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North Dakota probate follows this general flow: contact the court, get appointed as personal representative, submit will if it exists, inventory and submit valuations of all relevant assets, have the court and beneficiaries approve it, and then distribute the assets to beneficiaries.
And as the executor or personal representative of an estate, you are also responsible for:
- Filing a petition for probate to the probate court in the country of the deceased
- Deciding if there are any probate assets
- Managing and locating these assets
- Valuing and appraising the estate's assets
- Receiving payments and paying taxes on behalf of the estate
- Setting up an estate checking account and EIN
- Interpreting the will
- Communicating and working with heirs/beneficiaries
- If there is no will, then distributing assets according to local law
- Valuing and appraising the estate's assets
- Officially notifying creditors
- Following all legal deadlines
- Paying funeral bills
- Filing estate tax returns
- Submitting death certificate
- Submitting distribution receipts and officially closing the estate
There are even more tiny steps in between, but that's the gist.
Yes, probate can feel like a lot, but remember that the process is often spread out over a year and you're even entitled to be paid executor fees as a portion of the estate (the collective value of all qualifying assets).
And having to manage all of these little details is exactly why having tools that walk you through every single step and ensure you don't miss anything are so helpful.
They can help tremendously by:
- Showing you every last thing you need to do when someone passes (that way you know when you're done).
- Giving you an exact list of deadlines and timelines for your particular state and jurisdiction.
- Highlighting other key details in local laws you should be aware of.
- Keeping all of your related tasks in one spot on your phone.
- Making sure you calculate the value of your assets correctly (miscalculation is a common and costly mistake).
