Alaska 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. Locate the signed will and any changesThe signed original matters more than a copy. Keep it whole and somewhere safe, and note who else has a copy.
4. See whether a self-proving affidavit is attachedIt's a sworn page signed by the witnesses, usually at the end of the will; the rule for this state 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 $50,000That's the small estate figure on this state's official page. Count only what the page says counts.
10. Count 30 days from the deathThat's when the official page says the small estate paperwork can be used.
11. Start the estate ledgerRecord every dollar in and out with a receipt: funeral costs, bills paid, money collected.
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

  Personal property other than vehicles worth $50,000 or less after debts and liens; vehicles registered in the state have their own $100,000 cap. Owning real estate rules the affidavit out unless it passed automatically (tenancy by the entirety or a transfer on death deed).

  "The value of all other personal property owned by the person who died is $50,000 or less"

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

  Source: Alaska Court System: Collecting personal property without a court case, checked November 2026

• ConfirmedReal estate

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

  Source: Alaska Court System: Collecting personal property without a court case, checked November 2026

• ConfirmedWaiting period after the death

  30 days. At least 30 days after the death.

  "It has been at least 30 days since the person died."

  Source: Alaska Court System: Collecting personal property without a court case, checked November 2026

• ConfirmedNotary or oath

  Signed before a notary. Signed under oath before a notary or a court clerk; court locations notarize for free.

  "You can do this before a notary or a court clerk."

  Source: Alaska Court System: Collecting personal property without a court case, checked November 2026

• ConfirmedWhere the paperwork goes

  Handed to the bank or other holder. Nothing is filed with the court; the successor gives a copy to each person or business holding the property.

  "a copy of the Affidavit to any person or business who has personal property owned by the person who died"

  Source: Alaska Court System: Collecting personal property without a court case, checked November 2026

• ConfirmedOfficial form

  Affidavit for Collection of Personal Property of Decedent (P-110). The court system's statewide form, revised 4/17, with a notary or clerk block.

  Source: Alaska Court System form P-110, Affidavit for Collection of Personal Property of Decedent, checked November 2026

• ConfirmedSimplified court procedure

  Small estate closed by sworn statement (P-350): A small estate is opened as an informal probate; if the estate after liens and debts is no more than the family allowance, exempt property and the costs of probate, funeral and last illness, the personal representative closes it with form P-350, a sworn statement.

  Source: Alaska Court System: Collecting personal property without a court case, checked November 2026

• ConfirmedWorth knowing

  Vehicles get a separate, higher cap: Alaska-registered vehicles up to $100,000 total after debts and liens, in addition to $50,000 of other personal property.

  Source: Alaska Court System: Collecting personal property without a court case, 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 witnesses, who sign within a reasonable time after watching the person sign.

  "Signed by two witnesses within a reasonable time after they watch the person sign the Will."

  Source: Wills (Alaska Court System Self-Help Services), checked November 2026

• ConfirmedSelf-proving affidavit

  Allowed. The will-maker and both witnesses sign sworn statements in a self-proving affidavit, which is notarized.

  "The affidavit and the will must be notarized."

  Source: Wills (Alaska Court System Self-Help Services), checked November 2026

• ConfirmedIf the will is handwritten

  A will not signed by two witnesses may still be valid as a holographic will; the page doesn't list the requirements.

  "may still be valid as a holographic Will."

  Source: Wills (Alaska Court System Self-Help Services), checked November 2026

• ConfirmedA witness who inherits

  The court's page says a witness can be related to the person making the will or get a gift under it.

  "A person can act as a witness even if they are related to the person making the Will."

  Source: Wills (Alaska Court System Self-Help Services), checked November 2026

Documents to gather

• 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
• Vehicle titles and registrations
• Recent bank, brokerage and retirement statements
• Life insurance policies and annuities
• The last few years of tax returns
• The official small estate form: Affidavit for Collection of Personal Property of Decedent (P-110)

Who to notify

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, Landlord or mortgage servicer, Credit card companies. Send a short letter with a copy of the death certificate, and keep a log of who you told and when.

Documents needed abroad

• ConfirmedA death certificate needed abroad

  Apostilles for this state's documents come from the Office of the Lieutenant Governor, Authentications. $5 per certificate (check, money order or credit card). Vital records: Official certified copies of vital records are authenticated.

  Source: Office of the Lieutenant Governor, Authentications, checked November 2026

Where to ask

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

• Alaska Court System: Collecting personal property without a court case
• Alaska Court System form P-110, Affidavit for Collection of Personal Property of Decedent
• Alaska Court System: Small estates
• Wills (Alaska Court System Self-Help Services)

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