How Do I Get Appointed as Executor in Connecticut?

In Connecticut, the Connecticut Probate Court appoints the personal representative and the Probate Court issues Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration; every appointment goes through the court.

State

Document Type

Getting appointed in Connecticut

Fiduciary (executor if testate, administrator if intestate)

The form that opens the estate

PC-200

Petition/Administration or Probate of Will · Fillable PDF · View source

Start this petition for Connecticut — the builder fills it with your answers. You review, sign, and file it with the court.

Where you file

Connecticut Probate Court (the court for the probate district in which the decedent was domiciled at death)

What the court issues (with a will)

Letters Testamentary

issued by Probate Court

Letters are an output — the court issues them after granting the petition.

At a glance

UPC adoptedInformal trackE-filing (self-represented)Self-represented filingLocal/county forms

eFiling is mandatory for attorneys (since January 1, 2020) and optional for self-represented parties. Under Probate Court Rules of Procedure section 7.1a, as amended effective July 1, 2026, the documents that may not be eFiled are an original will, codicil or other testamentary document (including an exemplified copy to commence an ancillary estate), an original record of adoption, an original record of parentage, and any document the court requires in paper form; the original probate bond is no longer on that list. If a paper original is also eFiled as a copy, the system watermarks it and the court substitutes the scanned original. Fiduciary certificates are not transmitted through eFiling; the court mails the sealed certificate to the fiduciary or their attorney.

Bond

Required before Letters: Yes
Waivable by will: Yes
Waivable by beneficiaries: Yes

What to file with the petition

Copy of the death certificate, with the Social Security number redacted (PC-200 instruction 3)
Original will and codicils, if any (filed on paper). A custodian must deliver the will forthwith after learning of the death, to the named executor or to the Probate Court (C.G.S. § 45a-282(a); penalty if neglected for 30 days), and the named executor must apply for probate of the will within 30 days of the death (C.G.S. § 45a-283(a))
Confidential Information Sheet, PC-200CI (decedent Social Security number; filed separately from the public petition)
Acceptance of trust signed by each proposed fiduciary (included on the PC-200 'Proposed Fiduciary' section)
Appointment of Probate Judge as Agent for Service by Non-Resident Fiduciary, PC-482 (only if the proposed fiduciary is not a Connecticut resident)
Probate bond unless excused (C.G.S. § 45a-289), or a Bond Waiver, PC-280, signed by the heirs/beneficiaries

Small-estate alternative

Bypasses full Letters: Yes
Form: PC-212View source
Form name: Affidavit in Lieu of Probate of Will/Administration

State-specific notes

One Petition/Administration or Probate of Will (PC-200) serves both the executor (will admitted to probate) and the administrator (intestate) tracks; the petitioner checks the applicable representations and the proposed fiduciary signs the acceptance of trust on the form. Connecticut requires an estate tax return for every decedent regardless of value, due six months from the date of death: Form CT-706 NT is filed with the Probate Court where the Connecticut taxable estate is under the exemption, while an estate over the exemption files Form CT-706/709 with the Department of Revenue Services and files a copy with the Probate Court. The small-estate affidavit (PC-212) is capped at $40,000 of personal property with no solely owned real estate (C.G.S. § 45a-273). A temporary administrator may be appointed in an emergency to preserve assets before full appointment (C.G.S. §§ 45a-316, 45a-317).

General information about how a personal representative is appointed, not legal advice. Consult a licensed attorney for legal questions. Data verified Aug 24, 2026

Connecticut uses Petition/Administration or Probate of Will (PC-200), filed with the Connecticut Probate Court. Probate Court issues Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration after the court grants the petition.

Along with the petition, Connecticut generally requires: Copy of the death certificate, with the Social Security number redacted (PC-200 instruction 3); Original will and codicils, if any (filed on paper). A custodian must deliver the will forthwith after learning of the death, to the named executor or to the Probate Court (C.G.S. § 45a-282(a); penalty if neglected for 30 days), and the named executor must apply for probate of the will within 30 days of the death (C.G.S. § 45a-283(a)); Confidential Information Sheet, PC-200CI (decedent Social Security number; filed separately from the public petition).

Yes. Connecticut requires a bond by default before Letters issue. A will can waive it. The beneficiaries can also waive it in writing.

Connecticut permits a self-represented person to open an estate, using Petition/Administration or Probate of Will (PC-200). E-filing is open to self-represented filers. The Connecticut self-file probate assessment sets self-filing against attorney costs.

Yes. A revocable living trust passes its assets to the beneficiaries without a court appointment in Connecticut: no petition, no Letters, no bond. A revocable trust built with SimplyTrust takes about fifteen minutes.

Getting Appointed in Connecticut

In Connecticut, a personal representative is appointed by the Connecticut Probate Court. Probate Court issues the Letters that prove authority over the estate — Letters Testamentary (with a will) or Letters of Administration (no will). Connecticut has not adopted the Uniform Probate Code.

The estate is opened by filing Petition/Administration or Probate of Will (PC-200) with the court. The court filing fee runs $150 - $40,000 (graduated by the estate value), and Connecticut has no informal (registrar) appointment track, so every appointment goes through the court.

Connecticut requires a bond by default before Letters issue, though a will can waive it and the beneficiaries can waive it in writing.

Estates under $40,000 in Connecticut may qualify for a simplified procedure that avoids a full appointment entirely (PC-212). The self-file probate assessment carries a Connecticut cost comparison.

SimplyTrust Editorial·Updated September 8, 2026

Legal Sources

Data sourced from Connecticut statutes and official state code. How we research.

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