The Executor's First 30 Days — A Canadian Action Checklist
Being appointed executor is significant work — typically 100-300 hours over 12-24 months for a moderately complex estate. The first 30 days set the tone. Done well, they establish a clean file that makes the remaining months manageable. Done poorly, they create cascading problems that take weeks to undo.
This checklist gives you a week-by-week action list for the first 30 days. Read it on the page, print it, or download the PDF below.
When to use this checklist
For newly-appointed Canadian executors. Especially when:
- You have just been informed you are named as executor
- You have never served as an executor before
- The deceased's affairs are moderately organized (a will, some records, accessible documents)
- You want a clear written sequence to follow rather than guessing what to do next
The checklist
Week 1 — Immediate priorities
- Confirm you have been formally identified as executor (in the will)
- Order 8-12 certified death certificates from your provincial vital statistics office
- Locate the original will (not just a copy)
- Coordinate with the funeral home for the funeral or memorial service
- Make initial calls to the deceased's bank to flag accounts (estate department)
- Identify and arrange care for any pets
- Begin a notebook or digital file for documenting every decision and action
- If the deceased had a Life Discovery Kit, locate and read it cover to cover
Week 2 — Institution notifications begin
- Notify the deceased's primary bank in person (bring death certificate, will, ID)
- Apply for funeral expense release from the bank if needed
- Notify Service Canada of the death (CPP, OAS, GIS, EI all stop)
- Begin CPP death benefit application
- If surviving spouse, begin CPP survivor's pension application
- Contact the deceased's employer (final paycheque, group life insurance, group benefits, pension)
- Contact the deceased's life insurance providers (life policies, AD&D, mortgage insurance, credit card insurance)
- Identify any pre-arranged funeral payments
Week 3 — Notifications continue
- Notify Equifax Canada of the death (flags credit file, prevents fraud)
- Notify TransUnion Canada of the death
- Request credit reports from both bureaus (identifies hidden credit accounts)
- Pull 12 months of bank and credit card statements
- Audit recurring transactions (subscriptions, donations, utilities, insurance)
- Begin cancelling subscriptions the deceased no longer needs
- Identify recurring transactions that need to continue (utility on estate property, etc.)
- Notify provincial drug plan, senior's supplement, health card cancellation
- Notify provincial driver/vehicle licensing (cancel driver's licence)
Week 4 — Probate preparation
- Decide whether to engage a lawyer for probate (depends on complexity)
- Begin asset inventory (bank, brokerage, real estate, vehicles, personal property)
- Begin liability inventory (mortgage, loans, credit cards, taxes owing, funeral costs)
- Begin probate application paperwork
- Engage a tax accountant if not already
- Begin gathering documents for the deceased's final tax return
- Schedule the probate application filing (typically week 5-6)
- Notify beneficiaries that they are named in the will (some provinces require this before probate)
What NOT to do in the first 30 days
- Do NOT distribute any estate assets to beneficiaries (wait for CRA clearance)
- Do NOT pay any unsecured debts in full while the estate may be insolvent (pay pro-rata in statutory order)
- Do NOT close the deceased's accounts unilaterally (the bank's estate process handles this)
- Do NOT comingle estate funds with your personal funds (open the estate account when permitted)
- Do NOT use the deceased's online banking after death (unauthorized access; can complicate the bank relationship)
- Do NOT promise specific amounts to beneficiaries (you may not know the final picture for months)
Download a print-ready PDF
Download the Executor's First 30 Days checklist PDF →
(PDF download with optional newsletter signup. The full content above is free to read or print directly.)
Want a checklist customized for your situation?
This is the standard free version. It's Simple Will customers get a personalized version generated from the Life Discovery Kit — every item pre-filled with specific information:
- Your bank's actual name and the specific estate-services phone number (not just "call the bank")
- Your insurance providers, with policy numbers and contact information
- Your accountant's name and contact information
- The specific pre-arrangements you made (funeral home, gift designations, organ donor registration)
- Your designated executor backup contacts
The executor doesn't need to gather this information from scratch — it's in their hands on day one.
Learn more about It's Simple Will →
Related guides
Citations & sources
- [1]Canada.ca — What to do following a death — Government of Canada
- [2]Canadian Bar Association — Wills, Estates and Trusts Section — Canadian Bar Association
Frequently asked questions
Should I quit work to handle the estate?
Almost never necessary. Most estate administration can be done on evenings and weekends. The first week may be intensive (funeral, family communication), but after that most actions are documentation, phone calls, and waiting. Many Canadian executors handle estates of moderate complexity while working full-time. Complex estates or those with disputes may justify reduced work hours temporarily.
When can I start paying funeral expenses from estate funds?
Once the bank's funeral expense release is approved (typically week 1-2, on production of the funeral invoice). Before that, the family may need to advance funds, which the estate reimburses later. Many banks will release funds toward funeral costs without requiring probate — often a few thousand dollars, though amounts and policies vary by bank.
Do I need a lawyer immediately?
Not usually in the first 30 days. Engaging a lawyer makes sense before probate application (week 4-6 typically) for complex estates, or earlier if disputes arise or the will is contested. Simple estates can sometimes proceed without a lawyer through probate. Estate lawyers' fees vary — some charge flat rates or hourly, and some charge a percentage of the estate value; ask for a fee structure up front.
What if other family members are demanding their inheritance immediately?
Politely but firmly explain that distribution comes near the end of the process, not the beginning. Distributing before paying debts, taxes, and obtaining CRA clearance can expose you to personal liability for any later reassessment. The standard guidance is 'no major distribution until CRA clearance,' which typically means 12-24 months after death.
Should I open a separate estate bank account?
Yes, but usually after probate is granted (week 6-16 depending on province). The estate account is where estate income (CPP death benefit, investment maturities, etc.) goes and where bills are paid from. Practice varies by bank — some won't open an estate account until probate is granted, while others allow one to be opened earlier.
What is the single most important thing to do well in the first 30 days?
Documentation. Keep a notebook (or digital file) with every conversation, every document submitted, every decision made and why, every dollar in and out. The eventual passing of accounts (formal accounting to beneficiaries or court) requires this. Without it, you'll be reconstructing the entire administration from memory at the end.