Estate & Probate Practitioner Tools

Testamentary or Administration. File with the ROW with original will, death certificate, and two witness appearances (or affidavits).

Named executor or person entitled to letters formally declines to serve. Must be filed before letters are granted.

Filed with the ROW to establish the fact of death when probating a will or petitioning for letters.

Used when one or both subscribing witnesses cannot appear in person at the ROW. Three versions depending on witness availability.

Required with every filing. Certifies compliance with the Case Records Public Access Policy.

Filed when any filing contains SSNs, financial account numbers, or other confidential information per the Public Access Policy.

Verified inventory of all real and personal property of the decedent. Under 20 Pa.C.S. § 3301(c), due no later than the date the account is filed or the due date (including any extension) for the inheritance tax return, whichever is earlier; a party in interest may demand an earlier filing.

Certifies that all interested parties received notice of estate administration. Due within 10 days after the notice is given. The notice itself is due within 3 months of the grant of letters.

The actual notice form sent to potential heirs and beneficiaries. Required before the certification of notice can be filed.

Due 2 years from date of death. If administration is not complete, annual reports required thereafter until estate closes.

Filed by a creditor to assert a claim against the estate.

Required under Pa.O.C. Rule 4.4 in any court proceeding involving or affecting a charitable interest. Unless the court directs otherwise, no notice is required for a pecuniary legacy to a charity of $25,000 or less that has been or will be paid in full. Rule 4.4(c). Give the Attorney General at least 20 days advance written notice, then file proof of service, or the Attorney General’s acknowledgment, with the Clerk of the Orphans’ Court before entry of any decree. Form OC-06.

Published once a week for three successive weeks in the Bucks County Law Reporter and one newspaper of general circulation. Starts the 1-year creditor claims period.

Due 9 months from date of death. Completed in ink; not stapled. Original filed with ROW in Doylestown. Must be filed with all schedules, see our schedules guide.

Bucks County pre-payment form. Payments within 3 months earn the 5% discount. If the full REV-1500 is not ready, pre-pay estimated tax to preserve the discount.

Estates with a gross value not exceeding $50,000, excluding real estate and property payable under 20 Pa.C.S. § 3101, but including personal property claimed as the family exemption. Filed with the Orphans’ Court, not the ROW.

Checklist for any general petition filed in Orphans’ Court. Use as a pre-filing verification tool.

Checklist for the final accounting and distribution petition in a decedent’s estate.

Thorough checklist for adult guardianship petitions under 20 Pa.C.S. Chapter 55.

Checklist for minor guardianship petitions.

Initial inventory filed by the guardian of the estate. Use Form G-04 for a minor and Form G-05 for an incapacitated person; lists all assets of the ward.

Annual report on the well-being, living situation, and care of the incapacitated person.

Annual financial report listing income, disbursements, and current asset values.

Medical/psychological expert evaluation offered as evidence of incapacity at the hearing under 20 Pa.C.S. § 5518, not filed with the petition. Statewide form under Pa.R.O.C.P. 14.5(f), used when the petitioner relies on an expert evaluation. Must address capacity, needs, and recommended level of guardianship.

Citation served on the alleged incapacitated person. Must be personally served; includes notice of rights and hearing date.

Schedules the hearing for involuntary termination of parental rights under 23 Pa.C.S. § 2511.

For families seeking to re-adopt a child adopted abroad under Pennsylvania law.

Registers a foreign adoption decree in Bucks County.

Applicants complete an online application, then both parties must appear together in a virtual meeting the county schedules to show identification and sign the license. 3-day waiting period; license valid for 60 days. $85 fee: $50 application, $10 ACP fee, and $25 for one certified Certificate of Marriage.

To correct errors on marriage license or certificate after filing.

Filed by attorney or party entering an appearance in an OC proceeding.

Request to waive filing fees for indigent parties. Accompanied by IFP Order/Petition/Affidavit.

OC subpoena forms for witness testimony and document production.

Citation requiring a fiduciary to file an account or appear before the court.

Standard verification form for OC petitions and pleadings. Subject to penalties under 18 Pa.C.S. § 4904.