Getting started as an executor

You keep a record as things happen; ExecutorLedger keeps it in the shape a final accounting expects. Here’s the whole method.

1. Start the inventory

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

2. Record money as it moves

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 — opening the estate account, interest, dividends, rent, refunds.
• I sold something — the sale price against what it was carried at; the difference becomes a gain or loss the accounting reports honestly.
• I found property — assets discovered after the inventory was done.

If you paid something from your own pocket, tick the box — the ledger 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, with you approving every row.

3. Record distributions

When beneficiaries receive money or property, record who, when, and how much. The final accounting shows each person exactly what they received — which is how family arguments end before they start.

4. Share the books

Invite co-executors (they can edit), and your attorney and beneficiaries (read-only) from Settings — it’s free. Transparency during administration is the cheapest peace you’ll ever buy.

5. Export the accounting

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