Probate public guide
Understand the basic stages of estate administration
Explore general information about probate courts, personal representatives, estate property, creditor procedures, beneficiaries, and small-estate options.
General legal information. A licensed attorney can apply it to your facts.
Did someone recently die or did you receive probate papers?
Secure important records and property, avoid distributing assets prematurely, and note every court or creditor date. Local probate rules may require prompt action.
Your first useful result
Build a probate starting roadmap
Choose the situation that is closest. The result organizes first moves, records, source-linked tools, and questions for licensed review.
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What each roadmap covers
Open any path to see the information it organizes before making a selection.
Someone recently died and I am not sure what comes first+
Secure records and property, locate governing documents, and separate urgent administration from later distribution.
The roadmap organizes:
- Locate the original will, amendments, trust documents, beneficiary records, and funeral instructions.
- Secure property and preserve mail, account statements, insurance, tax, and debt records.
- List people who may hold documents, act as fiduciaries, or receive property.
- Avoid mixing, transferring, or distributing property until authority and procedure are clear.
Records:
Original estate documents · Death certificates when available · Property and account records · Creditor, tax, and insurance mail
I am checking whether a simplified or small-estate process exists+
Separate probate property from nonprobate transfers and verify the state threshold, waiting period, exclusions, and form.
The roadmap organizes:
- List each asset, value, title, beneficiary, and debt separately.
- Separate assets passing by beneficiary, survivorship, trust, or other nonprobate mechanism.
- Open the state source for threshold, waiting period, exclusions, and affidavit or court procedure.
- Keep disputed ownership, real estate, and creditor issues flagged for local review.
Records:
Asset and debt inventory · Titles and beneficiary records · State forms and threshold source · Will and trust documents
I am serving as executor or personal representative+
Track authority, notices, inventory, claims, taxes, accounting, beneficiaries, and distributions as separate workstreams.
The roadmap organizes:
- Keep the appointment order and proof of authority with the estate file.
- Create separate logs for property, income, expenses, creditor claims, notices, and beneficiary communications.
- Calendar court, tax, claim, accounting, and distribution milestones from official sources.
- Match every receipt and disbursement to a supporting record.
Records:
Letters or appointment order · Inventory and valuations · Estate account statements and receipts · Notices, claims, tax, and beneficiary records
A creditor, beneficiary, property, or will dispute is developing+
Preserve the governing documents, chronology, communications, property records, and court dates without altering originals.
The roadmap organizes:
- Preserve original documents, versions, envelopes, signatures, and related correspondence.
- Build a dated chronology of capacity, execution, property, transfers, notices, and disputed events.
- Separate firsthand records from recollection and identify the source of each fact.
- Use licensed probate counsel for contested procedure, privilege, evidence, and deadlines.
Records:
Original and prior estate documents · Medical or capacity records lawfully available · Property and transfer records · Court papers and communications
Published by DocketBuddy · Roadmap content reviewed August 9, 2026 · State pages carry their own source verification and review dates.
How the process is usually organized
Identify the governing documents
Locate the original will, later amendments, trust documents, beneficiary designations, and property records.
Separate estate and non-estate property
Title, beneficiary designations, trusts, and state law can affect which property passes through a probate estate.
Follow local court procedures
Appointment, notices, inventories, creditor handling, accounting, and distribution depend on state and county rules.
Check creditor timing and small-estate rules
Choose a state for source-linked creditor-claim periods, notice procedure, and simplified-estate rules.
Browse all 51 published state guides
Official and public sources
Use these sources to verify the common process. Need help applying it to your situation? Find licensed help.
For probate attorneys
Want creditor rules turned into an administration plan?
See how DocketBuddy connects notice, claim periods, inventory, accounting, distributions, and closing exceptions.
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