Idaho Probate Accounting

Idaho gives a personal representative three months to prepare an estate inventory and no duty to file it with the court. Idaho Code 15-3-706 sets the deadline, asks for a fair market value as of the date of death on every item, and says you send a copy to interested persons who request it. The full written account comes at the end, when you close the estate by sworn statement no earlier than six months after appointment.

That is the Idaho probate accounting job in two sentences. The rest of this page walks through each duty in the order the Idaho Code sets it, with the statute text quoted where the wording matters. Idaho calls the executor a personal representative, and every Idaho probate is heard in the district court, usually in the magistrate division of the county where the decedent lived. Read this beside Idaho executor duties for the rest of the personal representative's job, and see the Idaho probate timeline for how the dates line up.

Every rule below was read on September 24, 2026 at the section pages of the Idaho Code on legislature.idaho.gov, and the fee figures come from the Idaho Supreme Court's own filing fee schedule. This is general information about Idaho law rather than advice about one estate.

The Inventory Is Due Three Months After Appointment

Idaho Code 15-3-706 says that within three months after appointment, a personal representative "shall prepare an inventory of property owned by the decedent at the time of his death." Each item needs three things:

• A description in reasonable detail. The account number and bank for a checking account, the address and legal description for land, the make, model and VIN for a vehicle.
• Its fair market value as of the date of the decedent's death. Use that day's value even if you write the list weeks later.
• The type and amount of any encumbrance. A house appears at its full date-of-death value, with the mortgage named and quantified beside it.

Two people are excused from the duty. A special administrator does not owe the inventory, and neither does a successor representative whose predecessor "has previously discharged this duty." Everyone else appointed as a general personal representative owes it, and the three months run from the date of appointment.

The date of death is the measuring day for the whole list. Later movement in a bank balance or a stock price belongs in your record of receipts and payments, which feeds the final account. It does not belong in a rewritten inventory.

What goes on the list in a community property state

Idaho is a community property state, so a married decedent's inventory can hold community property and separate property side by side. See Idaho community property for how the two are told apart. Some property also passes outside probate, such as a joint account with a survivorship right or an account with a payable-on-death beneficiary. The statute asks for "property owned by the decedent at the time of his death," so list what the estate owns and keep a separate note of the assets that passed around probate. The Idaho probate guide walks through which assets need probate at all.

Filing the Inventory With the Court Is Optional

This is the sentence most out-of-state checklists get wrong for Idaho. The second paragraph of 15-3-706 reads: "The personal representative shall send a copy of the inventory to interested persons who request it, and he may file the original of the inventory with the court."

Sending on request is the duty. Filing is a choice.

Here is why the choice deserves thought at the start. Filing puts every value in the public court file. Sending on request keeps the numbers with the heirs, devisees and creditors who ask for them. And the route you pick now decides how corrections travel later, because the supplementary inventory rule below follows the original.

One more point on the request. The statute does not set a deadline for sending a copy after someone asks. Send it promptly and keep a dated record of who asked and when you mailed it, because the paper trail is how you show you met the duty.

Appraisers, and Where Their Names Go

Idaho Code 15-3-707 lets you "employ a qualified and disinterested appraiser" to help find the date-of-death fair market value of "any asset the value of which may be subject to reasonable doubt." Different people may appraise different kinds of assets, so a real estate appraiser and an equipment or livestock appraiser can both work the same estate.

One line in that section is easy to skip. "The names and addresses of any appraiser shall be indicated on the inventory with the item or items he appraised." The inventory is meant to show where each number came from.

Idaho sets no appraisal fee schedule and does not require an appraisal of every asset. The judgment about which values are open to reasonable doubt is yours. A publicly traded stock priced from a broker statement needs no appraiser. A ranch, a business interest or a collection usually does.

When Something Turns Up Later

A forgotten brokerage account, a mineral interest, or a valuation that was simply wrong. Idaho Code 15-3-708 covers each of them. If property not in the original inventory comes to your knowledge, or you learn that a value or description "is erroneous or misleading," you make a supplementary inventory or appraisement. It shows:

• the market value as of the date of death of the new item, or the revised value or description, and
• the appraisers or other data relied on, if any.

Then it travels the road the original took. If you filed the original with the court, you file the supplement there. If you did not, the statute has you send copies "to the state tax commission and to all interested persons to whom copies of the original inventory were sent." That state tax commission copy is an Idaho detail that a generic checklist will not mention, and it applies only on the no-filing route.

The Standard Idaho Holds You To

Accounting is how you prove you met a fiduciary standard, so it helps to know the standard. Idaho Code 15-3-703(a) makes a personal representative "a fiduciary who shall observe the standards of care applicable to trustees as described by section 15-7-302." That trustee section, Idaho Code 15-7-302, asks for the care "that would be observed by a prudent man dealing with the property of another," and adds a duty to use any special skills you have or claimed to have.

