessed November 12, 2026; 2007 handbook — general sequence only; recheck current deadlines and rules)
  • Florida — Fla. Stat. §733.604 (inventory contents; 2000 text): leg.state.fl.us (accessed November 12, 2026; the 60-day inventory deadline itself lives in Fla. Prob. R. 5.340 — recheck the current rule text on flcourts.gov)
  • Florida — Fla. Stat. §733.702 (creditor claims; 2001 text): leg.state.fl.us (accessed November 12, 2026; old version — recheck the current-year §733.702)
  • Florida Supreme Court opinion amending Rule 5.340 (SC2023-1661, via FSU library copy): library.law.fsu.edu (accessed November 12, 2026)
  • Ohio — Ohio Rev. Code §2115.02 (inventory): codes.ohio.gov and chapter page codes.ohio.gov (Chapter 2115) (accessed November 12, 2026; recheck by opening the section page)
  • Ohio — Ohio Rev. Code Chapter 2117 (claims): codes.ohio.gov (full chapter text opened November 12, 2026; cited for §§2117.02, 2117.06, 2117.061, and 2117.07)
  • Ohio Supreme Court, Probate Forms and Probate Bench Cards: supremecourt.ohio.gov (probate forms) and supremecourt.ohio.gov (bench cards PDF) (search-result evidence only — recheck)
  • Maryland — Md. Code, Estates & Trusts §7-201 (inventory): mgaleg.maryland.gov (opened November 12, 2026)

Rates and rules verified November 12, 2026 from official sources, subject to the vintage and recheck caveats shown above.