Is this your situation?
Get a complete guide for your specific circumstances.
Loss of a Spouse
What a surviving spouse needs to do: death certificates, survivor benefits, whether probate is even required, and the tax election that expires.
Learn more
Death of a Parent
A step-by-step guide to what happens after a parent dies: the documents to find, the certificates to order, and whether probate is even required.
Learn more
Named as Executor
What an executor actually does: getting appointed, notifying creditors, paying debts and taxes, and where personal liability starts.
Learn moreForms for Settling an Estate in Pennsylvania
Free forms for settling an estate in Pennsylvania: the probate petition, small estate affidavit, notice to creditors, inventory, and closing forms.
IRS Form 56
Notify the IRS that you are the fiduciary of an estate, a trust or a person, or end a notice filed before, on the official form.
Digital Assets Recovery Letter
Prepare a letter requesting a deceased person's online accounts, points, and balances from the program that holds them.
Petition for Probate and Letters
In Pennsylvania, the petition asks the Register of Wills of the county of the decedent’s domicile to appoint the personal representative, whose authority is proved by Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration; an informal (registrar) track is available20 Pa.C.S. § 901 (register jurisdiction over probate of wills and grant of letters), § 3155 (register grants letters testamentary/administration), § 908 (appeal from register's decree to the Orphans' Court)Verified Sep 8, 2026View source.
Notice to Creditors
In Pennsylvania, the notice to creditors is published for 320 Pa.C.S. §§ 3162, 3381-3392, 3532Verified Oct 19, 2026View source weeks in a local newspaper, and creditors have 12 months20 Pa.C.S. § 3532 (one year from first complete advertisement of the grant of letters — a risk-distribution protection period for the personal representative, not a nonclaim bar)Verified Sep 8, 2026View source from first publication to present claims.
Renunciation of Executor
In Pennsylvania, a person named as personal representative may renounce the right to servePa. O.C. Rule 10.1; Form RW-06 rev. 01.01.20Verified Sep 23, 2026View source before anyone is appointed.
Affidavit of Heirship
In Pennsylvania, heirs put their identity on the land records with a recorded affidavit of facts affecting title that states who the heirs areAct of Nov. 5, 1981, P.L. 328, No. 118, §§ 1-3; 20 Pa.C.S. § 3546; 75 Pa.C.S. § 1114Verified Sep 24, 2026View source; once recorded it is admissible as evidence of the facts stated.
Estate Inventory
In Pennsylvania, the personal representative files the estate inventory within 270 days20 Pa.C.S. §§ 3301-3303Verified Sep 15, 2026View source of appointment.
Estate Closing
In Pennsylvania, the personal representative is discharged automatically once the statutory period runs20 Pa.C.S. §§ 3531, 3532, 3533, 3514, 3521Verified Sep 15, 2026View source, and no final accounting is required.
Tools for Settling an Estate in Pennsylvania
Free tools for settling an estate in Pennsylvania: whether probate is needed, executor and trustee pay, creditor deadlines, and inheritance taxes.
How Many Death Certificates Do I Need?
In Pennsylvania, certified death certificates come from the Pennsylvania Department of Health - Division of Vital RecordsPennsylvania Department of Health - Division of Vital RecordsVerified Oct 15, 2026View source; the first copy costs $20Pennsylvania Department of Health - Division of Vital RecordsVerified Oct 15, 2026View source.
Do I Need Probate?
In Pennsylvania, estates with personal property of $50,00020 Pa.C.S. § 3102Verified Sep 8, 2026View source or less qualify for the Settlement of Small Estates on Petition20 Pa.C.S. § 3102Verified Sep 8, 2026View source, a court procedure short of full probate.
Do I Have to File Tax Returns for Someone Who Died?
Pennsylvania requires a final state income tax return for the decedent alongside the federal Form 104072 P.S. § 7302Verified Sep 20, 2026View source; a federal estate tax return (Form 706) is required only for estates above $15,000,00026 USC 2001(c), 2010; P.L. 119-21 §70106Verified Sep 15, 2026View source.
How Do I Settle an Estate?
Settling an estate in Pennsylvania: the personal representative files the estate inventory within 270 days20 Pa.C.S. §§ 3301-3303Verified Sep 15, 2026View source of appointment; creditors have 12 months20 Pa.C.S. §§ 3162, 3381-3392, 3532Verified Oct 19, 2026View source to present claims; a simple estate closes in 6 months to 9 months.
What Do I Do When Someone Dies?
After a death in Pennsylvania, the estate either qualifies for the simplified procedure for estates under $50,00020 Pa.C.S. § 3102Verified Sep 8, 2026View source or goes through probate, where creditors have 12 months20 Pa.C.S. § 3532 (one year from first complete advertisement of the grant of letters — a risk-distribution protection period for the personal representative, not a nonclaim bar)Verified Sep 8, 2026View source to file claims after notice.
How Much Are Estate & Inheritance Taxes?
Pennsylvania levies an inheritance tax72 P.S. § 9116Verified Sep 15, 2026View source, paid by the beneficiary at a rate set by relationship, and no estate tax; the federal estate tax applies above $15,000,00026 USC 2001(c), 2010; P.L. 119-21 §70106Verified Sep 15, 2026View source.
What Taxes Apply to My Inheritance?
In Pennsylvania, an inheritance is subject to a state inheritance tax72 P.S. § 9116Verified Sep 15, 2026View source at a rate set by the beneficiary's relationship; probate assets arrive when the estate closes, 6 months to 9 months for a simple estate.
Hire a Pennsylvania Probate Attorney
Browse 113 probate firms in Pennsylvania with addresses, contact info, and practice details.
Your kids shouldn't have to do this.
Pennsylvania Estate Settlement Resources
In-depth guides covering Pennsylvania probate, estate administration, and settling an estate.