Someone you love just died, and a few days later you learned you were named executor. Now there is a will in a drawer, a house full of mail, and a quiet sense that the clock has already started running. It has. This is the practical, time-sequenced playbook for what to do in the first 30 days, in the order that actually matters.
Most articles on executor duties read like a law school outline. They list every possible task with no sense of timing, so you finish the article more anxious than when you started. The first 30 days are not abstract. They are a sequence. Some tasks have hard legal deadlines (filing the will with the court, opening probate, notifying Social Security). Others have soft deadlines that quietly turn into expensive problems if you miss them (changing the locks, freezing credit cards, addressing the mortgage).
This guide breaks the first month into three windows: days 1 to 7, days 7 to 14, and days 14 to 30. Each window has its own priorities. Work them in order, document everything, and you will be in good shape by the end of the month.
An executor is a court-appointed manager of the deceased's affairs. You are not the heir (unless the will also names you as a beneficiary, which is common). You are the person legally responsible for collecting the assets, paying the debts and taxes, and distributing what remains to the people the will names. You owe a fiduciary duty to those beneficiaries. That word matters: it means you must put their interests above your own and act with reasonable care, and you can be held personally liable if you do not.
The first week is about three things: finding the original will, securing the property, and getting the paperwork that everything else depends on.
You need the original, not a copy. Original signatures are what the probate court accepts. Common places it lives:
If the deceased used a digital estate planning platform, look for an email confirmation in their inbox with the document. If they used DocSats, the encrypted document is on their device or in their chosen storage location, and they should have left an executor instruction with the key. If you find a printed copy but not the original, contact the attorney who drafted it. Most jurisdictions accept a copy with a sworn affidavit if the original cannot be located, but the process is slower and contestable.
Within the first 48 hours, take physical steps to prevent loss:
Order at least 10 certified copies. Most are obtained through the funeral home or directly from the state vital records office. You will need them for: the probate court, every bank, every brokerage, every insurance company, Social Security, the IRS, the DMV, the mortgage holder, and any pensions. Certified means a raised seal or modern equivalent; photocopies are not accepted by most institutions. The cost is usually $15 to $35 per copy, and it is reimbursable as an estate expense.
Look at the will. The drafting attorney is usually named on the cover page or in the signature block. Call them. Even if you do not plan to use them for the full probate, a 30-minute consultation usually clarifies the local court's filing requirements and the immediate deadlines specific to your state.
The second week shifts from physical security to legal and financial security.
Most states require the original will to be filed with the local probate court within a fixed window after death. The deadline ranges from 10 days (Texas, Washington) to 30 days (New York) to "as soon as reasonably possible" (California). A few states impose actual penalties for delay. Filing the will does not automatically open probate; it simply puts the document on the public record. Probate is a separate petition.
Letters Testamentary is the court-issued document that names you as the executor and gives you legal authority to act on behalf of the estate. Without this, banks, brokerages, the DMV, and most third parties will not talk to you. The application is filed with the probate court; the form, fee, and waiting period vary by state. In many places this can be done concurrently with filing the will. Once granted, you will receive certified copies of the letters; order at least 5 to 10 copies for the same reasons as the death certificates.
Social Security must be notified promptly, usually within the first month. The funeral home often files the initial notification (the SSA-721 form), but you should confirm it has been done. Any benefits paid for the month of death generally must be returned. If the deceased was receiving a pension, contact the plan administrator in writing with a death certificate. Surviving spouses may be eligible for survivor benefits, and the pension may have a continuing payment to a surviving spouse or named beneficiary; clarify this with the plan in writing.
Open credit cards in the deceased's name should be closed promptly to prevent fraud. Send a letter to each issuer with a death certificate. Do not pay individual bills with personal funds; the estate handles this through an estate account (Step in week 3). Notify the three credit bureaus (Equifax, Experian, TransUnion) to flag the deceased's file. This stops the wave of post-death identity theft attempts that families often see in the first 90 days.
Paying estate bills out of personal funds without documentation. You will be reimbursed, but only if you keep records. Open a dedicated folder, save every receipt, log every payment, and once you have an estate bank account, route everything through it. Commingling estate and personal funds is a fiduciary breach even when no harm results, and it is the easiest mistake to avoid.
