Step by Step Guide to Opening a Probate Estate

Once the estate lawyer receives the signed orders from the court, the lawyer will need to obtain a taxpayer identification number for the estate. This can be done online at the IRS website through the EIN Assistant.

Note that if the probate judge requires that the Personal Representative/Executor post a bond, then the estate lawyer will need to work with the Personal Representative/Executor to secure the bond before the probate estate can be opened.

• Locate and Read the Decedent's Last Will and Testament
• Make a Complete List of the Benficiaries and Fiduciaries Named in the Will
• Make a Complete List of the Decedent's Assets
• Make a Complete List of the Decedent's Liabilities
• Meet With an Estate Lawyer
• Review and Sign the Documents Required to Open the Probate Estate
• Wait to Hear from the Estate Lawyer
• Provide Certified Copies of Probate Orders to All Financial Institutions