Executor Handbook is an independent, plain-English guide for people handling a relative’s estate in the US. It is for someone who has just lost a family member, a person named as executor, a family with a small estate, and a beneficiary wondering what happens next. We cover the first weeks, the executor’s job, probate, small estates, dying without a will, debts and taxes, and the house.
This page is general information, not legal or tax advice. Estate law varies by state and changes. Ask the court clerk, or a lawyer or tax professional, about your case.
What we do
Much of what is written on this subject defines the words. We start from the question in front of you: what has to happen now, what can wait, what an executor may and may not do, how long this is likely to take, and whether your state has a shorter route. Every page ends with the next practical step: what to gather, and who to ask.
Each limit, deadline, fee and rule links to its source at the claim. That means state statutes, court pages and forms, the IRS, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, the Social Security Administration and state agencies. State figures carry their statute and the date we read them. Our how we check page explains where each kind of fact comes from and how we word it. Pages are published under the Executor Handbook name.
What we are not
Executor Handbook is not a law firm, a tax practice, a court or a government agency. We do not practice law, and nothing here creates an attorney-client relationship. We have not seen your will, your estate or your paperwork, so we can’t say what you should do, what you are owed, or whether you would win a dispute. We explain the rules and the questions to ask. Your court, a lawyer or a tax professional can tell you how they apply to you.
How we are funded
Executor Handbook is funded by display advertising. Ads may not appear yet while the site is new. Once they run, some may come from law firms, lenders or other companies that serve estates. An ad is not an endorsement, and advertisers have no say over what we publish.
How we stay independent
- No affiliate links. We earn nothing if you buy something after reading a page.
- No paid placements. Nobody can pay for coverage, a mention or a better position.
- No sold leads. We collect no details to pass on to lawyers, lenders or anyone else.
- No lawyer referrals. We have no lawyer directory and no “free consultation” form, and we do not recommend, list or rank lawyers or firms. No firm pays us for a mention.
- Nothing for sale. We sell no forms, wills, trusts or software, and we make no loans against an inheritance. Forms are linked at the court or state that issues them, never hosted here.
That is why our pages can say things a seller might not: that a popular percentage for probate costs has no study behind it that we could find, that most estates in Oregon’s court figures closed within two years, or that avoiding probate has trade-offs.
How pages are checked
Every page gets a fact-check against its sources, separate from the writing. Each page ends with the date its sources were checked. If a rule could not be confirmed, it stays off the page or the page says so. Our editorial policy sets out each step.
Where to start
If someone has just died, start with what to do when someone dies, which separates what has to happen now from what can wait. If you have been named executor, the executor’s job, in order lays out the work. If the estate is modest, how a small estate affidavit works shows the limits we have read, state by state. And if you want an honest answer on time, see how long probate really takes.
Mistakes and questions
Our corrections page logs what we have fixed, and our contact page says how to reach us. Please read our disclaimer too.
