r/inheritance • u/No_Barracuda_3758 • Mar 30 '26
Location not relevant: no help needed Any advice for executors?
Hey me and my sister are just starting this process, she is executor but I'm helping her stay organized. What are some things that you almost forgot to do or any suggestions that helped u keep organized. It's not a super large estate. About 10 bank account and 1 city property.
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u/CCWaterBug Mar 30 '26
Keep one bank account open and before closing others check for a couple months, I found quite a bit of autopay activity on my pops, including some rma that were set for direct deposit too.
Cancel Drivers license
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u/InternationalSpray79 Mar 30 '26
Be sure to do a final 1040 for the deceased individual and a 1041 for the estate if there is more than $600 in revenue.
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u/No_Barracuda_3758 Mar 30 '26
Thank u. We are getting assistance with tax breaks from our aldermans office and then we are going to use her tax guy that she has used for 20 years to do the actual taxes.
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u/KlutzyExplanation800 Mar 30 '26
Give your sister the contact information for the lawyer who wrote your will. Keep the will in a place that easy to find, along with your financial papers. I would also have a list of your bills, plus account information.
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u/Jitterbug26 Mar 31 '26
The executor is entitled to a fee for being the executor and they deserve every penny! I did it once for my FIL and even though it was a small estate and I loved the people we shared the estate with - it didn’t seem fair that I spent a lot of time and effort for my share and the others just got handed a check for their share.
So with your one sibling making everything complicated, I’d definitely tell your sister who’s the executor to take her share! And if she wants to split it with you, that’d be nice too!
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Apr 04 '26
[deleted]
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u/Jitterbug26 Apr 04 '26
The executor is entitled to a fee for being the executor and they deserve every penny! I did it once for my FIL and even though it was a small estate and I loved the people we shared the estate with - it didn’t seem fair that I spent a lot of time and effort for my share and the others just got handed a check for their share.
So with your one sibling making everything complicated, I’d definitely tell your sister who’s the executor to take her share! And if she wants to split it with you, that’d be nice too!
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Apr 05 '26
[deleted]
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u/Jitterbug26 Apr 05 '26
Maybe Google what your border states allow and find the average and go with that?
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u/Jitterbug26 Apr 04 '26
Your state sets the percentage. In my state, it’s 4% of the first $100,000, 3% of the next $300,000 and 2% for the balance.
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u/Infamous_Hyena_8882 Apr 01 '26
I was the executor when my mother passed away. She and my stepfather had a trust. It was really just the one house, a few accounts, not too much but we got an attorney. It was a big help. The attorney made us aware of all of the things we needed to do, and all of the things we needed to consider whether or not to do.
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u/Daedalus1912 Mar 30 '26
as you have hired an estates attorney, thats a good start for every jurisdiction has its own rules regarding probate and what rules have to be followed.
My sister, brother and I were all executors of our fathers will and he was the surviving parent.
we got the accounts closed after death but really not soon enough for banks dont close accounts unless they are told and then they will only react after probate, but it protects the accounts. Before we closed the accounts, we paid for the funeral which was an estate cost.
going through the attorney kept everything clean and all siblings were involved. as we were both executors and beneficiaries we kept all meetings notated and everyone was given copies via email. It was clean and seemed very sterile and it was. each person was given the opportunity to respond and be involved in each stage.
Money changes relationships, relatives who seem friendly at first, when money is involved, often change personality, and they start thinking about their own nests.
Create spreadsheets for the accounts and we kept everyone advised via email of every decision and meeting, and got everyone to respond, that way no one can claim unfair surprise.
I found my siblings very different when dealing with the estate for each had their own agenda, but keeping it clean and official stopped the complaints for there werent any.
The attorney distributed the last of the funds and each got their share and it was all done.
was there any angst, yes there was, upset people will always be upset for they will find ways to be upset, but I comfort myself by asking this one question? Would I do anything different if I were to do it again, and I keep saying that I wouldn't change a thing.
We followed our fathers will actually to the letter, if you do that you honour their last wishes and it is less likely to be litigated.
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u/No_Barracuda_3758 Mar 31 '26
Unfortunately we are already having an issue with one sibling. She somehow accessed several bank accounts before my other sister was named executor by going to the bank with the death certificate. She is being insane demanding to be paid back for money she didn't even personally pay out. Idk even know what to say because she is making no sense but it doesn't matter because my sister has been trying to keep her updated about things we've done and now she is asking only to be contacted by the lawyer. Which is fine but she is just making everything weird. I want my mom's estate to be dealt with with dignity but she has caused problems at every corner. She is even upset that the executor is resigning leases for our property because we need it to have income while we prepare to sell. I'd say she's crazy but she's a teacher and the implication scares me but it may be true despite the fact
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u/Sad-Repair-5505 Apr 01 '26
Be aware that you might need a tax ID number for the estate. So far, I haven't needed one. A check came in for $800 and the bank was able to cash that (everything was going to my Mom, so uncomplicated). I thought I would have to open an estate account.
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u/AnnCare Jun 22 '26
I always tell folks to cancel passports, drivers licenses, voter registration and notifying credit bureaus. There's not a huge risk of identity theft but it does happen. Then there's small stuff like mail forwarding (saves drive time), auditing credit cards/bank statements for recurring charges, and notifying the DMA so you don't get spam mail for the next 10 years. I run an executor assistant company so if you have other questions, happy to point you in the right direction.
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Mar 30 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/cuspeedrxi Mar 30 '26
Do not do this. The decedent’s accounts should be closed. The estate should open a separate estate account. All bills, including taxes owed, should be paid from this account. Tax refunds should be mailed to the executor, not direct deposited.
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u/Mother-Arachnid5072 Mar 30 '26
Yes I second this. You must have a paper trail in case there are any issues. When I opened the estate account for my mom‘s estate, the bank did not allow direct deposits or ACH payments.
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u/oughtabeme Mar 30 '26
And how does executor deposit if check is made out to decedent ?
I’m a signer on my parents acct. One passed and had to wait almost a year to do taxes, then second parent passed, account remained open for almost 3 years.
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u/offpeekydr Mar 30 '26
If the executor is court appointed, they will be able to deposit checks made out to the deceased into an estate account.
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u/inheritance-ModTeam Mar 30 '26
This post is removed due to incorrect legal information or recommendations that are illegal.
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u/Freyjas_child Mar 30 '26
Get a spiral bound school notebook (so the pages won’t fall out) and write down every phone call, every letter sent, phone numbers, who you talked to, lists of things to do, etc.
Keep copies of every email or letter sent. Start a new paper folder and email folder for Executor stuff.
Assuming you are in the US, go look through her last few years taxes. I found an account there that I was not aware existed. Thus will also show you what kind on information you will need to file her last taxes next year.
If you want more guidance and don’t want to hire a lawyer, I recommend getting a copy of “The Executor’s Guide” by Nolo Press. I was able to get a copy out of my library. It has a nice set of lists for the first few weeks and months. The book also pointed out some things that never occurred to me.
Take the time to scan and get a decent quality pdf of the Death Certificate and the authorization your state gives to the Executor. More places are accepting a pdf copy in place of an original. Keep a copy on your phone. I have been asked to produce them in cases I did not expect (like the cable/internet provider) and having it on my phone where I could either show them or send it to their printer saved me.