--- title: "Tennessee Executor Checklist: First 30 Days | MCC Solutions" description: "Tennessee executor checklist: first 30 days, up to $50,000 small estate limit, 45-day wait, notarized affidavit, 2 will witnesses, official court links." url: "https://mcc-solutionsnj.com/notary/tennessee-executor-checklist" --- Executor checklist · Tennessee # Tennessee executor and estate paperwork checklist The first 30 days, the small estate route, the will at probate, and the official pages to ask, from this state's own court and statute pages. **Quick answer.** In the first 30 days, an executor in Tennessee orders certified death certificates, finds the original will, secures the home, car and mail, lists what the person owned and owed, and holds off on paying debts until it's clear who has authority. For the small estate route, Tennessee's official pages give a limit of up to $50,000, a 45-day wait after the death and a notarized affidavit; it goes through the court. ✓ New Jersey commissioned notary, no. 50244803, insured for errors and omissions. [See the credentials](/about/credentials) **Short answer.** Tennessee: up to $50,000 small estate limit; 45-day wait; notarized affidavit; filed through the court; 2 will witnesses; self-proving affidavit allowed. 11 of 11 state facts below are confirmed on official pages. **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. - **Get several certified copies of the death certificate**The funeral home can usually order them, or the vital records office can. Each bank, insurer and pension plan may ask for its own. - **Make sure Social Security knows**Funeral 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. - **Locate the signed will and any changes**The signed original matters more than a copy. Keep it whole and somewhere safe, and note who else has a copy. - **Check the will for a self-proving affidavit**Look for a notarized statement by the witnesses attached to the will; this state allows one (see below). - **Keep the house and vehicles safe**Tell the insurer about the death so coverage stays in place, take photos of what's inside, and redirect the mail. - **Don't pay bills or hand out belongings yet**First learn which route fits and who is allowed to act; ask the probate office or an attorney about anything urgent. - **Know that a power of attorney has ended**A power of attorney ends when the principal dies; the agent's authority stops there. - **Start an inventory**Every account, property, vehicle and debt, with how each is held. Beneficiary and joint accounts usually pass directly, not through the estate. - **Check the total against $50,000**The official page's small estate figure. Leave out anything the page says isn't counted. - **Mark day 45 after the death**The small estate route opens 45 days after the death, per the official page. - **Keep an account of every transaction**Write down each payment and each deposit with the date and a receipt; heirs and the court may ask to see it. - **When appointed, get an EIN and open an estate account**Pay 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](https://ssa.gov/personal-record/when-someone-dies) · [IRS: Deceased taxpayers, filing the estate income tax return (Form 1041)](https://www.irs.gov/individuals/deceased-taxpayers-filing-the-estate-income-tax-return-form-1041) · power of attorney: [Power of attorney at a real estate closing](/notary/guides/power-of-attorney-at-a-real-estate-closing). ## The small estate route - #### ConfirmedSmall estate limit Personal property worth $50,000 or less at death; real estate isn't personal property and isn't counted."Total value of all personal property owned by the deceased at death must be $50,000 or less." Source: [Davidson County Circuit Court Clerk (Probate): Small estate petition for limited letters of authority, estates without a will (PDF)](https://circuitclerk.nashville.gov/wp-content/uploads/PC-Small-Estate-Petition-Without-Will_10.27.23_without-Order-and-Ltrs-1-1.pdf), checked November 2026 - #### ConfirmedReal estate Real estate isn't counted, and the affidavit doesn't transfer it; it needs its own route. Source: [Davidson County Circuit Court Clerk (Probate): Small estate petition for limited letters of authority, estates without a will (PDF)](https://circuitclerk.nashville.gov/wp-content/uploads/PC-Small-Estate-Petition-Without-Will_10.27.23_without-Order-and-Ltrs-1-1.pdf), checked