Being named executor in Georgia is a 12–18 month job nobody trained you for. This is the whole sequence — what Georgia requires of you, what is merely sensible, and which statute each requirement comes from.
Personal representative must publish notice to debtors and creditors within 60 days of qualifying, once a week for four weeks; creditors generally must present claims within 3 months of the last publication.read at source
60 days / 4 weeks / 3 months
OCGA §53-7-41 · last checked 2026-09-05
Inventory generally due within 6 months of qualification unless the will or the heirs relieve the representative of filing it.not yet confirmed
6 months
OCGA §53-7-30 · last checked 2026-07
Georgia specifics (verify current law with the Probate Court or an attorney): probate is handled in the county Probate Court; a will may be probated in common form or solemn form; the personal representative must publish a notice to debtors and creditors within 60 days of qualifying, once a week for four weeks, and creditors generally must present claims within 3 months of the last publication (OCGA §53-7-41 et seq.); an inventory is generally due within 6 months of qualification unless the will or heirs relieve the representative from filing it (OCGA §53-7-30); a surviving spouse and minor children may petition for year's support; Georgia has no state estate or inheritance tax. General information, not legal advice.
Steps are grouped the way the work actually arrives. Required marks a duty backed by a citation; Recommended marks something that protects you or the estate but is not itself a legal obligation.
Nearly every institution requires an original certified copy.
How: Order through the funeral home or the Georgia Department of Public Health / county vital records.
The original signed will is required to petition for probate.
How: Check the safe, files, and safe-deposit box; ask their attorney.
OCGA §53-7-30 · last checked 2026-07not yet confirmed
You are responsible for protecting estate property from loss.
How: Lock up, collect keys, consider re-keying, keep utilities on for now.
The mail reveals accounts and bills you don't know about.
How: USPS forwarding as 'executor for the estate of…'. Photograph everything into Settle.
Stops benefit payments that would have to be repaid. Survivor benefits are separate — nobody starts them for you.
How: The funeral home usually reports the death — confirm by calling SSA at 1-800-772-1213. If a surviving spouse or child may qualify for survivors benefits or the $255 lump-sum death payment, they must apply themselves; you cannot apply online. Ask about the benefit paid for the month of death, which often has to be returned.
Gets you Letters Testamentary or of Administration. Solemn form binds all heirs with notice; common form is faster but less final.
How: File the petition in the county Probate Court. Discuss common vs solemn form with the court or an attorney.
Statements, deeds, titles, and tax returns recur constantly through settlement.
How: Photograph everything into Settle as you find it.
Vacancy can limit or void coverage; an uninsured loss drains the estate.
How: Call the insurer and ask about a vacancy endorsement.
Needed for the estate bank account and tax filings.
How: Free at irs.gov, 15 minutes online.
Never mix estate money with your own.
How: Bring the letters, EIN, and a death certificate to the bank.
Georgia requires publishing a notice to debtors and creditors once a week for four weeks; creditors generally must present claims within 3 months of the last publication.
How: Arrange publication in the county's legal organ (newspaper). Track claims in Settle.
Freezes accounts against fraud; starts transfers.
How: Write to each institution with a certified death certificate and, once the court issues them, a copy of your Letters. Log who you contacted and when in Settle so you can show the follow-up trail.
Policies pay beneficiaries directly and often quickly.
How: Call each insurer with policy number + death certificate.
Stops fees and identity theft.
How: Notify issuers, then Equifax, Experian, TransUnion.
Georgia generally requires an inventory within 6 months of qualification, unless the will or all heirs relieve the representative from filing it (OCGA §53-7-30).
How: Settle's inventory report gives you the asset list. Check whether the will waives the inventory requirement.
OCGA §53-7-30 · last checked 2026-07not yet confirmed
Date-of-death values set tax basis and drive distribution.
How: Real estate: appraisal or broker opinion. Keep reports in Settle.
Protects estate value; order of payment matters if funds are tight.
How: Estate account only. If the estate may be insolvent, pause and get advice.
A final personal return (and possibly an estate income return) is due; Georgia has no state estate or inheritance tax, but federal filing still applies.
How: A CPA experienced with estates is usually worth it — hand them Settle's reports.
Documented expenses come back to you from the estate.
How: Settle's ledger tracks 'paid personally' items; reimburse with a paper trail.
Distribute only after the creditor period and any year's-support claim are handled — early distribution can create personal liability.
How: Follow the will (or Georgia intestacy rules). Get signed receipts; keep them in Settle.
Georgia representatives may petition for discharge from office and liability once the estate is settled.
How: Generate Settle's Ledger and Inventory reports; petition the Probate Court for discharge. Keep records for several years.
Settle builds this checklist into a plan you can actually work
The steps above, ordered for your situation in Georgia, with the deadlines on a calendar, your documents attached to the step that needs them, and an expense ledger for everything the estate owes you back. The plan itself is free.
Every figure on this page links to the statute or court source it came from and shows the date we last read it. 3 of the 4 citations on this page carry the “not yet confirmed” tag. That means we recorded the citation from a secondary source and have not yet read it against the primary statute text ourselves. We could have left those rows out and the page would look better — but it would imply the rest were checked too, which is exactly the impression nobody should be given about a court deadline.
The full registry, including everything we have not confirmed, is published at Where the state information comes from. If the court or your attorney gave you a different date, please tell us at [email protected] — it is the fastest way to get it fixed for the next executor.