General Executor Checklist
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Serving as the executor of an estate can be a challenging responsibility, and require significant effort over time: the average executor spends hundreds of hours fulling his or her duties, over a period of 3 - 12 months.
This page is part of the overall province-specific EstateExec Executor Guide, which is designed to help executors understand those duties and how to fulfill them, including probate. In fact, EstateExec can automatically create a customized interactive checklist (see Sample Estate) in accordance with the particulars of the estate. For example, different provinces have different rules about creditor notification, family support, probate, and more.
At a simple level, though, the following generic checklist covers the basic responsibilities of an executor:
| Estate Executor Checklist | ||
|---|---|---|
| Done | Task | Due |
| Notify close friends & family | First Week | |
| Notify employer | First Week | |
| Secure assets | First Week | |
| Arrange funeral | First Week | |
| Locate the will | First Week | |
| Notify Veterans Affairs Canada (VAC) | First Week | |
| Order death certificates | First Week | |
| Optionally retain lawyer | First Month | |
| Protect unoccupied property | First Month | |
| Cancel unneeded services | First Month | |
| Notify Service Canada | First Month | |
| Notify Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) | First Month | |
| Request Trust Account Number (TAN) | First Month | |
| Inventory assets | First 3 Months | |
| Determine heirs | First 3 Months | |
| Start probate process if required/desired | First 3 Months | |
| Notify heirs | First 3 Months | |
| Establish family allowance if applicable | First 3 Months | |
| Forward mail | First 3 Months | |
| Notify life insurance companies | First 3 Months | |
| Notify RRSPs and similar beneficiary accounts | First 3 Months | |
| Notify RCMP about firearms | First 3 Months | |
| Notify credit cards | First 3 Months | |
| Notify other agencies | First 3 Months | |
| Notify extended acquaintances | First 3 Months | |
| Consider online media accounts | First 3 Months | |
| Open estate bank account | First 3 Months | |
| Publish notice of death | First 3 Months | |
| Debt claims deadline expired | As Possible | |
| Inventory debts | As Possible | |
| Determine estate solvency | As Possible | |
| Plan asset allocation | As Possible | |
| Conduct estate sale (if desired) | As Possible | |
| All debts resolved | As Possible | |
| Dispose of unwanted assets | As Possible | |
| Pay local property taxes | Calendar Year | |
| Submit final decedent income tax returns (T1) | Calendar Year | |
| Submit estate income tax forms (T3) | Calendar Year | |
| Obtain CRA tax clearance certificate | Finish | |
| Make all distributions | Finish | |
| Compensate executor | Finish | |
| Pass accounts for probate | Finish | |
| Close estate bank account | Finish | |
Note that this generic checklist is useful, but is not intended to be an exhaustive list, and some of the due dates may vary a bit from province to province.
Note that if you are using the EstateExec interactive task checklist, you will be able to click on each task and get more information about it, as well as see actual due dates for your particular estate: see the Track Tasks topic, or create your own estate for free. Of course, the majority of EstateExec's long-term utility also lies in its ability to track and manage assets, debts, transactions, and distributions, not to mention money-saving ($) coupons for applicable third-party services, such as junk removal.