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Estate Executor First 90 Days Planner: Death Certificate Count, Account Notification Log, Estate EIN and Bank Account Steps, Asset Inventory, and a Probate Deadline Calendar
Organize the first 90 days as an executor or personal representative: how many certified death certificates to order, who to notify and in what order, getting an estate EIN and bank account, an asset and debt inventory, and a calendar of probate court deadlines to confirm with the court or an attorney.
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Prompt
Act as an estate administration paralegal who helps newly named executors and personal representatives organize the first 90 days after a death, keeps a notification log, and flags every deadline that must be confirmed with the probate court or an attorney. Inputs: - State and county where the person lived, and whether there is a will, a trust, or neither: [JurisdictionAndDocs] - Your role (named executor, court appointed administrator, successor trustee) and whether letters testamentary have been issued: [ExecutorStatus] - Known assets with how each is titled (sole name, joint, payable on death, beneficiary designation, trust): [AssetList] - Known debts and recurring bills: [DebtsAndBills] - Agencies and institutions to notify (Social Security, pension, banks, insurers, credit bureaus, DMV): [NotifyList] - Family situation and anything urgent (a house left empty, a pet, a business): [UrgentItems] - Output format: [Format] Generate: 1. A week one triage list from UrgentItems: secure the home, vehicles, mail, pets, and medications. 2. A death certificate count estimate: one certified copy per institution in AssetList and NotifyList that will want an original, plus spares. 3. A notification log in order of urgency for NotifyList, with columns for date, contact, reference number, documents sent, and follow up. 4. An asset inventory from AssetList split into probate assets and assets that pass outside probate by title or beneficiary designation. 5. An estate account path: apply for an estate EIN with IRS Form SS-4 or online after appointment, then open an estate checking account; note what the bank will ask for. 6. A debts and bills plan from DebtsAndBills: what to keep paying (insurance, utilities on the house), what to pause, and the warning not to pay unsecured debts from personal funds. 7. A probate calendar for JurisdictionAndDocs and ExecutorStatus: filing the will, notice to creditors, inventory due date, and final accounting, each marked [confirm with probate court]. 8. A question list to bring to an estate attorney. Constraints: - Not legal or tax advice. Do not invent deadlines, filing fees, or form numbers for the state; mark them [confirm with probate court]. - Do not tell the executor to distribute assets to heirs before debts and the court allow it. - Kind, plain tone for someone who is grieving. No em dashes.
Instructions
Replace every [bracket] with your details before running. Works on ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini.
Generated Output
This image was generated using the prompt above.
Examples
Example Input
JurisdictionAndDocs: Hennepin County, Minnesota; will names me as personal representative; no trust ExecutorStatus: named in the will; have not filed with the court yet; died 2026-09-28 AssetList: house in Minneapolis in her sole name; checking and savings at Wells Fargo in her sole name; Fidelity IRA with my brother and me as beneficiaries; 2018 Subaru in her sole name; life insurance with Thrivent, beneficiary is me DebtsAndBills: mortgage on the house; Xcel Energy and water; Visa card with about a $3,000 balance; Medicare supplement premium NotifyList: Social Security, Thrivent, Fidelity, Wells Fargo, Visa issuer, the three credit bureaus, Minnesota DVS UrgentItems: house now empty; her cat is staying with my brother; mail piling up Format: triage, certificate count, notification log, inventory, estate account, bills plan, probate calendar, attorney questions
Example Output
1) WEEK ONE TRIAGE - House: lock it, change or check who has keys, set the thermostat to a safe temperature, and tell the homeowner's insurer it is vacant. Vacancy can affect coverage [confirm with insurer]. - Mail: file a USPS forwarding request as the representative once you have documents [confirm USPS requirements]. - Cat: confirmed safe with your brother. Note vet records location. - Car: keep it parked and insured. Do not sell it yet. - Medications: dispose of them at a pharmacy take back site. 2) DEATH CERTIFICATES Thrivent 1, Fidelity 1, Wells Fargo 1, Minnesota DVS 1, probate court 1 [confirm if the court needs one], mortgage servicer 1, spares 2. Order about 8 certified copies. Social Security is often told by the funeral home [confirm]. 3) NOTIFICATION LOG (in order) | # | Who | Why first | Date | Contact | Ref no. | Docs sent | Follow up | | 1 | Social Security | Stop payments, ask about any payment owed back | | | | | | | 2 | Thrivent | Life insurance claim to you as beneficiary | | | | | | | 3 | Mortgage servicer | Keep the house current while probate opens | | | | | | | 4 | Wells Fargo | Freeze accounts, ask how they handle sole name accounts | | | | | | | 5 | Fidelity | IRA beneficiary claim for you and your brother | | | | | | | 6 | Visa issuer | Report the death, do not pay from your own money | | | | | | | 7 | Credit bureaus | Deceased flag to block identity theft | | | | | | | 8 | Minnesota DVS | Vehicle title transfer later | | | | | | 4) ASSET INVENTORY Probate assets (sole name, no beneficiary): house, Wells Fargo checking and savings, 2018 Subaru. Outside probate: Fidelity IRA (beneficiary designation), Thrivent life insurance (beneficiary is you). 5) ESTATE ACCOUNT After the court appoints you and issues letters, apply for an estate EIN with IRS Form SS-4 or the IRS online EIN tool. Then open an estate checking account. The bank will usually ask for the letters, a death certificate, the EIN, and your ID [confirm with bank]. Run estate bills through this account only. 6) BILLS PLAN Keep paying: mortgage, homeowner's insurance, Xcel Energy and water for the house (from the estate account once open). Cancel: Medicare supplement premium; ask for a refund of any unused premium. Pause: Visa balance. Do not pay it from personal funds; it is a claim against the estate. 7) PROBATE CALENDAR - File the will and a petition with Hennepin County probate court [confirm timing with probate court] - Notice to creditors published after appointment [confirm with probate court] - Inventory due after appointment [confirm with probate court] - Final accounting before distribution [confirm with probate court] Ask whether informal probate is available for this estate [confirm with probate court]. 8) ATTORNEY QUESTIONS - Is informal probate a fit here? - What should I do about the house while it is vacant? - How do I handle the Visa claim? - When can my brother and I take the IRA and insurance payouts? - What tax returns does the estate need?