Enrichment · Life Skills

One list for the
months after a loss.

Settling an estate is dozens of small jobs spread across months and family members, at a time when nobody is at their best. Keep them in one place with who is doing what, and let the page point out what is overdue and the tax dates that follow.

Start an estateWhat you get
$5one-time · every device you sign in on
Buy · $5

Included with the Caveat Academy pass and Whole-school licenses. Or get it in the Life skills kit, $29 for 28 items.

Your estates

The worked example is made up: a father’s estate ten weeks in, with the pension call overdue, and an aunt’s small estate nearly closed. Saved on this device only.

Loading the estate form. If nothing appears, turn on JavaScript.

What you get

Enrichment · Life Skills$5

What you finish with
A record per estate: initials, date of death, your role, will and probate status, every task with who has it, a due date and status, and twelve standard steps. Counts days since the death, open and overdue tasks and the final tax return date; flags overdue tasks, the Social Security month-of-death rule, the final return and filing jointly, a will that is only a copy and uncertainty about probate.
Who it is for
Executors, administrators, successor trustees and the family members helping them.
Format
Browser organizer with a saved record per estate. Prints the task list to share with family, every estate in a table or a blank list; downloads a spreadsheet (.csv); exports and imports a file. Kept private on your device.
Access
$5 one-time, yours on every device you sign in on; the tool opens once you are signed in with it. Included with the Caveat Academy pass and Whole-school licenses. Also in the Life skills kit ($29) and the Enrichment Suite pass ($119), and 1 more bundle. Everything you type stays in this browser; nothing is sent to Caveat.
Where it lives
The Life Skills space in Caveat Enrichment.
Support
Questions about access, an order or a correction: team@caveatacademic.com.

How to use it

  1. Enter the date of death and your role.
  2. Add each task with who is doing it and when.
  3. Work through the standard steps in order.
  4. Mark tasks done as they close.
  5. Bring the printout to the probate lawyer or court clerk.

Start an estate

The usual order

The usual order of settling an estateFirst weeksDeath certificatesSecure the home, car andmailFind the willSocial Security,employer, insurersFirst monthsProbate or small-estateprocessEstate EIN and bankaccountInventory assets anddebtsNotify creditorsWithin a year or soPay valid debts andtaxesFinal income tax returnEstate return if neededDistribute and closeThe usual order of settling an estateFirst weeksDeath certificatesSecure the home, car and mailFind the willSocial Security, employer, insurersFirst monthsProbate or small-estate processEstate EIN and bank accountInventory assets and debtsNotify creditorsWithin a year or soPay valid debts and taxesFinal income tax returnEstate return if neededDistribute and close
Family members are generally not personally responsible for the person’s debts unless they co-signed or shared the account; debts are paid from the estate.

Probate or not

Probate is the court process that confirms the executor and oversees paying debts and passing on what is left. Things with a named beneficiary, such as life insurance and retirement accounts, jointly owned property and trust assets usually pass outside it. Most states have a simpler process for small estates.

Taxes after a death

The person’s final Form 1040 covers January 1 to the date of death and is due the following April 15. If the estate itself earns $600 or more in a year, such as interest or rent, it files Form 1041. Federal estate tax applies only to very large estates.

Sources

  1. Internal Revenue Service. Deceased taxpayers: filing the final return, Publication 559 and Form 1041 instructions (irs.gov).
  2. Social Security Administration. What to do when someone dies (ssa.gov).
  3. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Help for managing someone else’s money and debts of a deceased relative (consumerfinance.gov).
  4. American Bar Association. Guide to wills and estates (americanbar.org).

The worked examples are made up. Probate, small-estate limits and creditor notice rules are set by each state; this page organizes tasks and is not legal or tax advice. Nothing you type is sent to Caveat. Support: team@caveatacademic.com.