November 2026 - #### ConfirmedWaiting period after the death 45 days. Forty-five days after the death."Forty-five (45) days must have passed since deceased's death." Source: [Davidson County Circuit Court Clerk (Probate): Small estate petition for limited letters of authority, estates without a will (PDF)](https://circuitclerk.nashville.gov/wp-content/uploads/PC-Small-Estate-Petition-Without-Will_10.27.23_without-Order-and-Ltrs-1-1.pdf), checked November 2026 - #### ConfirmedNotary or oath Signed before a notary. Sworn before a notary public or a deputy clerk."SWORN AND SUBSCRIBED BEFORE ME" Source: [Davidson County Circuit Court Clerk (Probate): Small estate petition for limited letters of authority, estates without a will (PDF)](https://circuitclerk.nashville.gov/wp-content/uploads/PC-Small-Estate-Petition-Without-Will_10.27.23_without-Order-and-Ltrs-1-1.pdf), checked November 2026 - #### ConfirmedWhere the paperwork goes Through a court office. Filed with the probate court clerk; in Davidson County, the Circuit Court Clerk's office. Source: [Davidson County Circuit Court Clerk (Probate): Small estate petition for limited letters of authority, estates without a will (PDF)](https://circuitclerk.nashville.gov/wp-content/uploads/PC-Small-Estate-Petition-Without-Will_10.27.23_without-Order-and-Ltrs-1-1.pdf), checked November 2026 - #### ConfirmedOfficial form Small Estate Petition for Limited Letters of Authority (no will). Davidson County's version; other counties publish their own. Source: [Davidson County Circuit Court Clerk (Probate): Small estate petition for limited letters of authority, estates without a will (PDF)](https://circuitclerk.nashville.gov/wp-content/uploads/PC-Small-Estate-Petition-Without-Will_10.27.23_without-Order-and-Ltrs-1-1.pdf), checked November 2026 - #### ConfirmedSimplified court procedure Small estate limited letters of authority: A short court process that gives limited letters for an estate within the limit. Source: [Davidson County Circuit Court Clerk (Probate): Small estate petition for limited letters of authority, estates without a will (PDF)](https://circuitclerk.nashville.gov/wp-content/uploads/PC-Small-Estate-Petition-Without-Will_10.27.23_without-Order-and-Ltrs-1-1.pdf), checked November 2026 ## The will at probate Signing rules for wills, as they bear on getting the will accepted. - #### ConfirmedWitnesses the will needed At least two attesting witnesses, who sign in the testator's presence and in each other's presence (Tenn. Code 32-1-104, 2025 code text on Justia)."the signature of the testator and of at least two (2) witnesses as follows" Source: [Justia (statute text) (secondary source): Tenn. Code 32-1-104, Will other than holographic or nuncupative; signatures (2025 Tennessee Code, Justia)](https://law.justia.com/codes/tennessee/title-32/chapter-1/part-1/section-32-1-104), checked November 2026 - #### ConfirmedSelf-proving affidavit Allowed. Nolo's summary of Tenn. Code 32-2-110: the testator and the witnesses sign an affidavit before a notary. A notary isn't needed for the will itself. Source: [Nolo (secondary source): How to Make a Will in Tennessee (Nolo, updated August 2025)](https://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/tennessee-make-will-32173.html), checked November 2026 - #### ConfirmedIf the will is handwritten Recognized without witnesses if the signature and material provisions are in the testator's handwriting; two witnesses must prove the handwriting at probate (Nolo, citing 32-1-105). Source: [Nolo (secondary source): How to Make a Will in Tennessee (Nolo, updated August 2025)](https://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/tennessee-make-will-32173.html), checked November 2026 - #### ConfirmedA witness who inherits A will isn't invalid because an interested witness signed it (statute as quoted by the Tennessee Court of Appeals in 2018)."No will is invalidated because attested by an interested witness" Source: [In re Estate of Joe Marce Abbott (Tenn. Ct. App. 2018), quoting Tenn. Code 32-1-103 (Tennessee Courts)](https://test-www.tncourts.gov/sites/default/files/estateofjoemarceabbott2opn.pdf), checked November 2026 ## Want us to handle it? We order certified records, pick up and deliver documents, get the small estate affidavit signed and notarized, and file papers near