Executor checklist and probate organizer (Canada)
For an executor or estate trustee in Canada outside Quebec: the grant, assets, debts and tax filings, on US Letter. Here is a practical way to organize the estate paperwork so you, the other executors, the beneficiaries and anyone advising you can find everything quickly.
Checked against official sources on 3 November 2026.
The quick version
- Keep every estate paper in one binder, split into the sections below.
- Write down every date and deadline as it is set.
- Record every payment into and out of the estate as it happens.
- Keep a list of everyone you have told, with their reference numbers.
The first few weeks
- Register the death with your province and order death certificates
- Tell the CRA of the date of death (phone or Form RC4111)
- Tell Service Canada about CPP and OAS payments
- Tell Employment Insurance, if the person was receiving it
- Tell Equifax and TransUnion
- Lock the home and keep a list of who has keys
- Keep the home insured and heated as needed
- Arrange mail forwarding with Canada Post
- Take photos of valuables before anything moves
- Find the original will and keep it somewhere safe
- Find bank, investment, insurance and pension details
- Look for property deeds, vehicle papers and tax returns
- Find the passport and any citizenship or PR card
- Pay only urgent bills, and keep every receipt
- Don't distribute anything or sell property yet
- Ask a lawyer or the registry what you can do before the grant
Documents to gather
Gather these before you meet a lawyer or apply for the grant. Tick each one off as you find it.
- Death certificate and funeral director statement
- Social Insurance Number and date of birth
- Health card and driver's licence
- Marriage certificate, divorce papers and children's birth certificates
- Names and addresses of spouse, children and other likely beneficiaries
- Original will and any codicils
- Powers of attorney and trust documents
- Funeral invoice and proof of who paid it
- Prepaid funeral or burial plot paperwork
- Chequing, savings and GIC statements at date of death
- Investment and brokerage statements, including TFSA
- Safe deposit box details and key
- Online payment and crypto accounts
- Life insurance policies and beneficiary forms
- Money owed to the person, such as loans or refunds
- Deed and mortgage statements
- Property tax bills and home insurance
- Vehicle ownership and loan statements
- Valuation or assessment at date of death
- Valuables, jewellery, art and collections, with photos
- Keys and access codes
- Employer pension statements and beneficiary forms
- RRSP, RRIF and LIRA statements
- CPP and OAS letters
- Employment Insurance or disability papers
- CPP death benefit application (ISP1200)
- Credit card, line of credit and loan statements
- Medical and dental bills
- Utility, phone and subscription bills
- Creditor letters and claims received
- Income tax owing or CRA notices
- Tax returns and Notices of Assessment for recent years
- T4, T4A, T5 and other slips for the year of death
- Documents proving you are the legal representative
- Any CRA letters addressed to the person or the estate
- Application, notices and court orders in date order
- Grant of probate or Certificate of Appointment of Estate Trustee
- Contacts: lawyer, accountant, court registry, bank officer
- Executor Log with every call and decision
Dates and deadlines to track
- Date of death
- Will located (or no will)
- Grant or certificate applied for
- Grant or certificate issued
- Final T1 return due
- Estate Information Return due (ON)
- Clearance certificate requested
- Final accounts and distribution
Use the exact dates on the letters, forms and notices you receive.
How to section your binder
What this binder is for
Case Ready is a document organization tool for executors and administrators. This edition is designed with reference to estate administration and probate in Canada, using CRA, Service Canada and Ontario, British Columbia and Alberta guidance.
- Keep the estate paperwork in one place
- Track deadlines and who you have told
- Keep clear accounts for the beneficiaries
What this binder is not
Case Ready:
- Does not provide legal or tax advice
- Does not value assets or work out tax
- Does not replace the instructions of the registry or court
If you need advice, speak to an estate lawyer, your court registry or the Ontario, BC and Alberta government estate pages.
The first few weeks
Canada has no single notification service, so you tell each organization. Start by registering the death with your province, then ask for death certificates.
- Within a province, vital statistics tells the Social Insurance Number program for you.
- Call the CRA on 1-800-959-8281 or mail Form RC4111 to report the date of death.
- Tell Service Canada about CPP and OAS on 1-800-277-9914. Payments after the month of death must be returned.
- Employment Insurance: Service Canada 1-800-206-7218. Dental Care Plan: 1-833-537-4342.
- Send a valid passport to the Passport Program with a death certificate copy and a letter.
- Tell Equifax and TransUnion, and ask Canada Post about mail forwarding.
- Find the original will and the paperwork for the estate.
A CPP death benefit is a one-time payment to the estate or others. Apply on form ISP1200, per canada.ca.
How probate works here
Probate is provincial. Ontario calls it a Certificate of Appointment of Estate Trustee. BC and Alberta call it a grant. This organizer names Ontario, BC and Alberta. Elsewhere, use your own court's rules.
