Executor Checklist Alberta: Your Complete Step-by-Step Timeline
Executor Checklist Alberta: Your Complete Step-by-Step Timeline
The bank just froze the accounts. The funeral home wants a deposit. Three siblings are calling with questions you cannot answer. And somewhere in a filing cabinet, there is a will naming you as the person responsible for sorting all of it out. Being named executor — or "personal representative" under Alberta's Estate Administration Act — is one of the most demanding administrative roles a person can inherit, and almost nobody is prepared for it when the moment arrives.
Alberta has its own procedural framework that differs substantially from other Canadian provinces. The GA form sequence replaced the older NC forms in June 2022. Probate fees are capped at $525 but the Land Titles Registration Levy can run into thousands. And there are statutory notice requirements that apply even if you never set foot in a courtroom. Here is the chronological checklist, phase by phase.
First 48 Hours: Secure Everything
Your immediate priorities are physical security and document retrieval. Nothing else matters yet.
Locate the original will. This is the foundational document. You need the original wet-ink version — not a photocopy. Attempting to probate a copy triggers a specialized, contentious court application requiring sworn affidavits proving the original was not intentionally destroyed. Check the deceased's home, their lawyer's office, and any safe deposit box. In Alberta, a bank will typically grant access to a safe deposit box solely to search for a will, even before probate, if you present a death certificate.
Secure physical property. Lock the residence. Arrange pet care. Verify that heating remains active — a critical concern during Alberta winters, because frozen pipes can cause catastrophic property damage that reduces the estate's value and creates personal liability for you as the representative.
Understand what authority you do not have yet. If the deceased had an Enduring Power of Attorney naming someone to manage their finances, that authority died with them. The EPA is now legally void. Do not attempt to use it at a bank — the institution will reject it and may flag the account for fraud. Similarly, any Personal Directive is extinguished. Your authority as executor begins now, but full legal recognition requires either probate or voluntary cooperation from institutions holding the assets.
Arrange the funeral. If the estate has limited liquid funds, check eligibility for the Alberta Low-Income Funeral Benefit before signing any contracts with a funeral director. The program covers up to $4,601 for burial or cremation preparation, $1,041 for a ceremony, and $781 for embalming. This must be applied for before finalizing funeral arrangements — retroactive funding is rarely granted.
First Week: Documentation and Notifications
Order death certificates. You need 3 to 5 original Alberta Death Certificates, obtained through an authorized Registry Agent (not directly from Vital Statistics). The cost is a $20 government fee per document plus the agent's service fee. If you live outside Alberta, you must complete a mail-in application with a Statutory Declaration for Proof of Identity, signed before a Notary Public with wet ink — no electronic signatures.
Notify federal and provincial agencies. Contact Service Canada to halt CPP and OAS payments. Notify the CRA of the death. Cancel the deceased's Alberta Health Care coverage. Report the death to Equifax and TransUnion to freeze the credit file and prevent identity theft.
Notify financial institutions. Contact every bank, brokerage, and insurance company where the deceased held accounts. Expect accounts held in the deceased's sole name to be frozen immediately. Joint accounts with right of survivorship typically remain accessible to the surviving joint holder, but confirm this with each institution.
Apply for the CPP Death Benefit. The standard benefit is up to $2,500. As of January 2025, a conditional top-up can bring the total to $5,000 — but only if the deceased never collected a CPP retirement or disability pension and there is no eligible surviving spouse. Apply within 12 months of the date of death.
First Month: Inventory and the Probate Decision
Build a complete asset and liability inventory. This is not optional — it is a statutory requirement under the Estate Administration Act. Document every bank account (with institution, transit number, and balance), investment portfolio, life insurance policy, real estate holding (including the legal land description from the certificate of title), vehicle, and digital asset. On the liability side, record every mortgage, credit card balance, personal loan, and outstanding bill.
Determine whether you need probate. Alberta does not define a statutory "small estate" threshold that automatically waives probate. Instead, the requirement depends on what the estate holds:
- Real estate in the deceased's sole name or as tenants-in-common: The Land Titles Office requires a court-sealed Grant of Probate or Grant of Administration. No exceptions.
- Financial accounts above institutional thresholds: Each bank sets its own internal limit — typically $25,000 to $50,000 — above which they demand probate before releasing funds.
- All liquid assets below thresholds with cooperative institutions: You may be able to settle without probate using banking indemnity agreements.
Contact the branch manager of each financial institution directly to ask for their specific probate-waiver limit. Do not assume a centralized call centre will give you an accurate answer.
