Kentucky 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

Plain steps that apply wherever the person lived, with the small estate dates for this state. Ticks stay on your screen only.

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. 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. Find the original willLook for the signed original and any codicils (later changes). Keep the original safe and unaltered; make copies for yourself.
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. Keep the house and vehicles safeTell the insurer about the death so coverage stays in place, take photos of what's inside, and redirect the mail.
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. Write down every asset and debtFor each, record whose name it's in and whether a beneficiary or co-owner is listed; those usually go straight to that person.
9. Compare the estate with $30,000That's the small estate figure on this state's official page. Count only what the page says counts.
10. Keep an account of every transactionWrite down each payment and each deposit with the date and a receipt; heirs and the court may ask to see it.
11. Get the estate its own tax number and bank accountThe IRS asks for an EIN before the estate's Form 1041, which applies once 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

  Administration can be dispensed with when the surviving spouse's (or, with no spouse, the children's) $30,000 exemption in personal property or money equals or exceeds the assets.

  "to the amount of thirty thousand dollars ($30,000)"

  Sources: KRS 395.455, Transfer of assets without administration (Kentucky General Assembly); KRS 391.030, Descent of personal property; exemption for surviving spouse and children (Kentucky General Assembly); Kentucky AOC-830, Petition/Order to Dispense with Administration (copy posted by the Teachers' Retirement System, ky.gov), checked November 2026

• Not confirmedReal estate

  Not confirmed — check KRS 395.455, Transfer of assets without administration (Kentucky General Assembly).

• Not confirmedWaiting period after the death

  Not confirmed — check KRS 395.455, Transfer of assets without administration (Kentucky General Assembly).

• ConfirmedNotary or oath

  Signed before a notary. The petition is sworn before a notary.

  "Subscribed and sworn before me by petitioner on"

  Sources: KRS 395.455, Transfer of assets without administration (Kentucky General Assembly); KRS 391.030, Descent of personal property; exemption for surviving spouse and children (Kentucky General Assembly); Kentucky AOC-830, Petition/Order to Dispense with Administration (copy posted by the Teachers' Retirement System, ky.gov), checked November 2026

• ConfirmedWhere the paperwork goes

  Through a court office. A court order: the court may transfer the assets and decline to issue letters.

  Sources: KRS 395.455, Transfer of assets without administration (Kentucky General Assembly); KRS 391.030, Descent of personal property; exemption for surviving spouse and children (Kentucky General Assembly); Kentucky AOC-830, Petition/Order to Dispense with Administration (copy posted by the Teachers' Retirement System, ky.gov), checked November 2026

• ConfirmedOfficial form

  AOC-830, Petition/Order to Dispense with Administration. Administrative Office of the Courts form.

  Source: Kentucky AOC-830, Petition/Order to Dispense with Administration (copy posted by the Teachers' Retirement System, ky.gov), checked November 2026

• ConfirmedSimplified court procedure

  Dispensing with administration (KRS 395.455): When the surviving spouse's or children's exemption under KRS 391.030, or preferred claims already paid, equal or exceed the distributable assets, the court may dispense with administration and transfer the assets.

  Sources: KRS 395.455, Transfer of assets without administration (Kentucky General Assembly); KRS 391.030, Descent of personal property; exemption for surviving spouse and children (Kentucky General Assembly), checked November 2026

• ConfirmedSurviving spouse

  The court can transfer the assets to a person the surviving spouse designates when the spouse's or children's exemption covers them.

  "to a person designated by the surviving spouse"

  Sources: KRS 395.455, Transfer of assets without administration (Kentucky General Assembly); KRS 391.030, Descent of personal property; exemption for surviving spouse and children (Kentucky General Assembly); Kentucky AOC-830, Petition/Order to Dispense with Administration (copy posted by the Teachers' Retirement System, ky.gov), checked November 2026

• ConfirmedWorth knowing

  The statute ties the threshold to the exemption in KRS 391.030 and doesn't print a dollar figure; it was amended by 2026 Ky. Acts ch. 134, effective July 15, 2026.

  Source: KRS 391.030, Descent of personal property; exemption for surviving spouse and children (Kentucky General Assembly), checked November 2026

The will at probate

Signing rules for wills, as they bear on getting the will accepted.

• Not confirmedWitnesses the will needed

  Not confirmed — check KRS Chapter 394, Wills (Kentucky General Assembly).

• ConfirmedSelf-proving affidavit

  Allowed. Per Nolo's Kentucky page, the testator and witnesses sign an affidavit before a notary. A notary isn't needed for the will itself.

  Source: Nolo (secondary source): How to Make a Will in Kentucky (Nolo), checked November 2026

• ConfirmedIf the will is handwritten

  Recognized; a holographic will doesn't need witnesses (Nolo, citing KRS 394.040).

  "do not require witnesses"

  Source: Nolo (secondary source): How to Make a Will in Kentucky (Nolo), checked November 2026

• ConfirmedA witness who inherits

  If a beneficiary, or a beneficiary's spouse, witnesses the will and it can't otherwise be proved, the gift to that witness is void, except up to the share the witness would have inherited with no will (KRS 394.210, FindLaw's code text current as of January 2025).

  "such devise or bequest shall be void"

  Source: FindLaw Codes (secondary source): KRS 394.210 (FindLaw Codes, current as of January 1, 2025), checked November 2026

Documents to gather

• 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
• Pension, Social Security and benefit letters
• The official small estate form: AOC-830, Petition/Order to Dispense with Administration

Who to notify

Life insurance companies, 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. 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 Kentucky Secretary of State, Authentications and Apostilles. $5 per document, by mail or walk-in. Vital records: Must bear the signature of the current State Registrar.

  Source: Kentucky Secretary of State, Authentications and Apostilles, checked November 2026

Where to ask

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

• KRS 395.455, Transfer of assets without administration (Kentucky General Assembly)
• KRS 391.030, Descent of personal property; exemption for surviving spouse and children (Kentucky General Assembly)
• Kentucky AOC-830, Petition/Order to Dispense with Administration (copy posted by the Teachers' Retirement System, ky.gov)
• KRS Chapter 394, Wills (Kentucky General Assembly)

Still to confirm

• Real estate: check KRS 395.455, Transfer of assets without administration (Kentucky General Assembly)
• Waiting period after the death: check KRS 395.455, Transfer of assets without administration (Kentucky General Assembly)
• Witnesses the will needed: check KRS Chapter 394, Wills (Kentucky General Assembly)

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 · Apostille steps · Estate paperwork help