Kansas 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. Order certified death certificatesThrough the funeral director or the vital records office. Order several: banks, insurers, pension plans and the court may each want one.
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. 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. 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. Secure the home, car and mailLock up, keep the insurance in force, photograph valuables and forward the mail to yourself.
6. Pause before paying creditors or dividing keepsakesWho may act, and in what order bills get paid, depends on the route. Ask before you spend or distribute anything.
7. Know that a power of attorney has endedA power of attorney ends when the principal dies; the agent's authority stops there.
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 $75,000The official page's small estate figure. Leave out anything the page says isn't counted.
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. 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

  Total assets subject to probate worth no more than $75,000 (amended in 2024).

  "if the total assets of the estate of the decedent subject to probate do not exceed $75,000 in value"

  Source: K.S.A. 59-1507b, Transfer of property by affidavit (Kansas Revisor of Statutes), checked November 2026

• Not confirmedReal estate

  Not confirmed — check K.S.A. 59-1507b, Transfer of property by affidavit (Kansas Revisor of Statutes).

• Not confirmedWaiting period after the death

  Not confirmed — check K.S.A. 59-1507b, Transfer of property by affidavit (Kansas Revisor of Statutes).

• Not confirmedNotary or oath

  Not confirmed — check K.S.A. 59-1507b, Transfer of property by affidavit (Kansas Revisor of Statutes).

• ConfirmedWhere the paperwork goes

  Handed to the bank or other holder. The successor furnishes the affidavit to the entity or person holding the asset.

  "upon such successor furnishing the entity or person with an affidavit showing entitlement thereto"

  Source: K.S.A. 59-1507b, Transfer of property by affidavit (Kansas Revisor of Statutes), checked November 2026

• ConfirmedOfficial form

  Small estate affidavit (Kansas Judicial Council form). The statute says an affidavit in substantial compliance with the Judicial Council's form is sufficient; we didn't open the form itself.

  Source: K.S.A. 59-1507b, Transfer of property by affidavit (Kansas Revisor of Statutes), checked November 2026

• Not confirmedSimplified court procedure

  Not confirmed — check K.S.A. 59-1507b, Transfer of property by affidavit (Kansas Revisor of Statutes).

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 who saw the testator sign or heard the testator acknowledge the will, signing in the testator's presence.

  "two or more competent witnesses, who saw the testator subscribe or heard the testator acknowledge the will"

  Source: K.S.A. 59-606, Execution and attestation; self-proved wills (Kansas Revisor of Statutes), checked November 2026

• ConfirmedSelf-proving affidavit

  Allowed at signing or later during the lives of the testator and witnesses, before an officer authorized to take acknowledgments and administer oaths.

  "before an officer authorized to take acknowledgments to deeds of conveyance and to administer oaths"

  Source: K.S.A. 59-606, Execution and attestation; self-proved wills (Kansas Revisor of Statutes), checked November 2026

• Not confirmedIf the will is handwritten

  Not confirmed — check K.S.A. 59-606, Execution and attestation; self-proved wills (Kansas Revisor of Statutes).

• ConfirmedA witness who inherits

  A gift to a witness is void unless two other competent witnesses who get nothing also signed. A witness who would inherit with no will can still take up to that share.

  "A beneficial devise or bequest made in a will to a subscribing witness thereto shall"

  Source: K.S.A. 59-606, Execution and attestation; self-proved wills (Kansas Revisor of Statutes), checked November 2026

Documents to gather

• 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 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 official small estate form: Small estate affidavit (Kansas Judicial Council form)

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. 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 Kansas Secretary of State. $10 per document (raised from the earlier fee on March 2, 2026). Vital records: The original or a certified copy of a birth, marriage or death certificate or divorce decree; certified copies come from the Office of Vital Statistics.

  Source: Kansas Secretary of State, checked November 2026

Where to ask

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

• K.S.A. 59-1507b, Transfer of property by affidavit (Kansas Revisor of Statutes)
• K.S.A. 59-606, Execution and attestation; self-proved wills (Kansas Revisor of Statutes)
• K.S.A. 59-604, Devise or bequest to witness (Kansas Office of Revisor of Statutes)

Still to confirm

• Real estate: check K.S.A. 59-1507b, Transfer of property by affidavit (Kansas Revisor of Statutes)
• Waiting period after the death: check K.S.A. 59-1507b, Transfer of property by affidavit (Kansas Revisor of Statutes)
• Notary or oath: check K.S.A. 59-1507b, Transfer of property by affidavit (Kansas Revisor of Statutes)
• Simplified court procedure: check K.S.A. 59-1507b, Transfer of property by affidavit (Kansas Revisor of Statutes)
• If the will is handwritten: check K.S.A. 59-606, Execution and attestation; self-proved wills (Kansas Revisor of Statutes)

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