What a newly named executor actually needs to do in the first month, sorted by priority, before probate is even filed.
⚖️ This is general information, not legal advice. It can't account for your specific situation. Use it to get oriented, then confirm the details with a licensed Ontario lawyer.
Being named executor, or realizing you're the closest next of kin where there's no will, comes with a list of tasks that don't wait for a court date. Some protect the estate from loss. Some stop bills, benefits and accounts from spiraling into a mess that takes months to untangle later. None of them require a Certificate of Appointment yet. This checklist sorts the first 30 days into what has to happen immediately, what should happen soon, and what can wait until the will and the estate's assets are better understood.
In the first few days
- Get 10 to 15 certified copies of the death certificate — banks, pension plans, insurers and the land registry each want their own original, not a photocopy.
- Secure the home — change or add a lock if it will sit empty, and tell the insurer it is now unoccupied, since an unoccupied policy usually has different terms.
- Search for the will — check the home, a lawyer's office, a safety deposit box and the Estate Registrar for Ontario.
- Hold off on selling, giving away or distributing anything — no one has authority to deal with estate property until the will and executor are confirmed.
Within the first two weeks
- Notify Service Canada — stops CPP and OAS payments and starts the inquiry into any CPP death benefit.
- Notify the employer — arranges final pay, benefits and any group life insurance.
- Tell the bank about accounts held in the deceased's name alone — a joint account with a spouse usually stays open; a sole account is frozen.
- Redirect mail and stop deliveries and subscriptions — prevents missed bills and reduces the risk of an obviously empty home.
- Confirm whether the estate will need probate — real estate held solely by the deceased, or an institution that insists on it, usually means yes.
By the end of the month
- Start an inventory of everything the deceased owned and how it was held — sole name, joint, or with a named beneficiary each point to a different answer.
- Gather consents from anyone with an equal or prior right to apply — needed before the probate application can be filed.
- List every known debt and creditor — credit cards, loans, unpaid bills and anything the deceased had personally co-signed.
- Open a dedicated estate bank account once you have authority to do so — keep estate money separate from your own from day one.
- Get legal advice on whether a small estate certificate applies — a simplified process is available for a modest, straightforward estate.
Questions worth raising with a lawyer early
- Does this estate need probate at all, given what the deceased owned and how each asset was held?
- Is a small estate certificate available under Rule 74.1, and would it actually save time and cost here?
- Who else has to consent, or be given notice, before an application can be filed?
- Is there any reason to worry about a will challenge, or a family member disputing who should act as trustee?
How Treadstone Law can help
None of this has to happen alone or all at once. A lawyer can take the application, the tax filing and the accounting off your hands while you deal with family and the funeral. The first 30 days are about protecting the estate, not finishing it.
Treadstone Law handles wills & estates matters on a transparent flat fee, with online intake and a real lawyer on your file, across Ontario.
- Start your file online at treadstonelaw.ca/start-file
- See flat-fee pricing at treadstonelaw.ca/pricing
- Learn more about our wills & estates services at treadstonelaw.ca/wills-estates
- Or call us: 1-844-900-1070
This is not legal advice
This guide is general information, not legal advice. Reading it does not create a lawyer-client relationship. Ontario laws and government programs change, and how the law applies depends on your specific facts. For advice about your situation, speak with a licensed Ontario lawyer. Treadstone Law is licensed by the Law Society of Ontario — reach us at 1-844-900-1070 or start a file online.