Which accounting do I need?

Most estates never file a formal accounting with a court — but every estate needs an accounting. Here’s the difference.

The informal accounting (most estates)

In every state, the common path is that beneficiaries review an accounting and sign off — a waiver, a release, a family settlement — instead of anyone filing schedules with a judge. California calls it a waiver of account; Texas independent administration rarely files one at all; New York uses receipt-and-release agreements; Pennsylvania has family settlement agreements; Florida beneficiaries can waive at discharge.

What those paths share: the beneficiaries still deserve — and can demand — a clear, complete accounting before they sign. That’s the Accounting of the Estate export: the summary, the schedules, and a per-beneficiary distribution statement, in plain language.

The court-style formats

If the estate is court-supervised, or a beneficiary won’t sign, a formal accounting may be filed. Each state expects its own shape, and ExecutorLedger exports documents in the style of the CA, FL, NY, PA, and TX formats, plus the national model-account format used nearly everywhere else.

Style, not compliance. These are not court forms, and courts differ county to county. The export gives your attorney a complete, correctly structured starting point — it never replaces their review.

Either way, the ledger is the same

You don’t choose in advance. Keep the books; when the time comes, export whichever document the situation calls for — or several. Both are built from the identical numbers.