Even without probate, you must serve statutory notices. This is the duty most Alberta executors miss. The Estate Administration Act requires you to serve NGA (Notice for Grants Not Applied For) forms to all interested parties: NGA 1 to beneficiaries (with a copy of the will if they are entitled to the residue), NGA 2 to family members who may have claims under the Wills and Succession Act, NGA 3 to the spouse or adult interdependent partner, and NGA 4 to the Public Trustee if any beneficiary is a minor or a represented adult. Skipping these notices exposes you to severe personal liability.
Publish a Notice to Creditors. Using Form GA 15, publish a notice in a local newspaper where the deceased resided. For estates under $100,000 gross value, one publication is sufficient. For estates over $100,000, you must publish at least twice with a minimum of five days between publications. Creditors then have at least 30 days from the final publication to file claims. If you distribute estate assets before this period expires, you become personally liable for any legitimate debts that surface later.
The Alberta Estate Settlement Guide includes annotated examples of every NGA form and the GA 15 creditor notice, with field-by-field instructions to prevent court rejections.
Free Download
Get the Alberta — First 48 Hours Checklist
Everything in this article as a printable checklist — plus action plans and reference guides you can start using today.
Months 2–6: Probate, Asset Management, and Tax Filing
Apply for probate if required. Prepare the GA1 (Grant Application) form along with the GA2 (detailed inventory of assets and liabilities). Before the court accepts your application, you must serve GA3 (Notice to Beneficiaries) on all interested parties and GA4 (Notice to Public Trustee) if minors or represented adults are involved. After service, swear the GA5 (Affidavit of Service) to prove compliance. This sequential filing process is strict — submitting forms out of order results in rejection.
The filing fee to open the court file is $300. The probate fee itself is tiered and capped: $35 for estates under $10,000, scaling up to a maximum of $525 for estates over $250,000. Self-represented Alberta residents can submit via the Surrogate Digital Service or on paper to the judicial centre closest to where the deceased lived.
Processing times vary. Standard paper applications take 6 to 12 weeks, with Edmonton often experiencing longer backlogs. Applications submitted through the Surrogate Digital Service with zero deficiencies may clear in 2 to 4 weeks.
Manage estate assets during administration. You have a fiduciary duty to preserve and protect the estate's value. Pay ongoing property taxes, insurance premiums, and utility bills from estate funds. Do not let policies lapse — if a property burns down while uninsured, you are personally liable. Invest estate cash conservatively; speculative investments violate your fiduciary duty.
File the terminal T1 tax return. The deceased's final personal income tax return is due by April 30 of the year following death, or six months after the date of death, whichever is later. This return includes a deemed disposition of all capital property at fair market value on the date of death, which can trigger significant capital gains tax. Consider filing optional returns (rights or things return, partner/proprietor return) to split income across multiple returns and reduce the overall tax burden.
Months 6–12+: Clearance, Accounting, and Distribution
Apply for a CRA Clearance Certificate. Using Form TX19 (and GST352 if the deceased had a GST/HST account), request clearance from the CRA. Include a copy of the will, probate documents, and a detailed asset inventory. The CRA targets a 120-day processing window from receipt of a complete application.
Do not distribute the estate's financial assets to beneficiaries before receiving this certificate. If you do, and the CRA later discovers unpaid taxes, you become personally liable for the outstanding amount up to the value of the assets you distributed.
Prepare your final accounting. Under Alberta law, an executor must be prepared to account to beneficiaries at any time and must formally do so at least every two years from the date of death. Your accounting must detail every asset gathered, every debt and expense paid, your claimed executor compensation, and the proposed final distribution to each beneficiary.
Obtain signed releases. Present your final accounting to all residuary beneficiaries along with a formal Release (Form ACC 12). Once every beneficiary signs, you are legally released from future claims related to your administration. If a beneficiary refuses to sign, you can apply to the court for a formal passing of accounts.
Distribute and close. Only after you hold the CRA Clearance Certificate and all signed ACC 12 Releases should you write the final distribution cheques. Close the estate bank account. File a final T3 trust return for any income earned by the estate after the date of death. The estate is now closed.
The Cost of Getting It Wrong
Executor liability in Alberta is personal and absolute. If you pay debts out of priority, distribute assets before the creditor notice period expires, fail to serve NGA notices, or distribute before obtaining tax clearance, the financial consequences come directly out of your pocket — not the estate's.
The entire process typically takes 9 to 18 months for a standard estate, longer if there is real property, contested claims, or CRA audit delays. The Alberta Estate Settlement Guide provides the complete chronological framework with every form, every deadline, and every liability trap mapped out so you can move through each phase with confidence.
Get Your Free Alberta — First 48 Hours Checklist
Download the Alberta — First 48 Hours Checklist — a printable guide with checklists, scripts, and action plans you can start using today.