Resource

Executor Checklist for Victoria

A staged, practical checklist for executors administering a deceased estate in Victoria. Not a substitute for advice on any particular estate.

Last reviewed 8 August 2026

1. Immediate steps after death

Obtain the medical certificate of cause of death from the treating doctor or hospital.
Locate any pre-arranged funeral or burial instructions.
Contact close family and, where appropriate, the deceased's employer.
Secure the deceased's home, vehicle and valuables.
Redirect mail if the property will be unoccupied.

As executor, you have primary authority for funeral arrangements.
Consult family where possible, but you retain the ultimate decision.
Retain invoices — reasonable funeral expenses rank ahead of general estate debts in the statutory order of application of assets (Administration and Probate Act 1958 (Vic) s 39A and Sch 4).
Order at least several certified copies of the death certificate.

Gather bank and credit union statements, share holdings and superannuation statements.
Obtain rate notices, mortgage statements and title searches for real estate.
Confirm from the title how each property was held — solely, as joint tenants, or as tenants in common.
List vehicles, insurance policies and valuables.
Identify digital assets and online accounts — domain names, business and trading accounts, cryptocurrency, media libraries and subscriptions — and ask each provider what its deceased-account process requires rather than logging in as the deceased.
Identify intellectual property, royalty or licensing income, debts owed to the deceased and contractual rights capable of passing on death.
Identify whether an asset in fact belongs to a company, trust or partnership, and what interest or control right the deceased personally held (for example shares, units, a loan account, an unpaid distribution, the office of trustee or a directorship).
Obtain the governing documents where relevant — trust deed and variations, company constitution, shareholders' or partnership agreement.
Identify any testamentary or continuing trust created by the will, including gifts held until a stated age or for a beneficiary under a disability.
Identify debts — credit cards, personal loans, tax liabilities and outstanding bills.
Prepare an inventory of assets and liabilities for probate purposes.

Notify banks and financial institutions, providing certified copies of the death certificate.
Notify Centrelink and the Australian Taxation Office.
Contact each superannuation fund and each insurer separately, ask what the trustee or insurer requires, and supply a grant only if it is required or the benefit is to be paid to the estate.
Confirm in writing whether a superannuation or insurance benefit is being paid to the estate or directly to a dependant or nominated beneficiary, and do not treat it as estate money until that is clear.
Notify insurance companies (life, home, vehicle, health).
Cancel subscriptions and utilities where appropriate.
Redirect or cancel Australia Post mail as needed.

Pay funeral, testamentary and administration expenses.
Pay the deceased's proven debts and any court-ordered obligations.
Consider on advice whether a creditor notice under the Trustee Act 1958 (Vic) is appropriate for the estate — it is a protective procedure for the executor, not a universal cure.
Do not assume a creditor who does not respond to a notice has lost the debt; the claim may still be pursued against assets in the hands of those who received them.
Before any distribution, check that identified debts, tax and expenses are provided for, and record the basis on which the distribution was made.
Do not distribute the estate before creditor claims can be reasonably identified.

Part IV (family provision) claims generally must be brought within six months of the grant.
Executors ordinarily wait until this period has passed before making final distributions.
Where interim distributions are proposed, obtain advice and appropriate indemnities.

Distribute in accordance with the will (or intestacy rules if there is no will).
Obtain signed receipts and releases from beneficiaries where appropriate.
Prepare a final statement of receipts and disbursements.

Keep full records of all estate transactions.
Retain complete estate and tax records for the periods applicable to the particular records, and obtain accounting and legal advice before destroying anything.
Keep contemporaneous notes of significant decisions and communications with beneficiaries.