Minnesota 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. Find the original willLook for the signed original and any codicils (later changes). Keep the original safe and unaltered; make copies for yourself.
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. 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. 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. 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. Check the total against $75,000The 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. 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. 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

  The whole probate estate, wherever located, less liens and encumbrances, $75,000 or less at the date of death.

  • Vehicles count toward this limit.

  Source: Minn. Stat. 524.3-1201, Collection of personal property by affidavit (Minnesota Revisor of Statutes), checked November 2026

• Not confirmedReal estate

  Not confirmed — check Minn. Stat. 524.3-1201, Collection of personal property by affidavit (Minnesota Revisor of Statutes).

• ConfirmedWaiting period after the death

  30 days. Thirty days after the death (for a safe deposit box, 30 days after an inventory is filed).

  "30 days after the decedent's death"

  Source: Minn. Stat. 524.3-1201, Collection of personal property by affidavit (Minnesota Revisor of Statutes), checked November 2026

• Not confirmedNotary or oath

  Not confirmed — check Minn. Stat. 524.3-1201, Collection of personal property by affidavit (Minnesota Revisor of Statutes).

• ConfirmedWhere the paperwork goes

  Handed to the bank or other holder. Presented with a certified death record to the person who owes the debt, holds the property or controls the safe deposit box.

  Source: Minn. Stat. 524.3-1201, Collection of personal property by affidavit (Minnesota Revisor of Statutes), checked November 2026

• Not confirmedOfficial form

  Not confirmed — check Minn. Stat. 524.3-1201, Collection of personal property by affidavit (Minnesota Revisor of Statutes).

• Not confirmedSimplified court procedure

  Not confirmed — check Minn. Stat. 524.3-1201, Collection of personal property by affidavit (Minnesota Revisor of Statutes).

• ConfirmedWorth knowing

  A motor vehicle registrar issues a new title in the successor's name when shown the affidavit. The court's own form (PRO201) is titled for a small estate with no real estate. Last amended in 2016.

  Source: Minn. Stat. 524.3-1201, Collection of personal property by affidavit (Minnesota Revisor of Statutes), 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, each signing within a reasonable time after seeing the signing or the acknowledgment.

  "signed by at least two individuals, each of whom signed within a reasonable time after witnessing"

  Source: Minn. Stat. 524.2-502, Execution; witnessed wills (Minnesota Revisor of Statutes, 2025), checked November 2026

• ConfirmedSelf-proving affidavit

  Allowed at signing or any time later. The testator and witnesses sign in the presence of an officer authorized to administer oaths.

  "An attested will may be made self-proved at any time after its execution"

  Source: Minn. Stat. 524.2-502, Execution; witnessed wills (Minnesota Revisor of Statutes, 2025), checked November 2026

• Not confirmedIf the will is handwritten

  Not confirmed — check Minn. Stat. 524.2-502, Execution; witnessed wills (Minnesota Revisor of Statutes, 2025).

• ConfirmedA witness who inherits

  A will, or any part of it, isn't invalid because an interested witness signed it.

  "The signing of a will by an interested witness does not invalidate the will or any provision of it."

  Source: Minn. Stat. 524.2-502, Execution; witnessed wills (Minnesota Revisor of Statutes, 2025), checked November 2026

Documents to gather

• 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
• Recent bills, loan and credit card statements
• Pension, Social Security and benefit letters

Who to notify

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, Pension or employer. 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 Minnesota Secretary of State. $5 per apostille certificate. Vital records: Birth and death certificates certified by the Minnesota Department of Health; marriage certificates or licenses certified by the county.

  Source: Minnesota 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 Minnesota:

• Minn. Stat. 524.3-1201, Collection of personal property by affidavit (Minnesota Revisor of Statutes)
• Minn. Stat. 524.2-502, Execution; witnessed wills (Minnesota Revisor of Statutes, 2025)
• Minn. Stat. 524.2-501, Who may make a will (Minnesota Statutes 2026, Office of the Revisor of Statutes)
• Minn. Stat. 524.2-504, Self-proved will (Minnesota Statutes 2026, Office of the Revisor of Statutes)

Still to confirm

• Real estate: check Minn. Stat. 524.3-1201, Collection of personal property by affidavit (Minnesota Revisor of Statutes)
• Notary or oath: check Minn. Stat. 524.3-1201, Collection of personal property by affidavit (Minnesota Revisor of Statutes)
• Official form: check Minn. Stat. 524.3-1201, Collection of personal property by affidavit (Minnesota Revisor of Statutes)
• Simplified court procedure: check Minn. Stat. 524.3-1201, Collection of personal property by affidavit (Minnesota Revisor of Statutes)
• If the will is handwritten: check Minn. Stat. 524.2-502, Execution; witnessed wills (Minnesota Revisor of Statutes, 2025)

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