Iowa Resources for Executors
The Hawkeye State
Iowa probate courts, executor forms, probate cost and executor fee calculators, and the agencies and banks to notify after a death.
Settle an estate in Iowa, step by step
A Iowa settlement plan lists each task in order, from the death certificate to the final distribution, with the Iowa deadlines and forms attached to each step.
Start the Iowa settlement plan →Iowa Probate and Settlement Rules
Smaller estates under $100,000Iowa Code § 633.356Verified Sep 8, 2026View source can use a simplified transfer process that avoids full probate proceedings. Unlike states with formal independent administration statutes (such as California and Texas), Iowa doesn't offer a simplified procedure for executors to petition for reduced court oversight. However, executors typically have statutory authority to manage routine estate matters. For families looking to avoid probate court involvement entirely, a revocable living trust remains the most reliable option.
Iowa does not impose a state estate tax or inheritance tax, which means estates are only subject to the federal estate tax (currently exempting the first $15,000,00026 USC 2001(c), 2010; P.L. 119-21 §70106Verified Sep 15, 2026View source per person, or $30,000,00026 USC 2001(c), 2010; P.L. 119-21 §70106Verified Sep 15, 2026View source for married couples using portability). This is a meaningful advantage over the states that layer their own death taxes on top of the federal system.
Iowa protects the residence from creditors by statute with no dollar limit on the home's value. Executors must publish a notice to creditors, who then have 4 monthsIowa Code § 633.410Verified Sep 8, 2026View source to file claims against the estate. Known creditors must also receive direct written notice.
Legal Sources
Data sourced from Iowa statutes and official state code. How we research.
Find Your County’s Probate Court
An estate is opened in the probate court of the county where the person lived. Click on any county in Iowa for that court’s contact information, filing procedures, fees, and what to do when someone dies there.
All 100 Iowa counties
- Adair
- Adams
- Allamakee
- Appanoose
- Audubon
- Benton
- Black Hawk
- Boone
- Bremer
- Buchanan
- Buena Vista
- Butler
- Calhoun
- Carroll
- Cass
- Cedar
- Cerro Gordo
- Cherokee
- Chickasaw
- Clarke
- Clay
- Clayton
- Clinton
- Crawford
- Dallas
- Davis
- Decatur
- Delaware
- Des Moines
- Dickinson
- Dubuque
- Emmet
- Fayette
- Floyd
- Franklin
- Fremont
- Greene
- Grundy
- Guthrie
- Hamilton
- Hancock
- Hardin
- Harrison
- Henry
- Howard
- Humboldt
- Ida
- Iowa
- Jackson
- Jasper
- Jefferson
- Johnson
- Jones
- Keokuk
- Kossuth
- Lee North
- Lee South
- Linn
- Louisa
- Lucas
- Lyon
- Madison
- Mahaska
- Marion
- Marshall
- Mills
- Mitchell
- Monona
- Monroe
- Montgomery
- Muscatine
- OBrien
- Osceola
- Page
- Palo Alto
- Plymouth
- Pocahontas
- Polk
- Pottawattamie
- Poweshiek
- Ringgold
- Sac
- Scott
- Shelby
- Sioux
- Story
- Tama
- Taylor
- Union
- Van Buren
- Wapello
- Warren
- Washington
- Wayne
- Webster
- Winnebago
- Winneshiek
- Woodbury
- Worth
- Wright
Iowa Estate Settlement Forms
Probate petition, notice to creditors, inventory, closing. Free for Iowa.
EIN Application
Get the tax ID number (EIN) banks require to open an estate account or trust account after someone dies.
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.
IRS Form 1310
Claim a refund due a deceased taxpayer on the official form, on the box the form routes you to, with what the form says to attach.
Petition for Probate and Letters
Open probate and ask the court to appoint you and issue Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration.
Notice to Creditors
Notify estate creditors and start the claim period — the published notice plus mailed copies for known creditors.
Renunciation of Executor
Decline an appointment as executor named in a will — the writing filed with the court before anyone is appointed.
Affidavit of Heirship
Prepare the sworn statement of a deceased person's family history and heirs for recording in the county land records, with your state's recording instructions.
Affidavit of Death
Put a joint owner's or a transfer on death deed owner's death on the land records with the affidavit your state's statute names, laid out for recording.
Small Estate Affidavit
Collect a small estate's property without probate — the sworn affidavit presented to banks and other holders, with a presentation letter for each.
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.
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.
Iowa Tools & Calculators
Probate cost, executor fees, creditor deadlines and more for Iowa.
Iowa Probate Attorneys
Find probate and estate administration attorneys by practice area in Iowa.
Government Agencies to Notify in Iowa
State-administered programs an executor handles after a death in Iowa.
Banks and Financial Institutions in Iowa
Banks, brokerages, and credit unions serving Iowa, each with its own death claim process.
Is this your situation?
Get a complete guide for your specific circumstances.
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.
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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.
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Named as Executor
What an executor actually does: getting appointed, notifying creditors, paying debts and taxes, and where personal liability starts.
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Named as Trustee
Being named trustee means managing trust assets and carrying out the grantor's wishes. Your duties, timeline, compensation, and how to get started.
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