Executor Checklist: The First 30 Days After a Death

What Must an Executor Do in the First 30 Days?

In the first 30 days after a death, an executor's job is to secure, notify, and document — not to distribute. The legally critical early tasks are: locate the original will, arrange the funeral, obtain death certificates, secure the home and other property, notify banks and government agencies, protect ongoing insurance coverage, and start the estate inventory. Nothing should be paid out to beneficiaries in month one; premature distributions are the single most common early executor mistake and can make you personally liable if debts or taxes surface later.

The role is bigger than most people expect. Estate administration typically takes 12–18 months for a straightforward estate in both Canada and the US, and executors are fiduciaries: personally accountable to beneficiaries and creditors for every decision. The first month sets the tone — an organized, documented start prevents most of the disputes that derail estates later. This checklist walks the month step by step; for a personalized task list based on your actual estate, run our free Executor Duties wizard.

Days 1–7: Funeral, Original Will, and Death Certificates

Week one is triage. In order:

Confirm funeral and burial wishes. Check the will and any prepaid funeral contract before finalizing arrangements — in most jurisdictions the executor, not the family, has legal authority over the body's disposition. Funeral costs (commonly $5,000–$15,000 in both countries) are a first-priority estate expense and are reimbursable.
Locate the original will. Check the home safe, safety deposit box, the drafting lawyer's office, and provincial/state will registries (BC has a formal wills registry; many US counties allow will deposits with the court). Only the signed original can generally be probated — a photocopy triggers a much harder court process.
Order death certificates — more than you think. Get 5–10 official copies from the funeral director or vital statistics office. Banks, insurers, land registries, pension plans, and government agencies each want one, and reordering later adds weeks.
Secure dependents and pets and make sure any urgent income needs of the surviving spouse are covered from joint accounts (which pass outside the estate) rather than estate assets.

Also confirm you actually want the job. You are not obligated to act, and renouncing is simple before you start administering assets — nearly impossible after (a doctrine called intermeddling). If the estate looks insolvent, litigious, or beyond your capacity, week one is the moment to decide.

Days 7–14: Secure the Assets

An executor's fiduciary duty to preserve estate assets begins immediately, not at probate. In the second week: change the locks on any residence that is now vacant, or at minimum control who has keys. Notify the home insurer that the property is unoccupied — most Canadian and US homeowner policies restrict or void coverage after 30 days of vacancy unless the insurer agrees to a vacancy permit, and an uninsured house fire is a personal liability event for the executor. Take dated photos or video of the home's contents before anyone removes "just a few sentimental things"; contents disputes are among the most common family flashpoints.

Secure vehicles (insured, garaged, not lent out), collect mail or redirect it through the postal service, and locate key documents: recent tax returns, bank and investment statements, insurance policies, property deeds, mortgage documents, business agreements, and digital account credentials. Cancel subscriptions and unneeded services, but keep utilities, property insurance, and mortgage payments current — those are proper estate expenses.

Do not distribute, sell, or promise anything yet. Beneficiaries often press for early gifts of personal items; a disciplined executor answers that everything is inventoried first and distributed after debts and taxes are known.

Days 14–21: Notifications

Week three is the notification sweep. In Canada: Service Canada (to stop CPP/OAS and apply for the CPP death benefit — a flat $2,500 — plus survivor benefits), the CRA, provincial health insurance, and the driver's licence bureau. In the US: the Social Security Administration (overpaid benefits must be returned; a $255 lump-sum death payment and survivor benefits may apply), the IRS in due course, the DMV, and the deceased's Medicare/insurers. In both countries: every bank and investment firm (accounts are frozen pending probate, but confirm balances at date of death in writing), employers or pension administrators, life insurers (claims can usually be filed immediately — life insurance with a named beneficiary passes outside the estate), landlords or tenants, and the credit bureaus (Equifax and TransUnion in both countries) to flag the file against identity theft.

Keep a notification log: who, when, reference number, and what they need next. That log becomes the backbone of the executor accounting beneficiaries are entitled to see.

Days 21–30: Inventory, Professionals, and the Probate Decision

By the end of the month, build the preliminary estate inventory: every asset with an approximate date-of-death value, and every known debt. This inventory determines whether probate is needed at all (small-estate procedures cover estates under about $50,000 in some Canadian provinces and $50,000–$184,500 depending on the US state), what the probate tax will be, and whether the estate is solvent. Our Estate Administration Organizer gives you a structured place to capture all of it.

Now is also when to retain professionals: an estate lawyer to prepare the probate application (weeks to months of court processing time in both countries — file early), and an accountant for the terminal tax return. Canadian executors should know the CRA deadline: the final T1 return is due April 30 of the year after death, or six months after death if the death occurred in November or December, and a clearance certificate should be obtained before final distribution. US executors face the estate's income tax return (Form 1041) and, for estates over the federal exemption, an estate tax return (Form 706) due nine months after death.

Open an estate bank account so every dollar in and out flows through one documented channel, and start the expense ledger — executor compensation (commonly up to about 5% of the estate in Canada; statutory percentage scales or "reasonable compensation" in the US) will be assessed against the quality of your records.

The Mistakes That Cost Executors Personally

Five errors generate most executor liability: distributing before debts and taxes are paid (creditors and the CRA/IRS can pursue the executor personally), letting property insurance lapse on a vacant home, missing tax deadlines, mixing estate money with personal funds, and failing to communicate with beneficiaries — silence breeds suspicion, and suspicion breeds the passing-over applications and compelled accountings that turn a sad year into a litigious one. If probate is on the horizon, our probate cost guide explains the fees you are about to encounter, and the Estate Planning hub collects every related guide. Feeling out of your depth is normal — reach out and we will connect you with an estate administration professional in your jurisdiction.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the very first thing an executor should do?

Locate the original will and confirm funeral wishes before finalizing arrangements — the executor, not the family, generally has legal authority over disposition. Then order 5–10 official death certificates, since nearly every institution requires one.

How many death certificates does an executor need?

Order 5–10 official copies. Banks, life insurers, pension plans, land registries, and government agencies each typically require their own copy, and reordering from vital statistics later adds weeks of delay.

Can an executor pay beneficiaries in the first month?

No. Distributing before debts, taxes, and claims are known is the most common early executor mistake and can make the executor personally liable. Distributions come after probate, creditor notice, and tax filings — usually many months later.

Do I have to accept the role of executor?

No. You can renounce before you begin administering the estate. But once you start handling assets ('intermeddling'), courts generally hold you to the role, so decide in the first week if the estate looks insolvent or litigious.

What happens to the deceased's house insurance?

Notify the insurer immediately. Most Canadian and US homeowner policies restrict or void coverage once a home is vacant for about 30 days unless a vacancy permit is issued — and an uninsured loss can fall on the executor personally.

How long does estate administration take in total?

A straightforward estate typically takes 12–18 months in both Canada and the US: probate processing, creditor notice periods, terminal tax returns, and (in Canada) a CRA clearance certificate before final distribution.

What Should an Executor Do in the First 30 Days?