Hawaii 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

Work down the list; nothing you tick is saved or sent. The steps are general, the dates come from the official pages.

1. Get several certified copies of the death certificateThe funeral home can usually order them, or the vital records office can. Each bank, insurer and pension plan may ask for its own.
2. Check that Social Security has been toldThe funeral home usually reports it. Otherwise call 1-800-772-1213 (TTY 1-800-325-0778), and ask about the $255 lump-sum death payment for a surviving spouse or some children.
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. Look at the last pages of the willA sworn statement signed by the witnesses before an officer may be attached; what this state says about it is 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. Don't pay bills or hand out belongings yetFirst learn which route fits and who is allowed to act; ask the probate office or an attorney about anything urgent.
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. Start an inventoryEvery account, property, vehicle and debt, with how each is held. Beneficiary and joint accounts usually pass directly, not through the estate.
9. Compare the estate with $100,000That'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. Once you have authority: EIN and an estate accountThe IRS says you need an EIN before filing the estate's Form 1041, which is due if the estate has more than $600 of gross income in a year.

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

  Gross value of the estate in Hawaii up to $100,000, not counting vehicles, which may be transferred regardless of value. The section covers personal property only.

  "does not exceed $100,000"

  • Vehicles aren't counted toward this limit; they're handled separately.

  Sources: HRS 560:3-1201, Collection of personal property by affidavit (Hawaii State Legislature); Hawaii State Judiciary form 3C-E-210, Affidavit for Collection of Personal Property of the Decedent (8/2014); Nolo (secondary source): Probate Shortcuts in Hawaii (Nolo, updated 4/25/2024), checked November 2026

• ConfirmedReal estate

  Real estate isn't counted, and the affidavit doesn't transfer it; it needs its own route.

  Sources: HRS 560:3-1201, Collection of personal property by affidavit (Hawaii State Legislature); Hawaii State Judiciary form 3C-E-210, Affidavit for Collection of Personal Property of the Decedent (8/2014); Nolo (secondary source): Probate Shortcuts in Hawaii (Nolo, updated 4/25/2024), checked November 2026

• ConfirmedWaiting period after the death

  No waiting period: section 560:3-1201 sets none. The holder pays or transfers once shown a death certificate and the affidavit.

  Source: HRS 560:3-1201, Collection of personal property by affidavit (Hawaii State Legislature), checked November 2026

• ConfirmedNotary or oath

  Signed before a notary. The Judiciary's form ends with a notary jurat.

  "SUBSCRIBED AND SWORN TO BEFORE ME THIS DATE:"

  Source: Hawaii State Judiciary form 3C-E-210, Affidavit for Collection of Personal Property of the Decedent (8/2014), checked November 2026

• ConfirmedWhere the paperwork goes

  Handed to the bank or other holder. Presented with the death certificate to the person who owes the debt or holds the property; no court filing.

  "affidavit made by or on behalf of the claimed successor or successors"

  Sources: HRS 560:3-1201, Collection of personal property by affidavit (Hawaii State Legislature); Hawaii State Judiciary form 3C-E-210, Affidavit for Collection of Personal Property of the Decedent (8/2014); Nolo (secondary source): Probate Shortcuts in Hawaii (Nolo, updated 4/25/2024), checked November 2026

• ConfirmedOfficial form

  Affidavit for Collection of Personal Property of the Decedent (3C-E-210). The Hawaii State Judiciary's form.

  Source: Hawaii State Judiciary form 3C-E-210, Affidavit for Collection of Personal Property of the Decedent (8/2014), checked November 2026

• ConfirmedSimplified court procedure

  Summary administration: As Nolo's summary describes it: a probate case is opened in probate court as usual, and if the estate qualifies, the personal representative distributes the property without notifying creditors and then files a closing statement.

  Source: Nolo (secondary source): Probate Shortcuts in Hawaii (Nolo, updated 4/25/2024), checked November 2026

• ConfirmedWorth knowing

  The statute gives the Department of Human Services' affidavit priority over other claims under the section.

