Someone you love has passed away, and the will names you as executor. There’s a lot to do, and some of the tax steps have real deadlines. Here’s a first-30-days checklist, the returns that may be due, and three mistakes that can make an executor personally responsible to the IRS.

The first two weeks

First, order more death certificates than you think you need. Ten to fifteen certified copies. Every bank, insurance company, and agency wants its own.

Second, find the will and any trust papers. Check the home safe, the desk, the safe-deposit box, and call the attorney who wrote it.

Third, secure the home, the car, and any valuables. Keep the insurance active. An empty house with a lapsed policy is a real risk.

Fourth, forward the mail to yourself. The mail is your map: statements and bills show you every account and every debt.

And make sure Social Security has been notified. The funeral home usually does this, but confirm it.

Get legally appointed

Being named in the will doesn’t give you power yet. You file the will with the probate court in the county where the person lived, and the court appoints you.

The court gives you a document called Letters Testamentary, or Letters of Administration if there was no will. That paper is your key. Without it, the bank won’t open an estate account and won’t even talk to you. Ask the court clerk for several certified copies.

Three tax steps to take quickly

This is where many people slow down, and it’s worth moving fast.

Step one: get a tax ID number for the estate, called an EIN. It’s free and instant on IRS.gov. The estate is now its own taxpayer.

Step two: file Form 56 with the IRS. It tells the IRS you’re the person acting for the estate, so letters come to you.

Step three: open an estate bank account using that EIN, and run every dollar in and out of it. Every bill, every deposit.

Mistake number one: letting income after death keep going under the person’s Social Security number — interest, dividends, rent, all of it. Income before the date of death goes on their final personal return. Income after the date of death belongs to the estate. Give each bank a W-9 with the estate’s EIN so the forms come out right.

The returns: there can be up to three

One: the person’s final Form 1040. It covers January 1 to the date of death and is due April 15 of the next year. If there’s a surviving spouse, they can usually still file jointly for that year.

Two: Form 1041, the estate’s own income tax return. It’s required for any year the estate has $600 or more of gross income. A tip many people don’t know: the estate can choose a fiscal year instead of a calendar year, which can spread out or delay the tax.

Three: Form 706, the federal estate tax return, due nine months after death. For 2026 deaths, it’s only required for estates over $15 million. But if there’s a surviving spouse, filing it anyway can pass the unused exemption to the spouse. That’s called portability, and you can even file it late, up to five years after death.

Don’t forget your state. About a dozen states, including New York, have their own estate tax with much lower limits.

Mistake number two: missing the year-of-death required minimum distribution. If the person was already taking money out of their IRA and hadn’t taken this year’s amount, the beneficiary has to take it. Call the IRA company right away.

Protect yourself before money goes out

Mistake number three, and the scariest: paying out everything to the family before the last tax return is filed. If the IRS later says more tax is owed and the money’s gone, the executor can be personally responsible.

So keep a reserve until the final returns are filed. Two forms can help protect you:

  • Form 4810 asks the IRS for a quicker review, which shortens the time they have to come back with questions.
  • Form 5495 asks to release you from personal liability.

One more: if you take an executor fee, it’s taxable income to you. Many family executors choose to waive it. Decide before you take any money.

Keep the deadlines in one place

An executor organizer can help you keep this in one file. You type the date of death once, and the tax deadlines fill in. The one shown in the video has tabs for assets, debts, who you’ve notified, and what you’ve paid out, plus a page you can print for your tax preparer.

Take it one step at a time: death certificates, get appointed, EIN, Form 56, estate account. The rest can follow.