Pennsylvania Estate Administration Checklist: Every Step in Order

Administering a Pennsylvania estate means juggling a dozen simultaneous obligations — filing deadlines, advertising requirements, creditor periods, tax returns, and court rules — across a process that typically runs nine to eighteen months. Doing them out of order, or missing one, creates personal liability for the executor.

This checklist follows the exact sequence Pennsylvania law requires, with the forms and deadlines at each phase. Use it as the backbone of your administration.

How Long Pennsylvania Probate Takes

Most uncontested Pennsylvania estates close between nine and eighteen months from date of death. The floor is set by the one-year creditor claim period under 20 Pa.C.S. § 3532 — executors who distribute assets to heirs before that period expires risk personal liability if an unknown creditor files a valid claim at month eleven. Estates with contested wills, unresolved Medicaid recovery claims, real estate that won't sell, or hostile beneficiaries take longer.

If an estate remains open two years after death, Pennsylvania Orphans' Court Rule 10.6 kicks in and requires the executor to file an annual Status Report (Form RW-10) explaining the delay. That obligation continues every year until the estate closes.

Phase 1: Immediately After Death (Days 1–30)

Secure the property. Change locks on real estate. Do not allow family members to remove personal property — furniture, jewelry, collectibles, vehicles — until a formal inventory is completed. Items taken before valuation can't be accounted for on the Estate Inventory and may trigger disputes.

Obtain death certificates. Order originals from the Pennsylvania Department of Health through VitalChek. The standard cost is $20 per certificate, waived for surviving spouses of honorably discharged veterans. Order more than you think you need — banks, the Register of Wills, PennDOT, and the recorder of deeds will each want original copies, not photocopies.

Locate the original will. The Register of Wills requires the original document, not a copy. Check safe deposit boxes, home safes, and any attorney who may have drafted or stored it.

Determine whether the will is self-proved. A self-proved will contains a notarized affidavit signed at the time of execution and can be admitted to probate without additional witness testimony. If the will is not self-proved, you'll need subscribing witnesses (Form RW-03) or, if those witnesses are unavailable, two individuals who can attest to the decedent's handwriting (Form RW-04).

Assess whether formal probate is needed. If the decedent's bank accounts total less than $20,000 at any single institution, family members may be able to access those funds directly under 20 Pa.C.S. § 3101 without opening a formal estate (effective January 23, 2026, under Act 50 of 2025). If the entire estate is under $50,000 excluding real estate, a Small Estate Petition under § 3102 may be available. If neither applies, proceed with full probate.

Phase 2: Opening the Estate (Weeks 2–6)

File the Petition for Grant of Letters (Form RW-02). Submit to the Register of Wills in the county where the decedent was domiciled at death. Filing fees are set by each county and scale with the estimated value of the probate estate.

Handle renunciations (Form RW-06). Anyone with a superior statutory right to administer the estate — an adult child who doesn't want to serve, for example — must sign a notarized Renunciation yielding their priority. Without these, the Register won't issue letters.

Take the oath and receive Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration. Some counties (including Centre, Berks, and Butler) offer virtual probate via video conference; others require an in-person appearance. Once sworn in, you are the legally authorized executor or administrator.

Purchase Short Certificates. Short Certificates are sealed, certified documents proving your appointment. Cost ranges from $7 to $10 each depending on county. You'll need several — one for each financial institution, one for PennDOT (with Form MV-39 to transfer vehicles), one for the recorder of deeds.

Obtain an EIN for the estate. Apply to the IRS for an Employer Identification Number to use as the estate's tax ID. Open a dedicated estate checking account.

Phase 3: Early Administration (Months 1–3)

Notify beneficiaries and heirs (Form RW-07). Within three months of receiving letters, send Notice of Estate Administration to every named beneficiary, every intestate heir who could inherit if the will were invalid, and the Pennsylvania Attorney General if there are charitable interests. Then file the Certification of Notice (Form RW-08) with the Register confirming this was done.

Advertise to creditors. Publish notice of the estate's opening once a week for three consecutive weeks in both a general-circulation newspaper and the county's official legal journal (e.g., the Pittsburgh Legal Journal in Allegheny County, the Montgomery County Law Reporter in Montgomery County). Publication costs typically run $100–$125 per venue. This advertising starts the one-year creditor claim period.

