Georgia executor and estate paperwork checklist

This is an organizer, not legal advice. An estate attorney or the county probate/surrogate office answers questions about your situation.

The first 30 days

General steps in plain words. Tick them off as you go; the ticks stay on this screen only.

1. Order certified death certificatesThrough the funeral director or the vital records office. Order several: banks, insurers, pension plans and the court may each want one.
2. Confirm the death was reported to Social SecurityUsually the funeral home does this. If it didn't, phone 1-800-772-1213 (TTY 1-800-325-0778); a widow or widower, or certain children, may qualify for $255.
3. Track down the willCheck the home, a safe deposit box and the lawyer who drafted it. Leave the original exactly as you found it and work from copies.
4. Check the will for a self-proving affidavitLook for a notarized statement by the witnesses attached to the will; this state allows one (see below).
5. Protect the propertyChange locks if keys are out, keep insurance paid, and have the mail forwarded so bills and statements reach you.
6. Hold off on paying debts or giving things awayWait until you know which route applies and who has authority. If something can't wait, ask the probate clerk or an attorney.
7. Put the power of attorney awayA power of attorney ends at the principal's death. Whoever was the agent no longer signs for the person.
8. List what the person owned and owedNote how each asset is held: in the person's name alone, jointly, or with a named beneficiary. Accounts with a beneficiary or joint owner usually pass outside the will.
9. Compare the estate with $15,000That's the small estate figure on this state's official page. Count only what the page says counts.
10. Open a simple money logOne line per payment or deposit, with the date, who, how much and the receipt. It makes the final accounting easy.
11. When appointed, get an EIN and open an estate accountPay estate bills from that account only. Form 1041 is due if the estate has more than $600 of gross income in a year (IRS).

Sources for the federal steps: Social Security Administration: When someone dies · IRS: Deceased taxpayers, filing the estate income tax return (Form 1041) · power of attorney: Power of attorney at a real estate closing.

The small estate route

• ConfirmedSmall estate limit

  A bank may pay not more than $15,000 of an intestate depositor's funds to the family on the statutory affidavit, without administration. The probate court's 'no administration necessary' order has no dollar limit. Real estate goes through the probate court's order declaring no administration necessary, a copy of which is recorded in the deed records where the property is (Nolo's summary).

  "not more than $15,000"

  Source: Nolo (secondary source): Probate Shortcuts in Georgia (Nolo), checked November 2026

• ConfirmedReal estate

  Real estate has its own affidavit or petition. Named on the official pages: Order declaring no administration necessary.

  Source: Nolo (secondary source): Probate Shortcuts in Georgia (Nolo), checked November 2026

• ConfirmedWaiting period after the death

  No waiting period after the death: the probate courts' standard form GPCSF 9 (eff. July 2021) sets none. Heirs who don't sign the petition must be served at least 30 days before the court can grant it.

  "at least 30 days before the petition can be granted"

  Sources: Georgia Probate Court Standard Form GPCSF 9, Petition for Order Declaring No Administration Necessary (eff. July 2021); GPCSF 9, Petition for Order Declaring No Administration Necessary (eff. July 2021), as posted by the Rockdale County Probate Court, checked November 2026

• ConfirmedNotary or oath

  Signed before a notary. The petition is verified under oath before a notary or the probate clerk, and each heir's consent must be sworn the same way.

  "must be sworn to before a notary public or the clerk of any probate court of this State."

  Sources: Georgia Probate Court Standard Form GPCSF 9, Petition for Order Declaring No Administration Necessary (eff. July 2021); Georgia Department of Human Services, Division of Aging Services: Instructions and statutory affidavit for obtaining a deceased depositor's funds (O.C.G.A. 7-1-239); Nolo (secondary source): Probate Shortcuts in Georgia (Nolo); GPCSF 9, Petition for Order Declaring No Administration Necessary (eff. July 2021), as posted by the Rockdale County Probate Court, checked November 2026

• ConfirmedWhere the paperwork goes

  Through a court office. Filed with the probate court of the county.

  "IN THE PROBATE COURT OF ____ COUNTY"

  Sources: Georgia Probate Court Standard Form GPCSF 9, Petition for Order Declaring No Administration Necessary (eff. July 2021); Georgia Department of Human Services, Division of Aging Services: Instructions and statutory affidavit for obtaining a deceased depositor's funds (O.C.G.A. 7-1-239); Nolo (secondary source): Probate Shortcuts in Georgia (Nolo); GPCSF 9, Petition for Order Declaring No Administration Necessary (eff. July 2021), as posted by the Rockdale County Probate Court, checked November 2026

• ConfirmedOfficial form

  GPCSF 9, Petition for Order Declaring No Administration Necessary. A Georgia Probate Court Standard Form.

  Sources: Georgia Probate Court Standard Form GPCSF 9, Petition for Order Declaring No Administration Necessary (eff. July 2021); GPCSF 9, Petition for Order Declaring No Administration Necessary (eff. July 2021), as posted by the Rockdale County Probate Court, checked November 2026

• ConfirmedSimplified court procedure

  Order declaring no administration necessary: For a person who died without a will, when the estate owes no debts (or creditors consent) and all the heirs agree on how to divide it. The form sets no dollar limit.

