How to Probate an Estate

Know what to do after a death, keep the estate organized and approach your responsibilities as executor with greater confidence.

How to Probate an Estate: A Step-by-Step Guide for Executors brings together a practical executor checklist, sample documents and plain-English explanations of the work involved in settling an estate. This is the third edition, updated for 2025.

Whether you have just been named executor or are helping a family member, this guide helps you understand the decisions ahead, gather the right information and make better use of professional advice.

Work through the main stages of estate administration:

• Get started: locate the will, obtain important records, protect property and understand the executor's authority.
• Find and organize assets: create an inventory, manage estate money and distinguish probate assets from property that may pass outside probate.
• Understand the procedure: explore small-estate options, court appointments, notices and the information needed for probate.
• Deal with debts and taxes: understand creditor claims, payment priorities and the tax matters an executor needs to consider.
• Complete the administration: prepare accounts, distribute assets, obtain receipts and close the estate.
• Understand related trusts: learn about a successor trustee's role when a living trust is involved.

Keep this paperback alongside your estate file as a practical reference while you work through the administration.

Use the executor checklist to track duties, due dates and completed tasks, rather than relying on memory at a difficult time.

U.S. guidance: probate rules and court forms vary by state. Sample documents illustrate the process; use the current forms and instructions required by the court handling the estate. The book helps you recognize when legal or tax advice is needed.