Massachusetts 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

Plain steps that apply wherever the person lived, with the small estate dates for this state. Ticks stay on your screen only.

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. 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. 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. Secure the home, car and mailLock up, keep the insurance in force, photograph valuables and forward the mail to yourself.
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. List what the person owned and owedNote how each asset is held: in the person's name alone, jointly, or with a named beneficiary. Accounts with a beneficiary or joint owner usually pass outside the will.
9. Compare the estate with $25,000That's the small estate figure on this state's official page. Count only what the page says counts.
10. Mark day 30 after the deathThe small estate route opens 30 days after the death, per the official page.
11. 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.
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 only, worth $25,000 or less not counting the value of a car.

  "$25,000 or less (excluding the value of a car)"

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

  Source: Mass.gov: Instructions for voluntary administration with or without a will (MPC 961), checked November 2026

• ConfirmedReal estate

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

  Source: Mass.gov: Instructions for voluntary administration with or without a will (MPC 961), checked November 2026

• ConfirmedWaiting period after the death

  30 days. Thirty days or more after the death.

  "Thirty (30) days or more have passed from the date of the decedent's death."

  Source: Mass.gov: Instructions for voluntary administration with or without a will (MPC 961), checked November 2026

• Not confirmedNotary or oath

  Not confirmed — check Mass.gov: Instructions for voluntary administration with or without a will (MPC 961).

• ConfirmedWhere the paperwork goes

  Through a court office. The statement is filed with the Probate and Family Court in the county where the person lived.

  "the county Probate and Family Court"

  Source: Mass.gov: Instructions for voluntary administration with or without a will (MPC 961), checked November 2026

• ConfirmedOfficial form

  Voluntary Administration Statement (MPC 170). With the instructions (MPC 961) from the Probate and Family Court.

  Source: Mass.gov: Instructions for voluntary administration with or without a will (MPC 961), checked November 2026

• ConfirmedSimplified court procedure

  Voluntary administration: A statement filed with the Probate and Family Court lets a voluntary administrator collect and distribute a small personal-property estate.

  Source: Mass.gov: Instructions for voluntary administration with or without a will (MPC 961), checked November 2026

• ConfirmedWorth knowing

  The instructions require the estate to consist entirely of personal property, so real estate in the estate takes it out of voluntary administration.

  Source: Mass.gov: Instructions for voluntary administration with or without a will (MPC 961), checked November 2026

The will at probate

When the will goes to the court, these signing rules are what it is checked against.

• ConfirmedWitnesses the will needed

  Two witnesses, who saw the signing or the testator's acknowledgment.

  "at least 2 individuals"

  Source: M.G.L. c.190B, 2-502, Execution; witnessed wills (Massachusetts Legislature), checked November 2026

• ConfirmedSelf-proving affidavit

  Allowed at signing or later, before an officer authorized to administer oaths where it is signed.

  "before an officer authorized to administer oaths"

  Source: M.G.L. c.190B, 2-502, Execution; witnessed wills (Massachusetts Legislature), checked November 2026

• Not confirmedIf the will is handwritten

  Not confirmed — check M.G.L. c.190B, 2-502, Execution; witnessed wills (Massachusetts Legislature).

• ConfirmedA witness who inherits

  The will stays valid, but a gift to a witness or the witness's spouse is void unless two other witnesses who get nothing similar also signed, or the witness shows no fraud or undue influence.

  "a devise to a witness or a spouse of such witness shall be void"

  Source: M.G.L. c.190B, 2-502, Execution; witnessed wills (Massachusetts Legislature), checked November 2026

Documents to gather

• 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 original will and any codicils
• The official small estate form: Voluntary Administration Statement (MPC 170)

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. 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 Secretary of the Commonwealth, Commissions Section. $6 per document. Vital records: An original signature of a city or town clerk (or assistant) or the Registrar of Vital Records.

  Source: Secretary of the Commonwealth, Commissions Section, checked November 2026

Where to ask

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

• Mass.gov: Instructions for voluntary administration with or without a will (MPC 961)
• M.G.L. c.190B, 2-502, Execution; witnessed wills (Massachusetts Legislature)
• M.G.L. c.190B, 2-504, Self-proved will (Massachusetts Legislature)
• M.G.L. c.190B, 2-505, Who may witness (Massachusetts Legislature)

Still to confirm

• Notary or oath: check Mass.gov: Instructions for voluntary administration with or without a will (MPC 961)
• If the will is handwritten: check M.G.L. c.190B, 2-502, Execution; witnessed wills (Massachusetts Legislature)

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 · Estate paperwork help