I was named executor
Learn what authority you have now, which duties begin immediately, and what may require court appointment first.
Get an executor starting pointEstate settlement, step by step
A loved one passed away. You are trying to figure out what happens next.
Maybe there is a will on the kitchen table. Maybe a bank froze an account. Maybe everyone assumes you already know what an executor does. You do not have to understand the whole process today. Start with the decision in front of you.
Private starting-point tool
Find the safest next action
Answer four broad questions. Nothing is submitted or saved. The result narrows the immediate task without pretending that one national checklist can decide a state probate question.
Start with what happened
Estate questions become clearer when the guide begins with the reader’s actual problem rather than a legal category.
There is no will
Understand the administrator role, intestate succession, and why state law and family structure change the path.
Explain the no-will situationA court or asset is blocking me
Identify the document, ownership issue, deadline, creditor, tax task, or dispute that must be resolved next.
Describe the roadblockThe settlement journey
These stages are a planning map, not a universal legal sequence. The correct filings, deadlines, and shortcuts depend on the state, county, assets, ownership, will, trusts, debts, and disputes.
01
Confirm authority
Find the will, identify the named executor, and learn which court or small-estate route controls the process.
02
Protect property
Secure homes, vehicles, mail, digital accounts, and records before assets disappear or bills compound.
03
Build the inventory
List assets, debts, ownership, beneficiaries, and values with enough detail to support court and tax filings.
04
Open the legal process
File the correct petition or affidavit, obtain authority documents, and calendar jurisdiction-specific deadlines.
05
Handle claims and taxes
Notify creditors, pay valid obligations in the correct order, and complete required personal and estate tax work.
06
Distribute and close
Document distributions, obtain receipts where appropriate, file the closing material, and preserve the final record.
One national question. Fifty different filing systems.
We have checked an official court, statute, fee schedule, county, or government source for the filing-fee section in every state. That is not the same as proving the total cost of probate, so each page keeps those two ideas separate.
01Pilot5–10 states
02Prove the formatsources, usefulness, leads
03Batch two15–20 states
04Complete the familyonly after review
Statewide amount Formula or tiered fee County or local amount Base plus add-ons
ALAlabama
AKAlaska
AZArizona
ARArkansas
CACalifornia
COColorado
CTConnecticut
DEDelaware
FLFlorida
GAGeorgia
HIHawaii
IDIdaho
ILIllinois
INIndiana
IAIowa
KSKansas
KYKentucky
LALouisiana
MEMaine
MDMaryland
MAMassachusetts
MIMichigan
MNMinnesota
MSMississippi
MOMissouri
MTMontana
NENebraska
NVNevada
NHNew Hampshire
NJNew Jersey
NMNew Mexico
NYNew York
NCNorth Carolina
NDNorth Dakota
OHOhio
OKOklahoma
OROregon
PAPennsylvania
RIRhode Island
SCSouth Carolina
SDSouth Dakota
TNTennessee
TXTexas
UTUtah
VTVermont
VAVirginia
WAWashington
WVWest Virginia
WIWisconsin
WYWyoming
Examples from the checked dataset
Research users can understand at a glance
Typical formal probate filing fee: $435. Other cost buckets are separate.
Official court source ↗Fees use an estate-value schedule. The page should direct readers to the official calculator.
Official calculator ↗The payable amount depends on the county, court, and selected services.
Official fee matrices ↗State fee sources checked 11 August 2026. Filing fees are one cost bucket, not the full cost of probate or estate settlement.
Twenty-one family situations we are building for
People rarely arrive thinking in legal categories. They arrive with a locked account, a house, an unanswered bill, or a relative asking what comes next.
Illustrative family journeys: every name and situation below is a fictional composite, not a testimonial, customer, legal outcome, or claim that EstateSettlement.co represented anyone.
Jordan: The house is only in a parent's name
Separate the urgent job of protecting the property from the court authority needed before a sale or transfer.
Maria: Some accounts have beneficiaries and others do not
Check ownership and beneficiary designations asset by asset instead of assuming everything follows the will.
Sam: Relatives disagree and records are missing
Preserve evidence, make a neutral inventory, and know when independent legal advice becomes important.
Taylor: The named executor lives in another state
Identify what can be handled remotely and what the local court may still require.
Chris: There is no will
Understand how an administrator is chosen and why state intestacy rules control distribution.
Avery: A will exists, but nobody can find the original
Work through document searches, court expectations, and the risks of relying on a copy.
Riley: Bills are arriving before court authority
Protect cash and records without using estate property before authority and priority are clear.
Morgan: The family wants to sell the home quickly
Map title, occupancy, insurance, valuation, authority, and sale timing before listing the property.
Casey: A small-estate shortcut might apply
Compare the state's threshold and asset rules before assuming a faster procedure is available.
Jamie: A vehicle still has a loan
Separate lender rights, title transfer, estate value, and the practical decision to keep or sell.
Drew: The executor found an unknown safe-deposit box
Document access, inventory the contents, and follow the institution's authority process.
Alex: A beneficiary is a minor
Identify who can receive or manage property and whether a court, custodian, or trust is involved.
Robin: There may be unpaid taxes
Separate the loved one's final return from possible estate income and transfer-tax questions.
Cameron: A business must keep operating
Protect value while identifying who can make decisions, sign, access accounts, or arrange a sale.
Quinn: Digital accounts hold money or important records
Create a lawful access plan for devices, subscriptions, cloud files, and digital assets.
Parker: A creditor demands immediate payment
Verify the claim and the applicable priority before paying one bill ahead of another.
Reese: The will names someone who cannot serve
Check successor language and the court process for appointing another personal representative.
Bailey: Property is located in two states
Understand why a second state proceeding may be required for out-of-state real estate.
Devon: A trust and a probate estate both exist
Keep the two administrations distinct while coordinating assets, expenses, taxes, and distributions.
Emerson: One heir cannot be located
Document the search and learn which court-approved options may be available before closing.
Harper: Everyone wants the estate closed yesterday
Set a realistic sequence so speed does not create a missed creditor, tax, title, or distribution problem.
Evidence and updates
Sources and update record
These national and state examples orient the homepage. They do not replace the governing court, statute, tax agency, or licensed adviser for a specific estate.
- IRS Publication 559: Survivors, Executors, and Administrators, federal tax and personal-representative orientation.
- Consumer Financial Protection Bureau: debts after someone passes away, general consumer guidance with state-law limits.
- California Courts probate guide, one state example only.
Homepage sources checked 16 August 2026. Rule-sensitive pages require a separate jurisdiction and review date.
Secure enquiry
Where are you stuck?
Tell us the broad situation. Your request is securely recorded and shared only with authorized team members so someone can follow up. Do not include Social Security numbers, account numbers, passwords, medical records, or confidential legal documents.
This form does not create an attorney-client relationship and is not emergency legal help.