Last verified 2026-09-06; facts checked against the primary sources below

Estate document checklist: free printable PDF

Use this list to gather records and track requests after a death. Not every document applies to every estate or claimant. The court, bank, or benefit provider determines what it needs.

Download the free two-page checklist (PDF)

No email or account is required. Print the PDF and check items off as you go. Keep personal identifiers in your secure records, not on a shared checklist.

How to use this checklist

Mark each item as gathered, requested, or not applicable. Make a separate copy for each institution if its requirements differ. A document you have located is not necessarily a document the recipient has accepted.

Start with the records you have

• Death certificate: Locate it and ask each recipient whether it needs a certified copy, an ordinary copy, or particular details. If you need to order one, use the California death-certificate guide.
• Your identification: Have current government identification ready for institutions that need to verify the claimant.
• Will and trust records: Locate the signed documents and any amendments. Note where originals are held.
• Account and policy statements: Identify the institution, product, and ownership or beneficiary information available.
• Employer and pension records: List each benefits office or retirement system. A pension claim may be separate from life insurance.

Match documents to your role

• Court appointment, if acting for a probate estate: Locate issued Letters and any court restrictions. A will naming you executor is not issued Letters.
• Trust authority, if acting as trustee: Ask which trust document or certification the institution needs for this account.
• Beneficiary or survivor claim packet: Request the form for your role. An estate-account opening form may not be the right claim form.
• Relationship records, when requested: Gather relevant marriage, partnership, birth, divorce, or prior-death records for the claim.
• Small-estate affidavit, if eligible: Confirm the state procedure, wait, value limit, signatures, and required attachments before using it.

Prepare each submission

• Estate EIN, if opening an estate account: Keep the IRS confirmation with the estate banking records. It does not replace court authority.
• Institution-specific document list: Ask which records are required, which must be certified, and whether any must be recently issued.
• Correct recipient and submission route: Confirm the bank, agency, or caseworker and its current delivery instructions.
• Complete forms and signatures: Check every applicable section and the claimant name before submitting.
• Copy of the submitted packet: Retain the forms, attachments, and delivery evidence so a follow-up can identify what was sent.

Track what remains

• Notification confirmation: Record the report date and reference number. Reporting a death may not complete a claim.
• Application receipt: Confirm the claim arrived and ask whether it is complete.
• Missing-record request: Write down the exact item, who will obtain it, and the next follow-up date.
• Decision and payment records: Keep benefit decisions, transfer confirmations, final statements, and related tax documents.
• Safe document storage: Store identifying records securely. Use this checklist for status, not passwords or full account numbers.

Choose the right next step

• California probate authority: Letters Testamentary and Letters of Administration.
• Estate banking: Open an estate bank account.
• Simplified California transfer: Small-estate affidavit requirements.
• Public pensions: CalPERS, CalSTRS, or OPM survivor benefits.
• Find the right institution: Account procedures comparison.

This is an organization aid, not a court form or a substitute for an institution's claim packet. California court procedures do not apply automatically to estates in other states.