Iowa Probate Court Forms: What to File and Where to Get Them

One of the most frustrating things about starting Iowa probate is that the state does not publish a single, consolidated set of general probate forms for laypersons to download. This is largely intentional — the Iowa Judicial Branch provides selective form access to encourage the retention of licensed attorneys. If you go to the Iowa Courts website looking for a complete packet of "Iowa probate forms," you will not find one.

This does not mean no forms exist. It means you need to know specifically which forms are required at each stage, who issues them, and where to get them. This post maps the essential documents across the Iowa probate process.

Forms Required to Open the Estate

These documents are filed with the Iowa District Court's probate division in the county where the decedent was domiciled:

Petition for Administration or Probate of Will The founding document of any probate proceeding. It identifies the decedent, states the date of death and domicile, whether the decedent died testate or intestate, the names and addresses of all heirs and devisees, and requests the appointment of a personal representative. There is no single standardized form available for public download — the petition must conform to Iowa Code Chapter 633's specific content requirements, and most practitioners draft it using legal word processing software. Your probate attorney will prepare this.

Fiduciary Oath (Iowa Code § 633.164) The personal representative's sworn oath of office, filed with the court along with the petition. This is a separate document from the petition itself — failing to file the oath is a standalone grounds for dismissal. The Iowa Judicial Branch publishes some guardianship and conservatorship forms through Chapter 7 Probate Rules, but the fiduciary oath for general probate is typically prepared by the estate's attorney.

Designation of Attorney Iowa courts require a formal designation of the estate's attorney as a separate filing. This is distinct from the petition and the oath. Recent appellate cases have confirmed that pro se petitioners who skip the attorney designation — believing the petition itself is sufficient — face dismissal.

Fiduciary Bond Application Required unless the will explicitly waives bonding or the court grants a waiver. Arranged through a licensed surety company. Corporate fiduciaries (bank trust companies) are generally exempt from bonding.

The Probate Inventory Form

Report and Inventory (Iowa Code § 633.361) This is the most consequential form in Iowa probate. Filed within 90 days of appointment — a deadline the statute says the court shall not waive — it lists every asset in which the decedent held an interest, with date-of-death values documented by account statements, appraisals, or market analyses.

The inventory must include:

• Legal descriptions and estimated fair market values of all real estate in Iowa and out of state
• Exempt personal property (household furnishings up to their exempt value, farm tools, etc.)
• Non-exempt personal property (bank accounts, investment accounts, vehicles, valuables)
• Any assets subject to federal estate tax

For Chapter 635 small estate administration, the inventory must separately identify probate assets and non-probate assets, to document that gross probate assets do not exceed the $200,000 threshold.

If additional assets are found after the initial inventory, a supplemental inventory must be filed within 30 days of discovery.

The court calculates probate court costs directly from this inventory: 0.2% of the gross value of probate assets listed (Iowa Code § 633.31, as enacted by Senate File 244 in 2022). Non-probate assets are excluded from this calculation.

Where to get it: The Iowa Judicial Branch publishes some estate accounting forms through Chapter 7 Probate Rules (updated as recently as November 2025). Check the Iowa Courts website under Rules and Forms for the current probate chapter. Your probate attorney will know the current approved forms.

Notice and Creditor Forms

Notice of Probate of Will, of Appointment of Executor, and Notice to Creditors (Iowa Code § 633.304) This is the legal advertisement that must be published in a local newspaper of general circulation once per week for two consecutive weeks. It formally opens the creditor claim period — four months from the date of the second publication — and notifies heirs, devisees, and creditors that the estate is open.

The notice is not a downloaded form. It is a document prepared by the attorney and submitted to the local newspaper for publication. The newspaper issues an affidavit of publication, which is filed with the court as proof that publication occurred.

Mailed notice to heirs and devisees: In addition to newspaper publication, the executor must send the notice by ordinary mail to the surviving spouse, all heirs (including those intentionally excluded by the will), and each named devisee whose address is reasonably ascertainable. Iowa Code requires notifying even disinherited family members — failing to do so can leave the estate vulnerable to will contests.

