Rhode Island 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. Ask for certified death certificates, more than you thinkThe funeral director or vital records office issues them. Institutions often keep the copy you send, so plan on one each.
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. 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. Stop using the person's power of attorneyA power of attorney ends at the principal's death, so an agent under it can't act for the estate.
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. Check the total against $15,000The official page's small estate figure. Leave out anything the page says isn't counted.
10. Count 30 days from the deathThat's when the official page says the small estate paperwork can be used.
11. 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.
12. 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

  An estate made up entirely of personal property worth $15,000 or less, not counting tangible personal property.

  "does not exceed fifteen thousand dollars ($15,000) in value"

  Sources: R.I. Gen. Laws 33-24-1, Small estates (Rhode Island General Assembly); Providence Probate Court: Petition for Voluntary Informal Administration (PDF), checked November 2026

• ConfirmedReal estate

  Real estate in the person's name alone takes the estate out of this procedure.

  Sources: R.I. Gen. Laws 33-24-1, Small estates (Rhode Island General Assembly); Providence Probate Court: Petition for Voluntary Informal Administration (PDF), checked November 2026

• ConfirmedWaiting period after the death

  30 days. After 30 days from the death, if no petition for letters has been filed.

  "after the expiration of thirty (30) days from the death of the decedent"

  Sources: R.I. Gen. Laws 33-24-1, Small estates (Rhode Island General Assembly); Providence Probate Court: Petition for Voluntary Informal Administration (PDF), checked November 2026

• ConfirmedNotary or oath

  Sworn; a notary can give the oath. The statement is verified by oath or affirmation.

  "a statement, verified by oath or affirmation"

  Sources: R.I. Gen. Laws 33-24-1, Small estates (Rhode Island General Assembly); Providence Probate Court: Petition for Voluntary Informal Administration (PDF), checked November 2026

• ConfirmedWhere the paperwork goes

  Through a court office. Filed with the probate court on the court's form.

  "file with said probate court upon a form prescribed by the court"

  Source: Providence Probate Court: Petition for Voluntary Informal Administration (PDF), checked November 2026

• ConfirmedOfficial form

  Set by each probate court (Providence Probate Court: Petition for Voluntary Informal Administration). The statute has the statement filed on a form prescribed by the court, and Rhode Island's probate courts are run by each city or town; Providence's form cites 33-24-1, is sworn and has a notary block. Set by your probate court; ask the clerk.

  Sources: Providence Probate Court: Petition for Voluntary Informal Administration (PDF); R.I. Gen. Laws 33-24-1, Small estates (Rhode Island General Assembly), checked November 2026

• ConfirmedSimplified court procedure

  Small estate statement (voluntary administration): A verified statement filed with the probate court lets the affiant collect and pay out a small personal-property estate.

  Sources: R.I. Gen. Laws 33-24-1, Small estates (Rhode Island General Assembly); Providence Probate Court: Petition for Voluntary Informal Administration (PDF), checked November 2026

• ConfirmedSurviving spouse

  The surviving spouse may file, and after debts and expenses the balance goes to the surviving spouse first.

  "to the surviving spouse, or, if there is no surviving spouse"

  Sources: R.I. Gen. Laws 33-24-1, Small estates (Rhode Island General Assembly); Providence Probate Court: Petition for Voluntary Informal Administration (PDF), checked November 2026

The will at probate

How the will had to be signed matters when it's offered to the court.

• ConfirmedWitnesses the will needed

  Two or more witnesses present at the same time, who sign in the testator's presence.

  "two (2) or more witnesses present at the same time"

  Sources: R.I. Gen. Laws 33-5-5, Execution of will (Rhode Island General Assembly); R.I. Gen. Laws Chapter 33-5 index (Rhode Island General Assembly); Nolo (secondary source): How to Make a Will in Rhode Island (Nolo, updated September 2025); Justia (statute text) (secondary source): R.I. Gen. Laws 33-6-1, Gifts to attesting witnesses (2020 Rhode Island General Laws, Justia), checked November 2026

• ConfirmedSelf-proving affidavit

  Allowed. Per Nolo (citing R.I. Gen. Laws 33-7-26), the testator and witnesses sign an affidavit before a notary.

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

• ConfirmedIf the will is handwritten

  Not recognized: a will needs witnesses, per Nolo's Rhode Island page (updated September 2025).

  "Rhode Island doesn't allow holographic wills"

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

• ConfirmedA witness who inherits

  A gift to a witness is void as to that witness (and anyone claiming through them), though the will stands and the witness can still testify to prove it (R.I. Gen. Laws 33-6-1, 2020 text on Justia).

  "be utterly null and void"

  Source: Justia (statute text) (secondary source): R.I. Gen. Laws 33-6-1, Gifts to attesting witnesses (2020 Rhode Island General Laws, Justia), checked November 2026

Documents to gather

• 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
• Safe deposit box location and keys
• Certified death certificates
• The official small estate form: Set by each probate court (Providence Probate Court: Petition for Voluntary Informal Administration)

Who to notify

Social Security (if the funeral home hasn't), Banks and credit unions, Brokerage and retirement accounts, Life insurance companies, Utilities and phone, Landlord or mortgage servicer, Credit card companies, Pension or employer. 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 Rhode Island Department of State, Business Services Division. $5 per document ordered online, plus a $0.75 enhanced access fee. Vital records: Certified copies with a raised seal issued by a proper authority.

  Source: Rhode Island Department of State, Business Services Division, checked November 2026

Where to ask

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

• Providence Probate Court: Petition for Voluntary Informal Administration (PDF)

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 · Small estate affidavit details · Will signing requirements · Estate paperwork help