Do I need a lawyer to handle my parent’s probate, or can I do it myself?

The guide is written for executors who want to run an uncontested estate themselves: it assumes you can complete court forms and keep a spreadsheet, and it walks each step from the first weeks after death to the final order of discharge. For an uncontested estate it is a complete working checklist, not legal advice, so bringing in a lawyer remains your choice — but you can work through the whole process with this guide alone.

What if there is no valid will, or the estate is held in a trust?

Then this guide is not for you. It fits estates of roughly $50,000–$500,000 that have a valid will and no trust, and it explicitly does not cover trusts. If your parent died without a will or the assets pass through a trust, this checklist will not match your situation.

What if a family member contests the will or disputes the estate?

Then this guide is not for you. It is built for estates without family disputes and explicitly does not cover contested wills. A challenge in court calls for different help than this working checklist provides.

What happens with my parent’s debts and the creditors who come looking?

The guide covers this directly. You publish and mail notice to creditors, audit every claim against the statutory window, pay valid debts, and object to disputed ones — all tracked in a claims and assets ledger — before any assets are distributed to beneficiaries.

I live in a different state from where my parent died — will this still work?

The guide assumes you can work with the probate court in the county where your parent lived and can wait out its hearing and filing windows. If you can handle the case in that county from where you are, the checklist applies; if you cannot, it may not fit your situation.

EN2 versions

Probate a parent's estate as the executor

An estate administered end to end — will filed and letters testamentary obtained, creditors noticed, an estate EIN and checking account opened, the inventory and appraisement filed on time, creditor claims audited against the statutory window, and assets distributed against signed beneficiary receipts.

Fby Finito HQEchipa Finito

Created 2 months agoUpdated last month

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Who it's for

Adult children named as executor (or first in line to administer) for a parent's estate of roughly $50,000–$500,000 that has a valid will and no trust. It fits estates without family disputes or an ongoing business, and executors who can complete court forms and keep a spreadsheet.

About this playbook

This guide walks an executor through a parent's probate from the first days after death to the final order of discharge. You will secure the estate, open the case in the county probate court, obtain letters testamentary, stand up the estate's EIN and bank account, publish and mail notice to creditors, file the inventory and appraisement on schedule, audit and settle creditor claims, and distribute assets against signed receipts. Every step names the form, the office, and the deadline that applies, and the tracking ledger keeps the whole case on schedule. It does not cover contested wills, estate tax planning, or trusts, and it is not legal advice — for an uncontested estate it is a complete working checklist.

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5 phases · 25 steps

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Phase 1: Secure the estate in the first two weeks
5 steps
Phase 2: Open the probate case in county court
5 steps
Phase 3: Set up the estate and give notice to creditors
5 steps
Phase 4: Inventory the estate and settle claims and taxes
5 steps
Phase 5: Distribute the estate and close the case
5 steps

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Details

Estimated duration1 day 2 hours

Steps25

Estimated budget$400–$1,200 USD

What you need first

The parent has died and you are named executor in the will or are otherwise entitled to administer. You can obtain certified death certificates and access the family's papers. The estate is below the federal estate tax exemption and holds no operating business. You can work with the probate court in the county where the parent lived, and you are prepared to wait out the court's hearing and filing windows.