Notify the Department of Human Services. If the decedent was 55 or older at death, send a certified mail notice to the Pennsylvania DHS Division of Third Party Liability in Harrisburg. Include the decedent's full name, address, date of birth, date of death, Social Security number, and an estimated estate value. A complete notice triggers a 45-day window for DHS to file a Medicaid Estate Recovery claim. An incomplete notice suspends that clock indefinitely — do not send partial information.

Consider the inheritance tax prepayment. The 5% discount on Pennsylvania inheritance tax requires payment within three months of death. The estate's exact value may not be known yet, but a conservative estimate is enough. Make a prepayment to the Register of Wills for the estimated amount. Overpayments are refunded; underpayments are made up later without the discount.

Phase 4: Asset Valuation and Inventory (Months 3–9)

Gather date-of-death values for all assets. Request date-of-death balance letters from banks and brokerages. Have real estate professionally appraised, or calculate the fair market value using the county's Common Level Ratio (CLR) factor if the property isn't being sold to an outside buyer. The CLR factor converts the county's often-outdated assessed value to an acceptable fair market value for inheritance tax purposes.

File the Estate Inventory (Form RW-09). The inventory must be filed with the Register of Wills within nine months of the date of death. List every probate asset — accounts, real estate, vehicles, personal property, business interests — at its date-of-death fair market value. This document becomes a public record. The values entered here must be consistent with the REV-1500 inheritance tax return.

Classify and pay debts in statutory order. Under 20 Pa.C.S. § 3392, if the estate is insolvent, debts must be paid in a strict priority sequence: (1) costs of administration, (2) the $3,500 family exemption, (3) funeral and final medical expenses, (4) cost of a gravemarker, (5) rent for the final six months, (5.1) DHS Medicaid Estate Recovery claims, (6) all other unsecured creditors. Paying a lower-priority creditor before satisfying higher-priority obligations creates personal liability for the executor.

Phase 5: Tax Filings (By Month 9)

File the Pennsylvania Inheritance Tax Return (REV-1500). Due within nine months of death. File in duplicate with the Register of Wills. Pay any remaining balance — the 5% discount only applied to the prepayment made at month three. If the full tax isn't paid by month nine, interest begins accruing daily.

File the decedent's final federal income tax return (Form 1040). Covers income from January 1 through the date of death. Due by the standard April 15 deadline for the tax year of death.

File an estate income tax return (Form 1041) if needed. Required if the estate generates more than $600 in income during administration — interest, rental income, dividends from accounts held in the estate's name.

Phase 6: Closing the Estate (Months 9–18)

Wait out the one-year creditor period. Even after all known debts are paid, do not distribute assets to heirs until one year from the date the estate was first advertised. This is the statutory period under 20 Pa.C.S. § 3532 for creditors to file claims.

Choose a closing method.

Family Settlement Agreement (preferred): If all beneficiaries are cooperative, the estate attorney drafts a written agreement detailing the informal accounting — all income, expenses, and proposed distributions — and each beneficiary signs, releasing the executor from future liability. This private contract closes the estate without any Orphans' Court involvement, keeping distributions out of the public record and avoiding formal court fees.

First and Final Accounting (Orphans' Court): If any beneficiary refuses to sign a Family Settlement Agreement or demands judicial review of the executor's actions, the executor must prepare a formal accounting and file a Petition for Adjudication (Form OC-01) with the Orphans' Court. The court schedules hearings, beneficiaries may file objections, and the judge issues a final decree. Use this path only when informal settlement has failed.

Distribute remaining assets and close accounts. After the accounting is signed or the court decree is issued, transfer assets to beneficiaries per the will or intestacy law, close the estate bank account, and retain copies of all records. Pennsylvania executors are generally advised to keep estate records for at least seven years.

The Pennsylvania Probate Process Guide provides the complete set of forms, deadline worksheets, and step-by-step instructions for every phase above — including the Medicaid notice template, the creditor advertising requirements by county, and the Family Settlement Agreement framework.

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