Iowa Small Estate Affidavit

Distribution by Affidavit (Iowa Code § 633.356) For estates where gross probate personal property is $50,000 or less and there is no real estate, a legal successor can collect assets using a sworn affidavit — no court filing required. This is the closest Iowa gets to a simple, standalone downloadable form.

Requirements for the affidavit:

• Must be signed under penalty of perjury
• Must state that no other persons have a right to the property besides those listed
• Must include taxpayer identification numbers of all successors
• Must describe all assets to be transferred
• Must attach a certified copy of the death certificate
• May only be executed after 40 days have passed from the date of death

Where to get it: Sample forms are available from national form vendors like eForms and USLegalForms. Some Iowa financial institutions have their own proprietary version. The affidavit itself is not required to be on a specific state-issued form — it just has to contain all the statutory required language under Iowa Code § 633.356.

Vehicle Transfer Forms (Iowa DOT)

Iowa vehicle title transfers after death do not go through the probate court — they go through the County Treasurer (acting as Iowa DOT agent). The correct form depends entirely on the estate situation:

DOT Form 411083 — Affidavit of Death Testate Used when the decedent had a will, but the estate is not being formally probated. The person entitled to the vehicle under the will presents this affidavit along with a copy of the death certificate, the original title (if available), and a Form 411007 Application for Title.

DOT Form 411088 — Affidavit of Death Intestate Used when the decedent died without a will and no probate is being opened. Same submission requirements as 411083.

Why these forms matter for odometer disclosures: An heir using the affidavit process does not have the legal authority to complete the odometer disclosure directly on the back of the title. Doing so would exceed their authority as a legal successor. Instead, the applicable DOT affidavit (411083 or 411088) contains the specific statutory language for swearing to the vehicle's mileage. Using any other method, or signing the title back directly, can cause the Iowa DOT to brand the new title "Not Actual Mileage" — a designation that can permanently reduce the vehicle's resale value.

Where to get them: DOT Forms 411083 and 411088 are available from the Iowa Department of Transportation's vehicle forms page or from the County Treasurer's office.

DOT Form 411007 — Application for Certificate of Title The standard title application filed alongside 411083 or 411088. Also available from the Iowa DOT vehicle forms page.

Tax Forms

Iowa Fiduciary Income Tax Return (IA 1041) Filed if the estate generates taxable income during administration. Also used to request the Income Tax Certificate of Acquittance required before the district court will close the estate. Available from the Iowa Department of Revenue.

Iowa Inheritance Tax Return (IA 706) Only relevant for estates where the decedent died before January 1, 2025. The Iowa inheritance tax was fully repealed for deaths on or after that date — no IA 706 needs to be filed and no inheritance tax clearance is required for 2025 or later deaths. If you are administering an older estate, the IA 706 instructions are available from the Iowa Department of Revenue.

Real Estate Transfer Documents

Court Officer Deed Used to transfer real estate from a probated estate to heirs or buyers. Executed by the personal representative in their official capacity and recorded with the County Recorder in the county where the property is located.

Declaration of Value Form Required by Iowa law to accompany conveyances of real estate and used to calculate the real estate transfer tax ($0.80 per $500 of consideration). Property inherited through probate is typically exempt from the transfer tax, but the form must still be completed and attached.

Groundwater Hazard Statement Also required at the time of recording a real estate transfer, unless a statutory exemption applies.

Recording fees across Iowa counties: $7.00 for the first page of a document, $5.00 for each additional page, plus a $5.00 Auditor's transfer fee per parcel.

Where General Iowa Probate Forms Live

The Iowa Judicial Branch does not publish a consumer-facing packet of general probate administration forms. Forms are periodically updated under Chapter 7 Probate Rules — the Iowa Supreme Court required implementation of updated forms as recently as November 2025. The most current forms can be found through:

• Iowa Courts Online (iowacourts.gov) under the Rules and Forms section for probate chapters
• Your licensed Iowa probate attorney's case management system
• Iowa State Bar Association member resources

The forms that are publicly available — small estate affidavits, DOT vehicle transfer forms, vital records applications, tax returns — are noted above with their respective sources.

For the complete sequence of what to file, when to file it, and how to coordinate the court filings, tax clearances, and asset transfers in a single organized workflow, the Iowa Probate Process Guide provides the full administrator's roadmap with form references built into a chronological timeline.

See more Iowa guides →