What to Do in the First 30 Days of Probate

The first month of probate is often the hardest. You are grieving, the phone keeps ringing, and somewhere in a drawer there is paperwork that feels both urgent and unfamiliar. Here is the order I walk families through.

Week one: locate the original will and any codicils, secure the home and vehicles, and notify the post office and Social Security. Do not pay any creditor yet — and do not close bank accounts.

Week two: open the estate with the Register of Wills in the county where the decedent lived. In Dauphin County the office is in the courthouse on Front Street; in Cumberland County it is in Carlisle. You will receive Letters Testamentary (or Letters of Administration if there is no will), which is your legal authority to act for the estate.

Weeks three and four: open an estate bank account, begin inventorying assets, and request date-of-death values for every account, property, and investment. The Pennsylvania inheritance tax return is due nine months from the date of death, but a 5% discount applies if it is paid within three months — so the math is worth running early.

If any of this feels overwhelming, that is normal. Most executors only do this once or twice in a lifetime. The job of estate counsel is to keep the timeline honest and the paperwork moving, so you can focus on family.