I Just Got Named Executor — Now What?
Someone you love just died. And now you've been handed a full-time job you never applied for.
Here's what nobody tells you when you're named executor: you're about to inherit roughly 570 hours of administrative work across 12+ institutions that don't talk to each other. Banks. Courts. Social Security. Insurance companies. Utilities. The DMV. All of them will want a death certificate, a form, and your patience — and none of them will coordinate with each other.
You'll do this while grieving. While working your actual job. While fielding calls from family members who want to know when they're getting Dad's truck.
Deep breath. Let's break this down.
First: You Don't Have Legal Authority Yet
Being named in the will doesn't mean you can walk into a bank and close accounts. Not yet.
You need a document called "Letters Testamentary" (or "Letters of Administration" if there's no will). You get this from the probate court in the county where the person lived. To get it, you'll file the original will and a certified death certificate.
Until you have that piece of paper, institutions won't talk to you. Don't take it personally. They literally can't.
What to do right now: Locate the original will. Not a copy — the original. Check the house, a safe deposit box, or ask if an attorney has it. You'll need this before anything else moves.
The First 30 Days: What Actually Matters
You don't have to do everything at once. In fact, you can't. But some things have deadlines, and some things have consequences if you wait.
Do these now (Week 1):
Order death certificates. Get 10–15 certified copies. Every single institution will want an original — not a photocopy, not a scan, an original. Your funeral home can order these, or you can go through your county's vital records office. Order more than you think you need. You will use them all.
Secure the property. If the person who died lived alone, go to their home. Lock it. Check that the heat or AC is running (pipes burst; mold grows). Collect the mail. If you can't get in, call a locksmith — yes, this is a thing executors regularly have to do.
Handle immediate dependents. Pets, children, anyone who was relying on the person who died for daily care. This can't wait.
Notify their employer (if they were working). There may be final paychecks, life insurance through the company, or a 401(k) with a beneficiary.
Do these soon (Weeks 2–4):
File the will with probate court. In most states, you have about 30 days. Don't miss this — it can create legal complications.
Open an estate bank account. You'll use this to pay the estate's bills and receive any money owed to the estate. Don't pay estate expenses out of your own pocket if you can avoid it.
Notify Social Security. Your funeral home usually does this, but confirm. If the person was receiving benefits, the SSA needs to know. Payments received after the month of death have to be returned. Yes, really.
Forward their mail to your address. This is more important than it sounds — bills and statements you didn't know existed will start showing up, and that's actually helpful. It's how you discover accounts.
Start notifying institutions. Banks, credit cards, insurance companies, utilities. Each one has its own process, its own forms, its own hold music.
The Emotional Part Nobody Prepares You For
Here's something the legal checklists won't tell you: your brain is not working at full capacity right now. It's not a personal failing. It's neuroscience.
Grief suppresses your prefrontal cortex — the part of your brain responsible for decision-making, focus, and organizing complex tasks. At the same time, your amygdala (the emotional processing center) goes into overdrive. Researchers call it "grief fog." You might forget appointments. Lose your keys. Read the same paragraph four times.
And in the middle of all that, you're expected to navigate probate court, tax filings, and institutional bureaucracy.
This is why writing things down matters more than usual. Use a checklist. Use a spreadsheet. Use Good Grief. Whatever system keeps you from relying on a brain that's temporarily running at half power.
What You're Actually Responsible For
The short version: everything.
The executor's job is to gather assets, pay debts and taxes, and distribute what's left to the beneficiaries named in the will. That sounds simple. It is not.
Here's what that really looks like:
Inventory all assets. Bank accounts, investment accounts, real estate, vehicles, life insurance policies, retirement accounts, personal property. You need to find all of it and figure out what it's worth.
Pay debts. Credit cards, mortgages, medical bills, loans. Creditors get paid before beneficiaries do. This sometimes surprises people.
File taxes. The person who died still owes a final income tax return (Form 1040). The estate itself may also owe taxes if it earns income while you're settling it. If the estate is large enough (over $13.61 million in 2024), there's a federal estate tax return too.
Distribute assets. Once debts and taxes are paid, you distribute what's left according to the will. If there's no will, state law decides who gets what.
You don't have to do this alone. Hire a probate attorney if the estate is complex. Hire an accountant for the taxes. These fees are typically paid by the estate, not out of your pocket.
How Long This Takes
Plan for 6 to 18 months. Simple estates (one bank account, no real estate, no disputes) can wrap in a few months. Complicated estates (multiple properties, business interests, family disagreements) can stretch past two years.
Most people do this twice in their life — once for each parent. That's up to four years of death admin.
You Can Get Paid for This
Most people don't know this: executors are entitled to compensation. How much depends on your state. Some states set a percentage (New York: 5% on the first $100K; California: 4% on the first $100K). Others allow "reasonable compensation" determined by the court.
You earned it. This is real work.
The One Thing to Remember
You don't have to be an expert. You just have to be organized and willing to ask for help.
Good Grief was built for exactly this moment — when you're standing at the start of 570 hours of work and you have no idea where to begin. We give you a personalized checklist based on your situation, connect you with vetted vendors, and keep everything in one place so you're not managing a dozen tabs, a shoebox of death certificates, and a growing sense of dread.
Nobody should have to project-manage their way through loss alone.
Good Grief is the secure executor portal that centralizes death administration into one place. Because grief is hard enough. Death admin shouldn't be.