Register of Wills

• In Pennsylvania, the office of the Register of Wills is similar to probate courts in other states. The executor must bring the original will and a copy of the death certificate to the Register of Wills in the county in which the decedent resided,along with an estimated value of the decedent's assets as of the date of death. The will is checked for validity, and once validated the registrar officially appoints the personal representative and issues letters testamentary, documents necessary to begin estate administration.
  
  

Duties

• The personal representative must notify all heirs and beneficiaries designated in the will. He must place a notice to creditors in a local newspaper, published in the county of the decedent's residence. He must hire professionals, such as the attorney or an accountant. The personal representative must locate all estate assets, and it is his responsibility to protect them. He must pay the decedent's and the estate's bills out of estate assets, file the decedent's final tax returns and file federal state and tax returns, paying any taxes due.
  
  

Inventory

• The personal representative must inventory all real estate and personal property titled solely in the decedent's name, and provide the Register of Wills with the fair market value as of the decedent's death date. This includes all bank accounts, cash, stocks, bonds, mutual funds, motor vehicles, antiques, art, jewelry and other valuables. The personal representative must also send the inventory to the heirs and beneficiaries named in the will.
  
  

Estate Closing

• Once the estate's bills are paid and all debts settled, the personal representative must present a final accounting of the estate administration to Register of Wills. Once the accounting receives approval, the remaining assets may be passed on to the beneficiaries and the estate closed. According to the Philadelphia Register of Wills, it takes approximately a year for the average estate to go through the probate process, and larger or complicated estates may take more time.