  Sources: HRS 560:3-1201, Collection of personal property by affidavit (Hawaii State Legislature); Hawaii State Judiciary form 3C-E-210, Affidavit for Collection of Personal Property of the Decedent (8/2014); Nolo (secondary source): Probate Shortcuts in Hawaii (Nolo, updated 4/25/2024), 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, each signing within a reasonable time after seeing the signing or the acknowledgment.

  "Signed by at least two individuals"

  Sources: HRS 560:2-502, Execution; witnessed wills; holographic wills (Hawaii Legislature); HRS 560:2-501, Who may make will (Hawaii State Legislature); HRS 560:2-504, Self-proved will (Hawaii State Legislature); HRS 560:2-505, Who may witness (Hawaii State Legislature); Nolo (secondary source): How to Make a Will in Hawaii (Nolo); Justia (statute text) (secondary source): HRS 560:2-516, Duty of custodian of will; liability (2020 Hawaii Revised Statutes, Justia statute text), checked November 2026

• ConfirmedSelf-proving affidavit

  Allowed at signing or any time later. The testator and witnesses sign before an officer authorized to administer oaths, under official seal.

  "An attested will may be made self-proved at any time after its execution"

  Sources: HRS 560:2-502, Execution; witnessed wills; holographic wills (Hawaii Legislature); HRS 560:2-501, Who may make will (Hawaii State Legislature); HRS 560:2-504, Self-proved will (Hawaii State Legislature); HRS 560:2-505, Who may witness (Hawaii State Legislature); Nolo (secondary source): How to Make a Will in Hawaii (Nolo); Justia (statute text) (secondary source): HRS 560:2-516, Duty of custodian of will; liability (2020 Hawaii Revised Statutes, Justia statute text), checked November 2026

• ConfirmedIf the will is handwritten

  Recognized if the signature and material parts are in the testator's handwriting. No witnesses needed.

  Sources: HRS 560:2-502, Execution; witnessed wills; holographic wills (Hawaii Legislature); HRS 560:2-501, Who may make will (Hawaii State Legislature); HRS 560:2-504, Self-proved will (Hawaii State Legislature); HRS 560:2-505, Who may witness (Hawaii State Legislature); Nolo (secondary source): How to Make a Will in Hawaii (Nolo); Justia (statute text) (secondary source): HRS 560:2-516, Duty of custodian of will; liability (2020 Hawaii Revised Statutes, Justia statute text), checked November 2026

• ConfirmedA witness who inherits

  A will, or any part of it, isn't invalid because an interested witness signed it.

  "The signing of a will by an interested witness does not invalidate the will or any provision of it"

  Sources: HRS 560:2-502, Execution; witnessed wills; holographic wills (Hawaii Legislature); HRS 560:2-501, Who may make will (Hawaii State Legislature); HRS 560:2-504, Self-proved will (Hawaii State Legislature); HRS 560:2-505, Who may witness (Hawaii State Legislature); Nolo (secondary source): How to Make a Will in Hawaii (Nolo); Justia (statute text) (secondary source): HRS 560:2-516, Duty of custodian of will; liability (2020 Hawaii Revised Statutes, Justia statute text), checked November 2026

Documents to gather

• 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
• 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
• The official small estate form: Affidavit for Collection of Personal Property of the Decedent (3C-E-210)

Who to notify

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, Utilities and phone. A brief letter and a copy of the death certificate usually start each one; note the date and the person you reached.

Documents needed abroad

• ConfirmedA death certificate needed abroad

  Apostilles for this state's documents come from the Office of the Lieutenant Governor. $3 per document (money order, cash or cashier's check). Vital records: A new birth, death or marriage certificate with the Hawaii Department of Health's embossed seal; certificates issued before January 1, 2025 must be reordered.

  Source: Office of the Lieutenant Governor, checked November 2026

Where to ask

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

• Hawaii State Judiciary form 3C-E-210, Affidavit for Collection of Personal Property of the Decedent (8/2014)
• Probate Shortcuts in Hawaii (Nolo, updated 4/25/2024)

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