Arizona 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

General steps in plain words. Tick them off as you go; the ticks stay on this 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. Make sure Social Security knowsFuneral homes generally report the death. If not, call 1-800-772-1213 (TTY 1-800-325-0778). A surviving spouse, or some children if there's no spouse, may get a one-time $255 payment.
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. Check the will for a self-proving affidavitLook for a notarized statement by the witnesses attached to the will; this state allows one (see 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. Check the total against $200,000The official page's small estate figure. Leave out anything the page says isn't counted.
10. Mark day 30 after the deathThe small estate route opens 30 days after the death, per the official page.
11. Start the estate ledgerRecord every dollar in and out with a receipt: funeral costs, bills paid, money collected.
12. When appointed, get an EIN and open an estate accountPay estate bills from that account only. Form 1041 is due if the estate has more than $600 of gross income in a year (IRS).

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 up to $200,000, less liens and encumbrances, valued at the date of death. Real property has its own affidavit (up to $300,000, six months after death, filed with the court). The limits were $75,000 and $100,000 before Laws 2025, chapter 24, approved March 31, 2025.

  "does not exceed $200,000 as valued as of the date of death"

  • Vehicles count toward this limit.

  Source: A.R.S. 14-3971, Collection of personal property by affidavit; vehicles; affidavit of succession to real property (Arizona Legislature), checked November 2026

• ConfirmedReal estate

  Real estate has its own affidavit or petition. Named on the official pages: Affidavit of succession to real property.

  Source: A.R.S. 14-3971, Collection of personal property by affidavit; vehicles; affidavit of succession to real property (Arizona Legislature), checked November 2026

• ConfirmedWaiting period after the death

  30 days. Thirty days after the death for personal property; six months for the real property affidavit.

  "Thirty days after the death of a decedent"

  Source: A.R.S. 14-3971, Collection of personal property by affidavit; vehicles; affidavit of succession to real property (Arizona Legislature), checked November 2026

• ConfirmedNotary or oath

  Signed before a notary. County court forms for this affidavit carry a notary block ("subscribed and sworn to before me").

  "SUBSCRIBED AND SWORN TO before me"

  Source: A.R.S. 14-3971, Collection of personal property by affidavit; vehicles; affidavit of succession to real property (Arizona Legislature), checked November 2026

• ConfirmedWhere the paperwork goes

  Handed to the bank or other holder. The personal property affidavit isn't filed in court; it is presented to whoever holds the property. The real property affidavit is filed with the court and a certified copy is recorded.

  "This document is not filed in Superior Court, but is presented to the person holding the property."

  Source: A.R.S. 14-3971, Collection of personal property by affidavit; vehicles; affidavit of succession to real property (Arizona Legislature), checked November 2026

• ConfirmedOfficial form

  Affidavit of Collection of Personal Property (Pima County form PR-130). County superior courts publish their own versions. Some older county forms still print the pre-2025 limit, so check the date on the form.

  Source: Pima County Superior Court: Affidavit for collection of personal property, A.R.S. 14-3971(B), checked November 2026

• ConfirmedSimplified court procedure

  Affidavit of succession to real property: For real property worth up to $300,000 (full cash value on the assessment roll, less lien balances), not sooner than six months after the death; filed with the court in the county of domicile, then recorded where the land is.

  Source: A.R.S. 14-3971, Collection of personal property by affidavit; vehicles; affidavit of succession to real property (Arizona Legislature), checked November 2026

• ConfirmedSurviving spouse

  An employer may pay wages and other compensation owed to the person who died, up to $5,000, to the surviving spouse on the spouse's affidavit.

  "shall pay to the surviving spouse of the decedent the amount owing, not in excess of $5,000"

  Source: A.R.S. 14-3971, Collection of personal property by affidavit; vehicles; affidavit of succession to real property (Arizona Legislature), checked November 2026

• ConfirmedWorth knowing

  Vehicles aren't excluded from the value: the Motor Vehicle Division transfers title to the successor when presented with the personal property affidavit and the fees are paid. The Laws 2025 chapter doesn't print an effective date; ask the court which limit applies to a given date of death.

  Source: A.R.S. 14-3971, Collection of personal property by affidavit; vehicles; affidavit of succession to real property (Arizona Legislature), 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, each signing within a reasonable time after seeing the signing or hearing the testator acknowledge it.

  Source: A.R.S. 14-2502, Execution of paper wills; witnessed wills; holographic wills (Arizona Legislature), 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 where the will is signed, under official seal.

  "A will may be simultaneously executed, attested and made self-proved"

  Source: A.R.S. 14-2502, Execution of paper wills; witnessed wills; holographic wills (Arizona Legislature), checked November 2026

• ConfirmedIf the will is handwritten

  Recognized. The execution section covers witnessed and holographic wills, with the holographic rules in section 14-2503.

  "Execution of paper wills; witnessed wills; holographic wills; testamentary intent"

  Source: A.R.S. 14-2502, Execution of paper wills; witnessed wills; holographic wills (Arizona Legislature), checked November 2026

• ConfirmedA witness who inherits

  For wills signed on or after October 1, 2019, a witness can't be someone who gets a gift under the will, or a relative of one by blood, marriage or adoption, unless the will is self-proved.

  "A person who is generally competent to be a witness may act as a witness to a will."

  Source: A.R.S. 14-2502, Execution of paper wills; witnessed wills; holographic wills (Arizona Legislature), checked November 2026

Documents to gather

• 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
• Safe deposit box location and keys
• The official small estate form: Affidavit of Collection of Personal Property (Pima County form PR-130)

Who to notify

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, Landlord or mortgage servicer. 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 Arizona Secretary of State, Business Services. $3 per document.

  Source: Arizona Secretary of State, Business Services, checked November 2026

Where to ask

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

• Pima County Superior Court: Affidavit for collection of personal property, A.R.S. 14-3971(B)
• Mohave County Superior Court form: Affidavit for Collection of All Personal Property (rev. 11/2019)

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