Free Petition for Probate

Open probate and request Letters Testamentary (with a will) or Letters of Administration (no will). State-specific petition contents, prepared for filing. PDF.

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You & the Will

Tell us about you and whether there is a will.

Opening probate?The whole estate, start to finish.

State Where the Estate Will Be Probated*

The state where the decedent was domiciled. Only states where a self-represented filer can prepare this document are listed.

Did the decedent leave a will?*

Yes — there is a will (request Letters Testamentary)No — there is no will (request Letters of Administration)

Your First Name*

Middle Name

Your Last Name*

Your Relationship to the Decedent*

How you are related to the person who died. Being named executor in the will is asked separately.

Your Street Address*

City*

ZIP Code*

FREE & PRIVATE: This form is free—no account or credit card required. Your document contents and generated PDF never leave your browser—SimplyTrust does not transmit or store them. Contact details you provide (name, email, phone, state) are transmitted only to send the updates you agree to receive at download. You are responsible for saving your completed document.

SELF-HELP SERVICE: SimplyTrust provides a self-help document preparation service. We are not a law firm and cannot provide legal advice, select forms for you, or tell you how to complete forms. Our role is limited to providing a platform where you input your own information into document templates.

NOT LEGAL ADVICE:This document was created entirely based on your selections. SimplyTrust does not review, analyze, or verify your entries, nor do we verify your identity, capacity, or authority to act. You are solely responsible for determining whether this document meets your needs and for completing all required execution formalities (signatures, witnesses, notarization, or recording) in accordance with your state's laws. For any legal questions, consult a licensed attorney in your state.

Frequently Asked Questions

They are the court document that gives a personal representative authority to act for an estate. Letters Testamentary are issued when there is a will (to the executor); Letters of Administration are issued when there is no will (to an administrator). The court issues them after it grants your petition — you cannot fill out Letters directly; you file a petition for them.

The petition (or application) is the document you prepare and file to open probate and request appointment. The Letters are the output the court issues afterward. This tool prepares the petition.

Most states permit it. Mississippi and Texas require an attorney of record to apply for Letters; every other jurisdiction allows a self-represented person to open an estate. Separately, we produce the petition document in 22 of 51 jurisdictions — the ones with a statewide form we can complete or statutory contents we can draft to. In the remaining states you may still file yourself, but the paperwork is county-local or drafted to the court's own requirements, so we explain the process and the alternatives instead of producing a document. Select your state to see which applies.

No. Some states publish a statewide fillable petition form, which we complete for you. Others have no form, so the petition must be drafted to the contents the state statute requires — which we generate. Select your state to see how it works there.

Yes. This tool prepares the petition; you sign it, attach the required documents (such as a certified death certificate and the original will), and file it with the probate court in the county where the decedent lived. The court reviews it and, if granted, issues the Letters.

How a Personal Representative Is Appointed

Before anyone can act for a deceased person’s estate, the court must appoint a personal representative — an executor when there is a will, or an administrator when there is none — and issue Letters.

Letters Testamentary (with a will) and Letters of Administration (no will) are issued by the court after it grants a petition. They are an output, not a form you fill out. The document a person actually files is the petition (or application) for probate and for Letters.

Some states publish an official statewide petition form to complete; others have no form, so the petition is drafted to the contents the state’s statute requires. A handful of states do not permit a self-represented person to open an estate at all — in those states the petition must be filed by an attorney.

Select your state to see how appointment works there, which court issues Letters, and whether the petition can be prepared without an attorney.

Is this your situation?

Get a complete guide for your specific circumstances.

Named as Executor

What an executor actually does: getting appointed, notifying creditors, paying debts and taxes, and where personal liability starts.

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

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

More tools for settling this estate

Calculators and checklists for navigating probate and estate administration.

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Notice to Creditors

Prepare the creditor notice for an estate — the official state form or a notice typeset to statute, plus mailed notices for known creditors.

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Small Estate Affidavit

Prepare the affidavit that collects a small estate's property without probate — the official state form or an affidavit drafted to statute, plus a presentation letter for each holder.

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Estate Inventory

Prepare the probate inventory of estate property — every asset at its date-of-death value, composed to your state's statute, with the state's filing or delivery instructions.

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Estate Closing

Prepare the paperwork that closes the estate — the state's closing statement, petition for discharge, or final account, with the state's closing instructions and the optional federal forms.

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Letter of Instruction

Prepare the letter of instruction a bank or insurer requests during estate settlement.

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Digital Assets Recovery Letter

Prepare a letter requesting a deceased person's digital-account assets from the program that holds them.

How Much Does Probate Cost?

Estimate attorney fees, executor fees, court costs, and timeline for probating an estate in your state. See if the estate qualifies for simplified probate procedures.

Use Calculator

How Much Can an Executor Charge?

Calculate how much an executor (personal representative) can charge for administering an estate. See if your state has statutory fees or uses reasonable compensation.

Use Calculator

Who Inherits Without a Will?

Find out who inherits your estate and how much they get if you die without a will. Based on your state's intestate succession laws.

Use Calculator

How Much Are Estate & Inheritance Taxes?

Calculate federal estate tax, state estate tax (12 states + DC), and inheritance tax (5 states) for an estate or trust.

Use Calculator

How Many Death Certificates Do I Need?

Calculate how many certified death certificates you need based on the assets and accounts you need to close. See state-specific ordering information.

Use Calculator

Do I Need Probate?

Answer a few questions to find out if an estate needs full probate, qualifies for simplified probate, or can avoid probate entirely with a small estate affidavit.

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Free Petition for Probate

You & the Will

Frequently Asked Questions

Is this your situation?

Named as Executor

Death of a Parent

Loss of a Spouse

More tools for settling this estate

Notice to Creditors

Small Estate Affidavit

Estate Inventory

Estate Closing

Letter of Instruction

Digital Assets Recovery Letter

How Much Does Probate Cost?

How Much Can an Executor Charge?

Who Inherits Without a Will?

How Much Are Estate & Inheritance Taxes?

How Many Death Certificates Do I Need?

Do I Need Probate?

Your kids shouldn't have to do this.

Free Petition for Probate

You & the Will

Frequently Asked Questions