Getting started as an executor

List everything the estate owned on the day of death, at its value on that day: bank accounts, the house, vehicles, anything of value. Statements and appraisals are your sources. Don’t wait for perfect numbers. Add the asset now and refine the value when the appraisal arrives. The inventory total becomes the accounting’s opening balance.

Every time money touches the estate, record it the same day if you can. The Record something button asks in plain words:

• I paid a bill or expense: the funeral, court fees, keeping the house insured, paying valid debts.
• Money came in: interest, dividends, rent, refunds. Moving the inventoried bank balance into a new estate account doesn’t count as new money. The inventory already includes it.
• I sold something the estate owned: the sale price and what it was carried at. The difference becomes a gain or loss in the accounting.
• I found property after the inventory: assets discovered later, which join the inventory automatically.

If you paid something from your own pocket, tick the box. The ledger then tracks what the estate owes you until you’re reimbursed. If the estate’s bank offers CSV downloads, Import bank CSV brings in a month at a time, and you approve every row.

When beneficiaries receive money or property, record who, when, and how much. The final accounting shows each person what they received.

From Settings, invite co-executors (they can edit) and your attorney and beneficiaries (read-only). It’s free. Beneficiaries who can watch the books as you go tend to have fewer questions at the end.

When you need an interim report or the final accounting, the Exports tab turns your ledger into the document. Read which accounting do I need? to choose between the informal accounting (most estates) and a court-style format.