Executor Checklist for Tasmania Probate: Week-by-Week Tasks

Being named an executor in Tasmania means becoming responsible for a legal process you've probably never encountered before — while grieving. The Supreme Court of Tasmania's Information Kits provide the forms, but they don't give you a practical sequence. This checklist does.

Tasks are grouped by phase, not just chronology, because some happen in parallel and some can't start until others are complete.

Phase 1: Immediate (Days 1–7)

Secure the estate

• [ ] Locate and secure the original Will (handle carefully — staple holes and clip marks can trigger Supreme Court requisitions later)
• [ ] Make the deceased's home physically secure: check that doors and windows are locked, notify the home insurer of the vacancy, and check whether the policy has conditions for unoccupied properties
• [ ] Secure vehicles and valuable personal property
• [ ] Cancel any regular financial commitments that could draw down on accounts (standing orders, subscriptions) — but do not close accounts yet

Funeral and death registration

• [ ] Confirm funeral arrangements and locate any prepaid funeral agreement (check with CBOS if you cannot find the paperwork)
• [ ] Contact BDM Tasmania about death registration — the funeral director typically lodges the registration, but confirm who is handling it
• [ ] Order multiple certified copies of the Death Certificate from BDM Tasmania (cost: approximately $65.96 per certificate in 2025/2026; priority processing adds $42.02)
• [ ] Approach the bank's estate services team with the Death Certificate and an invoice from the funeral director — most Tasmanian banks will release funeral expenses directly to the funeral home from a frozen account

Notify key parties

• [ ] Centrelink / Services Australia: stop any pension payments and enquire about bereavement payments
• [ ] Medicare and any private health insurance
• [ ] Employer or superannuation fund
• [ ] ATO: notify of the death and that you are the executor

Phase 2: Asset Discovery (Days 7–21)

Identify all assets and liabilities

• [ ] Write to all known banks and financial institutions requesting the date-of-death balance on each account
• [ ] Run a title search through the LTO (NRE Tas) for all Tasmanian real estate — confirm whether each property was held as joint tenants or tenants in common (search fee: $39.20)
• [ ] Contact all known superannuation funds — note that most super passes outside the estate directly to nominated beneficiaries; confirm each fund's position
• [ ] Identify any shares, managed funds, or investment accounts
• [ ] Locate outstanding debts: mortgages, credit cards, personal loans, tax debts
• [ ] Check for any ATO tax returns outstanding for the deceased

Determine whether probate is required

• [ ] If any real estate is held solely or as tenants in common: probate is mandatory. Proceed to Phase 3.
• [ ] If all assets are liquid and below individual bank thresholds: explore informal administration via bank indemnity forms
• [ ] If a surviving spouse holds the home as joint tenants: prepare an Application by Survivorship (RPS) for the LTO — no probate required for this asset

Phase 3: Pre-Filing (Days 14–30)

Publish the Notice of Intention

• [ ] File the Notice of Intention to Apply for a Grant (Form 2) on the Supreme Court of Tasmania's online portal
• [ ] Record the exact publication date — you cannot lodge the application until 14 clear days have elapsed from this date (excluding the day of publication and the day of lodgement)

Use the 14-day wait productively

• [ ] Draft Form 5 (Affidavit in support of application for probate) — this must be sworn before a JP, Commissioner for Declarations, or Australian legal practitioner
• [ ] Complete Form 10 (Inventory of Assets and Liabilities) — separate Tasmanian assets from interstate/overseas assets, as court fees are calculated only on Tasmanian gross value
• [ ] Confirm that Form 4 (Application for grant) is completed correctly, with the exact legal name of the deceased matching the Will and Death Certificate
• [ ] Check: if a co-executor named in the Will is not acting, have they signed Form 11 (Renunciation)?
• [ ] Consider paying the optional Provisional Assessment fee ($183.36) to have the Registrar check your paperwork before formal lodgement — strongly recommended for first-time executors

Phase 4: Lodging the Application

• [ ] 14 clear days have passed since Notice of Intention publication: confirmed
• [ ] Compile the application package:
  • Original Will (untouched — no new staples, no paperclips, no fold marks)
  • Form 4 (Application for grant)
  • Form 5 (Affidavit — sworn)
  • Form 10 (Inventory of Assets and Liabilities)
  • Original or certified Death Certificate
  • Payment for filing fee (progressive scale based on Tasmanian estate value — $966.46 for $50,000–$249,999; $1,317.90 for $500,000–$999,999 in 2025/2026)
• [ ] Lodge the physical documents with the Probate Registry in Hobart (personal delivery or secure courier)
• [ ] Retain copies of everything submitted

Phase 5: Post-Grant Administration (Weeks 6–16)

• [ ] Receive the sealed Grant of Probate (typically 4–8 weeks from lodgement for clean applications; requisitions extend this to 14+ weeks)
• [ ] Open a dedicated "Estate of [Name]" bank account
• [ ] Present certified copies of the Grant to all asset holders — banks, share registries, super funds — and begin transferring or closing accounts into the estate account
• [ ] Publish a Notice to Creditors under Section 54 of the Administration and Probate Act 1935 — give creditors at least 30 days to submit claims
• [ ] Lodge the LTO Transfer by Assent (or other transmission instrument) to transfer real estate to the beneficiary — obtain conveyancing assistance as most LTO instruments now require electronic lodgement by a licensed professional
• [ ] Obtain ATO clearance: lodge final income tax returns for the deceased and for the estate

Phase 6: Final Distribution

• [ ] 30 days have passed since the Notice to Creditors was published: confirmed
• [ ] 3 months from the date the Grant was issued have passed: confirmed — this is the Testator's Family Maintenance Act window. Distributing before this window closes exposes the executor to personal liability if a successful family provision claim is later made
• [ ] Pay all verified debts from the estate account in the statutory priority order
• [ ] Prepare a final Estate of Account showing all receipts, payments, and proposed distributions — provide this to residuary beneficiaries for approval
• [ ] Distribute the remaining estate to beneficiaries in accordance with the Will or intestacy rules
• [ ] Close the estate bank account

The Tasmania Probate Process Guide includes complete versions of these checklists with line-by-line guidance for each form, plus letter templates for communicating with beneficiaries during the mandatory waiting periods.

See more Tasmania guides →