  Sources: Georgia Probate Court Standard Form GPCSF 9, Petition for Order Declaring No Administration Necessary (eff. July 2021); GPCSF 9, Petition for Order Declaring No Administration Necessary (eff. July 2021), as posted by the Rockdale County Probate Court, checked November 2026

• ConfirmedSurviving spouse

  Under the deceased-depositor affidavit, the bank pays the surviving spouse first, then children, parents and siblings.

  "To the surviving spouse, if there is one."

  Sources: Georgia Probate Court Standard Form GPCSF 9, Petition for Order Declaring No Administration Necessary (eff. July 2021); Georgia Department of Human Services, Division of Aging Services: Instructions and statutory affidavit for obtaining a deceased depositor's funds (O.C.G.A. 7-1-239); Nolo (secondary source): Probate Shortcuts in Georgia (Nolo); GPCSF 9, Petition for Order Declaring No Administration Necessary (eff. July 2021), as posted by the Rockdale County Probate Court, checked November 2026

• ConfirmedWorth knowing

  The standard form gives no dollar ceiling: eligibility turns on no will, no unpaid debts and unanimous heirs.

  Sources: Georgia Probate Court Standard Form GPCSF 9, Petition for Order Declaring No Administration Necessary (eff. July 2021); GPCSF 9, Petition for Order Declaring No Administration Necessary (eff. July 2021), as posted by the Rockdale County Probate Court, checked November 2026

The will at probate

When the will goes to the court, these signing rules are what it is checked against.

• ConfirmedWitnesses the will needed

  Two witnesses, who watch the signing and also sign. The state's page says they shouldn't be beneficiaries.

  "must be signed in the presence of two witnesses, who must also sign the will."

  Sources: Write a Will (Georgia.gov); Do I Need a Will? (Georgia Division of Aging Services, rev. August 2016); Nolo (secondary source): How to Make a Will in Georgia (Nolo, updated September 2025), checked November 2026

• ConfirmedSelf-proving affidavit

  Allowed. The state aging division's brochure describes a self-proving affidavit that can remove the need for witness testimony at probate; it doesn't say who takes it.

  Sources: Write a Will (Georgia.gov); Do I Need a Will? (Georgia Division of Aging Services, rev. August 2016); Nolo (secondary source): How to Make a Will in Georgia (Nolo, updated September 2025), checked November 2026

• ConfirmedIf the will is handwritten

  Not recognized unless witnessed: Georgia.gov (updated June 2026) says a will must be signed in front of two witnesses, who also sign. It doesn't describe any handwritten-will exception.

  "The will must be signed in the presence of two witnesses, who must also sign the will."

  Sources: Write a Will (Georgia.gov); Do I Need a Will? (Georgia Division of Aging Services, rev. August 2016); Nolo (secondary source): How to Make a Will in Georgia (Nolo, updated September 2025), checked November 2026

• ConfirmedA witness who inherits

  A beneficiary who witnesses could lose the gift (Nolo, citing O.C.G.A. 53-4-23).

  "Neither witness should be a beneficiary of the will"

  Source: Nolo (secondary source): How to Make a Will in Georgia (Nolo, updated September 2025), checked November 2026

Documents to gather

• Vehicle titles and registrations
• Recent bank, brokerage and retirement statements
• Life insurance policies and annuities
• The last few years of tax returns
• Recent bills, loan and credit card statements
• Pension, Social Security and benefit letters
• Safe deposit box location and keys
• Certified death certificates
• The original will and any codicils
• Deeds and mortgage statements
• The official small estate form: GPCSF 9, Petition for Order Declaring No Administration Necessary

Who to notify

Utilities and phone, Landlord or mortgage servicer, Credit card companies, Pension or employer, Social Security (if the funeral home hasn't), Banks and credit unions, Brokerage and retirement accounts, Life insurance companies. Write once to each, enclose a death certificate copy, and record the reply.

Documents needed abroad

• ConfirmedA death certificate needed abroad

  Apostilles for this state's documents come from the Georgia Superior Court Clerks' Cooperative Authority (GSCCCA), Notary Division. $3 per document. Vital records: Publicly recorded documents, including vital records, must be official certified copies.

  Source: Georgia Superior Court Clerks' Cooperative Authority (GSCCCA), Notary Division, checked November 2026

Where to ask

An estate attorney or the county probate/surrogate office answers questions about your situation. Official pages for Georgia:

• Georgia Probate Court Standard Form GPCSF 9, Petition for Order Declaring No Administration Necessary (eff. July 2021)
• Probate Shortcuts in Georgia (Nolo)
• GPCSF 9, Petition for Order Declaring No Administration Necessary (eff. July 2021), as posted by the Rockdale County Probate Court

General information, not legal, tax or financial advice. We are not lawyers, and MCC Solutions is not a law firm. An estate attorney or the county probate/surrogate office answers questions about your situation. Facts checked November 2026.

Common questions

Related: Executor guide by state · Will signing requirements · Apostille steps · Estate paperwork help