Being named executor in Ohio is a 12–18 month job nobody trained you for. This is the whole sequence — what Ohio requires of you, what is merely sensible, and which statute each requirement comes from.
Creditor claims must be presented within 6 months after the date of death, and are forever barred afterwards. An absolute bar running from death, not from publication — unusually short, and the reason Ohio deserves an early flag.read at source
6 months from death
ORC §2117.06 · last checked 2026-09-05
Release from administration for gross estates at or below $35,000, or $100,000 where the surviving spouse is the sole beneficiary.read at source
$35,000 / $100,000
ORC §2113.03 · last checked 2026-09-05
Inventory generally due within 3 months of the fiduciary's appointment.read at source
3 months
ORC §2115.02 · last checked 2026-09-07
Ohio specifics (verify current law with the Probate Court or an attorney): the person holding the will must deliver it to the Probate Court; an inventory is generally due within 3 months of the fiduciary's appointment (ORC §2115.02); creditor claims must be presented within 6 months of the date of death — an absolute bar (ORC §2117.06); smaller estates may qualify for release from administration (generally $35,000 or less, or up to $100,000 if the surviving spouse is the sole heir); Ohio has no estate tax. General information, not legal advice.
Steps are grouped the way the work actually arrives. Required marks a duty backed by a citation; Recommended marks something that protects you or the estate but is not itself a legal obligation.
Nearly every institution requires an original certified copy.
How: Order through the funeral home or the Ohio Department of Health / local registrar.
Ohio law requires the person holding the will to deliver it to the Probate Court after death.
How: Take the original will to the Probate Court in the county where they lived.
You are responsible for protecting estate property from loss.
How: Lock up, collect keys, consider re-keying, keep utilities on for now.
The mail reveals accounts and bills you don't know about.
How: You cannot do this online. To redirect the deceased's mail to yourself you must go to a Post Office IN PERSON and show documented proof that you are the appointed executor or administrator — USPS says plainly that a death certificate alone is NOT enough, so take your Letters. If you already shared the address, you may simply open and manage the mail, no filing needed. Register the name at DMAchoice.org too: advertising mail should drop within about three months. Photograph everything into Settle.
USPS, Mail addressed to the deceased · last checked 2026-09-28read at source
Stops benefit payments that would have to be repaid. Survivor benefits are separate — nobody starts them for you.
How: The funeral home usually reports the death — confirm by calling SSA on 1-800-772-1213. Ask about the benefit paid for the month of death, which often has to be returned. A surviving spouse, or an eligible child if there is no spouse, may claim the $255 lump-sum death payment, and survivors benefits are a separate claim — nobody starts either for you. There is a hard deadline: the lump sum must be applied for within TWO YEARS of the death. Apply online with an SSA account, or by phone.
SSA, Lump-sum death payment · last checked 2026-09-28read at source
A simplified process that avoids full administration for smaller estates.
How: Generally available if the estate is $35,000 or less, or up to $100,000 when the surviving spouse is the sole heir. Ask the Probate Court.
Gets you Letters of Authority so institutions will deal with you.
How: File the application in the county Probate Court where they lived.
Statements, deeds, titles, and tax returns recur constantly through settlement.
How: Photograph everything into Settle as you find it.
Vacancy can limit or void coverage; an uninsured loss drains the estate.
How: Call the insurer and ask about a vacancy endorsement.
Needed for the estate bank account and tax filings.
How: Free, direct from the IRS — never pay a site that charges for one. Apply online, but know three things first. You must finish in ONE session: it cannot be saved and it times out after 15 minutes of inactivity. You need the responsible party's own Social Security number or ITIN — yours, as the executor. And the tool is not always open: Mon-Fri 6am-1am, Sat 6am-9pm, Sun 6pm-midnight Eastern, one EIN per responsible party per day.
IRS, Get an employer identification number · last checked 2026-09-28read at source
Never mix estate money with your own.
How: Bring Letters of Authority, EIN, and a death certificate to the bank.
Ohio creditors must present claims within 6 months of the date of death — an absolute bar (ORC §2117.06). This clock runs from death, not from your appointment, so it may be well underway.
How: Calculate the 6-month-from-death date now. Track any claims received in Settle; do not distribute before it passes.
Freezes accounts against fraud; starts transfers.
How: Write to each institution with a certified death certificate and, once the court issues them, a copy of your Letters. Log who you contacted and when in Settle so you can show the follow-up trail.
Policies pay beneficiaries directly and often quickly.
How: Call each insurer with policy number + death certificate.
Stops fees and identity theft.
How: Notify issuers, then Equifax, Experian, TransUnion.
Ohio generally requires the fiduciary to file an inventory within 3 months of appointment (ORC §2115.02).
How: Settle's inventory report gives you the asset list; file it with the Probate Court.
ORC §2115.02 · last checked 2026-07not yet confirmed
Date-of-death values set tax basis and drive distribution.
How: Real estate: appraisal or broker opinion. Keep reports in Settle.
Protects estate value; order of payment matters if funds are tight.
How: Estate account only. If the estate may be insolvent, pause and get advice.
A final personal return (and possibly an estate income return) is due; Ohio has no estate tax, but federal filing still applies.
How: Three federal filings can apply, and they are not the same thing. The final Form 1040 covers income up to the date of death and is filed on the ordinary deadline, as if they were alive — prior years may also be outstanding. If a refund is due, it will NOT arrive on its own: file Form 1310 to claim it. Separately, the estate itself files Form 1041 for any tax year it has gross income of $600 or more. IRS Publication 559 is written for executors. A CPA experienced with estates is usually worth it — hand them Settle's reports.
IRS, File the final income tax returns of a deceased person; Instructions for Form 1041 · last checked 2026-09-28read at source
Documented expenses come back to you from the estate.
How: Settle's ledger tracks 'paid personally' items; reimburse with a paper trail.
Distributing before the 6-month creditor window closes and debts/taxes are paid can create personal liability.
How: Follow the will (or Ohio intestacy rules). Get signed receipts; keep them in Settle.
The Probate Court discharges you once the final account is approved.
How: Generate Settle's Ledger and Inventory reports; file the final account. Keep records for several years.
Settle builds this checklist into a plan you can actually work
The steps above, ordered for your situation in Ohio, with the deadlines on a calendar, your documents attached to the step that needs them, and an expense ledger for everything the estate owes you back. The plan itself is free.
Every figure on this page links to the statute or court source it came from and shows the date we last read it. 1 of the 8 citations on this page carry the “not yet confirmed” tag. That means we recorded the citation from a secondary source and have not yet read it against the primary statute text ourselves. We could have left those rows out and the page would look better — but it would imply the rest were checked too, which is exactly the impression nobody should be given about a court deadline.
The full registry, including everything we have not confirmed, is published at Where the state information comes from. If the court or your attorney gave you a different date, please tell us at support@vertexlabsolutions.com — it is the fastest way to get it fixed for the next executor.