where the estate is, in any state. We are not lawyers. **Price:** Quote-based, from $199 per job plus government and court fees at cost. Starting rates. Your exact price is quoted after we confirm a local notary/runner, before you pay. [Ask for estate paperwork help](/notary/estate-paperwork-help-out-of-state#request) ## 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: Small Estate Petition for Limited Letters of Authority (no will) ## Who to notify Brokerage and retirement accounts, Life insurance companies, Utilities and phone, Landlord or mortgage servicer, Credit card companies, Pension or employer, Social Security (if the funeral home hasn't), Banks and credit unions. 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 Tennessee Secretary of State, Business Services Division, Office of Authentications. $2 per document (check payable to the Secretary of State). Vital records: A certified copy of the certificate; the Office of Vital Records can order the copy and forward it to the Secretary of State for the apostille. Source: [Tennessee Secretary of State, Business Services Division, Office of Authentications](https://sos.tn.gov/businesses/guides/apostille-authentication-guide), checked November 2026 ## Where to ask An estate attorney or the county probate/surrogate office answers questions about your situation. Official pages for Tennessee: - [Davidson County Circuit Court Clerk (Probate): Small estate petition for limited letters of authority, estates without a will (PDF)](https://circuitclerk.nashville.gov/wp-content/uploads/PC-Small-Estate-Petition-Without-Will_10.27.23_without-Order-and-Ltrs-1-1.pdf) - [In re Estate of Joe Marce Abbott (Tenn. Ct. App. 2018), quoting Tenn. Code 32-1-103 (Tennessee Courts)](https://test-www.tncourts.gov/sites/default/files/estateofjoemarceabbott2opn.pdf) Tennessee kit ## Tennessee Executor and Estate Kit This checklist as printable Word and PDF files: a start-here guide, the first 30 days, the small estate route with its official links, a documents and accounts tracker, plain notification letters (bank, utilities, Social Security), and an Excel estate ledger for assets, debts, payments and distributions. [Get the kit, $25](/toolkits/tn-executor-kit) 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 **Is there a small estate route in Tennessee?** On the official pages we read: Personal property worth $50,000 or less at death; real estate isn't personal property and isn't counted. Through a court office. Filed with the probate court clerk; in Davidson County, the Circuit Court Clerk's office. **How soon after the death can the Tennessee small estate paperwork be used?** 45 days. Forty-five days after the death. **Does the small estate paperwork in Tennessee need a notary?** Signed before a notary. Sworn before a notary public or a deputy clerk. **Is there an official Tennessee form?** Small Estate Petition for Limited Letters of Authority (no will). Davidson County's version; other counties publish their own. Link: https://circuitclerk.nashville.gov/wp-content/uploads/PC-Small-Estate-Petition-Without-Will_10.27.23_without-Order-and-Ltrs-1-1.pdf **How many witnesses did a will in Tennessee need?** At least two attesting witnesses, who sign in the testator's presence and in each other's presence (Tenn. Code 32-1-104, 2025 code text on Justia). **What about a self-proving affidavit in Tennessee?** Allowed. Nolo's summary of Tenn. Code 32-2-110: the testator and the witnesses sign an affidavit before a notary. A notary isn't needed for the will itself. **Who answers questions about an estate in Tennessee?** An estate attorney or the county probate/surrogate office answers questions about your situation. The official pages behind this checklist: Davidson County Circuit Court Clerk (Probate): Small estate petition for limited letters of authority, estates without a will (PDF). Remember the 45-day wait before the small estate route. Related: [Executor guide by state](/notary/executor-guide-by-state) · [Small estate affidavit details](/notary/small-estate-affidavit-tennessee) · [Will signing requirements](/notary/will-signing-requirements-tennessee) · [Estate paperwork help](/notary/estate-paperwork-help-out-of-state) ## Family far from the estate? [See estate paperwork help](/notary/estate-paperwork-help-out-of-state)[Call (908) 444-6373](tel:+19084446373)