- List what the person owned and owed, and whether a grant or certificate is needed.
- Ontario: complete Form 74A, list the estate value, serve beneficiaries, and file in the home county.
- Ontario: pay estate administration tax when you file. Estate Information Return is due 180 days after the certificate.
- BC: Form P2 is required for all applications, at any BC Supreme Court registry. Search for a wills notice.
- Alberta: apply to the Court of King's Bench online through the Surrogate Digital Service, or on paper using GA1.
- Collect the assets, pay valid debts, file tax returns and keep a record of everything.
- Prepare accounts, get tax clearance, then distribute what remains.
A BC grant of probate is used with a will. A grant of administration is used with no will or no willing executor.
When you may not need a grant
Institutions set their own policies. Some accept a will without a grant, and many have a maximum amount they'll release. Ask each one what it needs before you apply.
- BC says some agencies and institutions need probate and others accept a will, within their own limits.
- Ontario offers an optional simpler Small Estate Certificate for smaller estates. Check the current limit on ontario.ca.
- Ontario says probate is normally required for real property not passing by survivorship, or if a bank holds assets.
- Assets with a named beneficiary or joint owner often pass outside the estate.
- Ontario recommends speaking to a lawyer about applying, trustee duties or challenges.
- If the person held assets outside BC, you may need a grant there and have it recognized. BC advises legal advice.
The simple route still needs forms and sometimes a bond. Don't assume it's quicker; ask the court registry.
Tax
A final T1 return is required for everyone who dies. The estate may file a T3 return for income earned after death. This organizer doesn't calculate tax. It names the forms and what to keep.
- Final T1: death from January 1 to October 31 means file and pay by April 30 of the next year.
- Death from November 1 to December 31: file and pay within 6 months of the date of death.
- If the person or their spouse was self-employed, June 15 may apply to filing for some deaths. Payment is not later.
- Optional T1 returns may apply, such as rights or things. The CRA lists them.
- T3 return: an estate is a testamentary trust. It may not be needed if it is distributed at once with no income.
- A graduated rate estate can only last up to 36 months after death.
- Request a clearance certificate on Form TX19 only after returns are assessed. Do not send it with the returns.
Without a clearance certificate you can be personally liable for tax owing, up to the value of what you distributed. Ontario's estate administration tax is separate.
Terms used in this organizer
- Executor: named in the will. Estate trustee is the Ontario term for an executor or administrator.
- Grant of probate: BC and Alberta, with a will. Ontario: Certificate of Appointment of Estate Trustee.
- Grant of administration: used with no will, or when the named executor cannot or will not act.
- Legal representative: the CRA term for the person who settles the estate, usually the executor.
- Clearance certificate: CRA confirmation the estate has paid its tax, requested on Form TX19.
- Estate administration tax: an Ontario charge on the estate value, paid when you apply.
- T3 return: the trust return the estate may file for income earned after death.
Provinces use different words and forms. Follow the ones on your own court papers.
Who this is for and where to get help
Anyone acting as executor or administrator in Canada. Ontario, British Columbia and Alberta are covered by name. Quebec and the territories are outside this edition. General information, not legal advice.
- BC says you do not need a lawyer to apply, but you must be well prepared. Its guide does not replace legal advice.
- A lawyer is usually worth it for disputes, debts that exceed assets, trusts, overseas assets or a complicated family.
- Ontario: ontario.ca estate pages and the Superior Court of Justice in the county where the person lived.
- BC: gov.bc.ca After a Death pages and any BC Supreme Court registry.
- Alberta: alberta.ca surrogate applications and the Surrogate Digital Service.
- CRA individual tax enquiries: 1-800-959-8281. Service Canada CPP and OAS: 1-800-277-9914.
Rules, forms and deadlines differ by province. Check your own court registry or website before you file.
Before you apply for the grant
- Death registered and death certificates ordered
- Original will found
- CRA and Service Canada told of the death
- List of beneficiaries and contact details gathered
- List of assets and debts started, with date-of-death values
- Decided whether you need a grant or certificate, per institution
- Lawyer consulted if the estate is complex or disputed
- Province-specific application forms completed
- Estate bank account plan ready for when the grant arrives
- Executor Log up to date
Save time with Case Ready
Case Ready is a printable, fillable executor binder for Canada: first weeks checklist, assets, debts and estate account pages, a list of organizations to tell and an estate accounts workbook for Excel and Google Sheets, with the estate details on every page. Type into it on screen or print it at home.
This binder is a general organizational aid. The process varies by country, state and estate. You are responsible for following the rules and instructions that apply to the estate you are dealing with. Nothing in this binder is legal or tax advice.