The third window is about turning the estate into a working entity that can pay bills, receive income, and eventually distribute assets.
Apply to the IRS for an Employer Identification Number (EIN) for the estate. This is free, takes ten minutes online, and is required to open an estate account. Take the EIN, the death certificate, and the Letters Testamentary to a bank and open a new checking account titled "Estate of [Name], [Your Name] Executor." Every dollar that comes into the estate (final paychecks, refunds, dividend checks, life insurance payouts where the estate is beneficiary) goes into this account. Every dollar that goes out (bills, taxes, attorney fees, eventual distributions) leaves from this account. This is your audit trail.
Build a complete list of what the estate owns. Categories to walk through:
Many states require a formal inventory to be filed with the probate court within 60 to 90 days. Use the date-of-death value, not current value. This list also drives the federal estate tax calculation if the estate is large enough.
Send a written notice to every known creditor: utility companies, mortgage holder, credit card issuers, medical providers, and any business the deceased had open accounts with. Many states also require publication of a notice to creditors in a local newspaper or court-approved publication. Once the notice is published, creditors usually have a defined window (often 90 to 120 days) to file claims against the estate. Distributing assets before this window closes is one of the riskiest moves an executor can make: if a valid creditor surfaces afterward, the executor can be personally liable.
The deceased's final personal income tax return is still due (Form 1040 for the year of death). The estate itself may also need a fiduciary income tax return (Form 1041) if it generates income during administration. For estates above the federal exemption, a federal estate tax return (Form 706) is due nine months after death. A CPA with estate experience pays for themselves. The attorney can usually refer one.
The estate is not frozen in time. Bills keep coming. The mortgage still needs to be paid. The utilities still need to be on so the property can be maintained or sold. Insurance on the home and vehicles should not lapse. Confirm the homeowners policy covers a vacant property if the home is empty (many policies have a 30 to 60 day vacancy clause). Your job in week 4 is to keep the lights on, not to make irreversible decisions.
Beyond the task list, the role itself comes with continuous duties. These are not procedural; they are legal:
Executors are entitled to compensation in almost every state. Rules vary widely:
If you are taking compensation, document hours and tasks throughout. If you are waiving it (which is often wise for tax reasons in family situations, since compensation is taxable income while inheritance is generally not), put the waiver in writing.
Not every estate needs full attorney representation. The line worth drawing:
If the will is unclear, missing key clauses, or names beneficiaries who have predeceased without alternates, an attorney is also wise even on a smaller estate. Ambiguity is where lawsuits start.
If you are reading this because you were just named executor, the next sentence will not help you, but pass it on: the executor's job is hard in proportion to how unclear the deceased made it. A will that names a single executor, lists assets explicitly, addresses digital accounts, designates alternates, and is updated within the last five years is a gift to whoever has to administer it. A will that is vague, outdated, or silent on digital assets quadruples the work.
If you are reading this for your own planning, the most useful thing you can do for whoever will eventually serve as your executor is write a will that is clear, current, and complete; see our full estate planning checklist for the elements most people miss.
The probate process is public. Once the will is filed, anyone can read it. Court filings include asset listings, beneficiary names, and often dollar values. This is part of why some families choose to use a revocable living trust as the primary estate vehicle: trusts stay private. It is also why DocSats wills are encrypted on your device before they ever leave it. The platform itself cannot read the document, which means your draft is private until you, or your executor, choose otherwise. The blockchain inscription proves authenticity without ever revealing contents.
By the end of day 30, a well-run estate looks like this: the will is filed, Letters Testamentary are in hand, the home is secure, the credit cards are closed, Social Security and pensions are notified, the estate bank account is open, the inventory is started, the creditor notice is published, and the CPA and attorney know your name. You will not be done. Probate often takes 6 to 18 months. But you will have built the foundation, and the next 60 days will feel manageable instead of frantic.
A DocSats will is clear, current, and explicitly covers digital assets. Encrypted on your device. Verified on Bitcoin. Starts at $99.
Create Your Will Today