Probate Tracker for Executors

The most fundamental tracker is a task list: what needs to happen, in what order, and whether it has been done. Estate administration is not a single continuous task - it is a sequence of distinct steps, many of which depend on others being completed first.

For each task, you need to capture:

• What the task is and which stage of administration it belongs to

• Whether it is pending, in progress, or complete

• Any relevant deadline (for example, the IHT payment deadline falls 6 months from the end of the month of death)

• Any dependency (for example, you cannot send sealed copies until the grant has arrived)

A well-structured task list gives you a clear picture of where you are in the process and what the next action is. Without one, it is easy to forget steps or lose track of what is outstanding - particularly during periods when the administration is quiet and waiting for third-party responses.

Every bank, building society, insurer, pension provider, investment platform, and government department that held assets or dealt with the deceased needs to be contacted separately. Each has its own process, timescales, and documentation requirements.

For each institution, track:

• The institution name, account number, and contact details

• Date of initial bereavement notification sent

• Date-of-death balance (confirmed or awaited)

• Date sealed copy of grant sent, and the tracking reference

• Status: notified, balance received, grant received, account closed, funds transferred

This log is your single source of truth for the estate's financial progress. Without it, you will waste time chasing institutions you have already contacted, or forgetting to follow up with those that have not responded.

Probate involves handling a significant number of important documents, many of which are irreplaceable originals. Knowing what you have, where it is, and what you are still waiting for is essential.

Track each document with:

• Document name and type (original, certified copy, sealed copy)

• Where it is currently held (safe at home, sent to institution, awaited from institution)

• Date received or sent

• Notes on condition or restrictions (for example, the original will cannot be returned once submitted to the Probate Registry)

The documents you need to track include: original will, death certificates, all sealed copies (with a note of where each one is), IHT paperwork, all bank and investment valuations, property transfer documents, and final estate accounts.