As an executor of an estate you have many duties and liabilities. Depending on the state of the deceased's affairs this can be an enormous job requiring a great deal of skill and commitment.

As an executor your duties include:

Locate and Read the Will:
Under ideal circumstances, as the executor, you already know where the Will is located. If not you must search the most likely places where the testator may have stored important documents to determine whether or not they have left a valid Will.

If the Will has been stored in a safe deposit box you must first obtain the death certificate and, if available, the key to the safe deposit box. Once the bank or other institution holding the safe deposit box determines that you are the executor named, you will have access to take the Will.

In the case that the safe deposit box was held in joint tenancy with someone else it can be transferred to the surviving joint tenant immediately.

If only a copy of the Will is located you may have to contact the law firm that drew up the Will or possibly a trust company that has been named the executor on the Will to determine if they are storing the original Will.

You may need to do a Wills Notice Search, which normally takes several weeks. If a Will is located you will receive a Will Search Certificate that will state the location of any Will or codicil made when notice of it was filed with the Provincial Division of Vital Statistics. A Wills Notice Search must be conducted where you intend to apply for probate.

If you cannot locate a Will, the law presumes that the testator destroyed the Will with the intention of revoking it. This presumption could be rebutted. If a Will is presumed to be revoked or if the deceased never had a Will then the deceased is presumed by our laws to have died intestate and the provincial legislation will govern the distribution of the assets of the estate.

Obtain the Death Certificate:
Immediately upon the testator's death, you should apply for the death certificate. You can normally obtain a death certificate from the funeral home director. A death certificate is required to prove the death of the testator.

Make Funeral Arrangements:
The executor has the right to determine how the deceased's body is to be disposed of. Any arrangements contained in the deceased's Will regarding burial are not legally binding on the executor. Normally the family of the deceased makes the funeral arrangements, as the Will often isn't found until after the funeral has been arranged. Expenses incurred by any party for funeral arrangements may be reimbursed by the estate if the arrangements are reasonable under the circumstances. The person making the funeral arrangements will be responsible for any additional extravagant expenses they have incurred.

Arrange Immediate Funds for Survivors:
Assets of the deceased are immediately frozen until the Grant of Letters Probate is received. The Grant of Letters Probate legally allows the executor to deal with the assets of the deceased. For immediate funds one should turn to any assets that pass outside of the estate which are not frozen such as joint bank accounts, properties held in joint tenancy or assets passing to a designated beneficiary. If the deceased had a life insurance policy the designated beneficiary can immediately apply to have the benefits of the insurance policy paid directly to that beneficiary.

If there are no funds immediately available and the banks are unwilling to make alternate arrangements to help the survivors, the executor may have to arrange a loan for the survivor until the estate assets can be distributed.

Notify Beneficiaries and Others:
Normally, by law you are required to notify all parties who have or may have an interest in the estate. In the case that the person to be notified is a minor you must deliver notification to their parent or guardian and the Public Trustee. If the person you are to notify is mentally incompetent the notice must be mailed to their committee or the person in charge of their affairs and the Public Trustee.

Parties who need to be notified are:

• Beneficiaries and alternate beneficiaries.
• All Heirs-at-law.
• All persons entitled under provincial wills variation legislation which include: a spouse and the children of the deceased.
• A spouse who is separated but divorce proceedings are still in process but not complete.

Prepare a List of Assets and Liabilities:
You must prepare a complete list of all the deceased's assets and liabilities as well as their value at the time of death. Only assets and liabilities that make up the estate must be listed, assets that pass outside of the estate by right of survivorship under joint tenancy or designation of a beneficiary do not have to be listed. You are responsible at all times to account for the estate assets.

Protect the Assets:
The executor is responsible for the protection of all assets under the estate including real estate. This includes theft, fire, loss and any other destruction. If the executor fails to preserve the assets he or she can be held liable. One way to protect the assets of the estate is to take them into your possession. This should be done with any valuable assets including important documents. Secured storage and or insurance for these assets are recommended. If the deceased owned a business you must arrange for continued, proper management as well as review any investments and collect any income from such items as stocks, bonds, rents or other investments.

Advertise for Creditors:
It is very important to advertise for creditors to legally protect yourself, as the executor, from becoming personally liable for future claims. This only protects you as the executor, and the beneficiaries can still be held liable. Normally an executor would advertise in a local newspaper asking that any creditors of the deceased send their claims to you for settlement.

Apply to Probate the Will:
In most instances you will have to arrange for the probate of the Will. The sooner the Will is probated the sooner you have legal access to distribute the estate. Applying for probate includes completing a number of documents to be filed with the courts. This requires a great deal of detailed work and without legal assistance, many times, results in initial rejection. It is recommended that you seek legal assistance to be sure full and complete information is collected and the probate application documents are prepared properly.

File Income Tax Returns:
As the executor, you are required to prepare and file income tax returns on behalf of the deceased. The main types of taxes to be paid by the estate would be income and capital gains taxes. It is good practice to obtain clearance certificates from CCRA that certifies all taxes, interest and penalties have been paid. Your failure to obtain a clearance certificate may result in personal liability for outstanding amounts.

Pay Debts and Expenses:
Before distributing the estate to the beneficiaries you must pay all outstanding debts including funeral expenses, estate administration expenses and taxes. Administration expenses would include probate fees, asset safeguarding costs, any legal or accounting fees and the executor's fee.

If there is not enough cash available to pay off all of the debt you must convert assets into cash by selling or redeeming them. Real estate should only be used if enough cash cannot be raised from personal property in the estate.

In the case that the total liabilities of the estate are greater than the total assets you must pay the debts and expenses in accordance with provincial laws. Provincial estate and insolvency laws typically provide for payment in the following order:

• Reasonable Funeral Expenses
• Probate and Administration Fees
• Municipal and Income Taxes
• Other governmental debts
• All other claims as of the date of death

Neither the beneficiaries nor the executor are held liable for claims that cannot be paid by the estate if the estate is administered in strict compliance with provincial laws.

Distribute the Estate:
Once you have performed all the previous duties you can arrange for the distribution of the estate. You should pay out any cash legacies and deliver property gifted under the Will first. If there is not enough cash to pay the cash legacies you may have to sell other assets.

If there was any trusts to be established pursuant to the Will you must make arrangements to have them set up. After all these issues have been dealt with you can distribute the residue of the estate.

Keep Accurate Records and Release from Beneficiaries:
It is imperative that you keep complete accounting records, as you are accountable to the beneficiaries for the assets of the deceased. Beneficiaries must review and approve a statement of accounts before the executor finalizes distribution of the estate and is discharged. You should also have every beneficiary agree in writing to give up any claims he or she may have against the estate.

Slow Distribution of the Estate:
Although there is no given time period for how long it should take to distribute an estate there is usually a year of grace, know as "the executors year." After this period the beneficiaries may take action against the executor for failure to satisfactorily perform the executors duties. An action will only succeed if in fact the executor has not been performing his or her duties. It is common for distribution of an estate to take several years.

Wills Variation Legislation:
The surviving spouse and/or children of the deceased have time set by provincial legislation to submit an application to the courts to have the Will varied if they have not been adequately provided for. This means that as an executor you should not distribute the estate until the statutory time period set out in the provincial legislation has expired. You may become personally liable if the Will is challenged and you have already distributed some or all of the estate.

Common-law Spouse:
Provincial legislation provides a certain period of time from the date of the Grant of Letters of Probate to apply for a share of the estate, even in the case that there is no Will. It is recommended that the executor wait the required period of time before distributing the estate if there is a possibility that a claim could be made.