Three more sections frame the account:

• Possession. Idaho Code 15-3-709 gives you the right to take possession or control of the decedent's property, and says you "shall pay taxes on, and take all steps reasonably necessary for the management, protection and preservation of, the estate in his possession."
• No court order needed. Idaho Code 15-3-704 has you settle and distribute "expeditiously" and without an order of the court, unless the administration is supervised. You can still ask the court to resolve a question.
• Liability. Idaho Code 15-3-712 makes you liable to interested persons for damage or loss from an improper exercise of power "to the same extent as a trustee of an express trust."

Put together, that means no court reviews your ledger month to month in an ordinary Idaho estate. The account you give at the end is where the heirs and devisees check your work.

The Full Written Account Comes at Closing

Most Idaho estates close by sworn statement under Idaho Code 15-3-1003, not by court order. Unless the court prohibits it, and except in supervised administration, you may file a verified statement "no earlier than six (6) months after the date of original appointment of a general personal representative." Six months is the earliest permitted date.

The statement says that you, or a representative you succeeded, have:

1. Determined that the time limitation for presentation of creditors' claims has expired. See Idaho creditor claims for how that period runs. The outer limit in 15-3-803 is three years after death for claims that arose before death.
2. Fully administered the estate by paying, settling or otherwise disposing of all claims presented, the expenses of administration, and estate, inheritance and other death taxes, and distributed the assets to the persons entitled. If any claims remain undischarged, the statement must say whether you distributed subject to possible liability with the distributees' agreement, or spell out the other arrangements made to cover the outstanding liabilities.
3. Sent a copy of the statement to all distributees and to all creditors or claimants you know of whose claims are neither paid nor barred, and that you furnished "a full account in writing of his administration" to the distributees whose interests the account affects.

That third item is the Idaho accounting duty at closing. The account goes to the distributees, and the judge does not receive it on this route. The statute does not prescribe a form, so a clear account usually shows the inventory values you started with, every receipt, every payment with its date and payee, the fees paid to you and to any attorney or accountant, and what each distributee received.

Idaho has no written-waiver clause

Some states let all distributees waive the accounting in writing. Idaho's 15-3-1003 has only two subsections, (a) and (b), and neither one says that. The closing statement asks you to state that the full written account was furnished. Heirs who trust each other can keep the account short, but plan to prepare one.

When the appointment ends

Under 15-3-1003(b), "if no proceedings involving the personal representative are pending in the court one (1) year after the closing statement is filed, the appointment of the personal representative terminates." Keep your records at least that long, and longer for the reasons in the last section below.

Closing a Small Estate by Sworn Statement

Idaho has a separate closing path for estates run under the summary procedure of 15-3-1203. Idaho Code 15-3-1204 lets the personal representative close "at any time after disbursement and distribution of the estate," with no six-month floor, by a verified statement that the estate less liens and encumbrances did not exceed the homestead allowance, exempt property, costs of administration, reasonable funeral expenses and the reasonable medical and hospital expenses of the last illness.

The accounting duty still applies there. Item (3) of 15-3-1204(a) repeats the language of the ordinary closing statement: a copy to all distributees and known unpaid claimants, and "a full account in writing of his administration to the distributees whose interests are affected." For how that route works and when an estate qualifies, see closing a small estate by sworn statement.

When the Court Reviews the Account

A court looks at the account in two situations.

Supervised administration. Idaho Code 15-3-501 describes it as a single proceeding "under the continuing authority of the court" that runs until an order approving distribution and discharging the personal representative. A supervised representative is responsible to the court as well as to the interested parties. Under Idaho Code 15-3-505, supervised administration ends by order under the rules for formal settlement in 15-3-1001, so the sworn-statement route is closed to you.

A petition for complete settlement. Idaho Code 15-3-1001(a) lets the personal representative petition at any time, and any other interested person petition after one year from the original appointment, once the time for presenting pre-death claims has expired. The petition may ask the court "to consider the final account or compel or approve an accounting and distribution." After notice and a hearing, the court may approve settlement, direct or approve distribution, and discharge the personal representative "from further claim or demand of any interested person."

That discharge is what the extra step buys. A personal representative facing an unhappy heir may choose this route on purpose, because 15-3-1006 treats a matter settled in a proceeding on the accounts as closed.

The $9 Fee Covers Filing an Accounting

Idaho sets the accounting fee in statute and prints the same figure in the court's fee schedule.

Idaho Code 31-3201A(5) reads: "A fee of nine dollars ($9.00) shall be paid by the person or persons required to make an account pursuant to title 15, Idaho Code, at the time such account is filed." The Idaho Supreme Court's IRCP Appendix A filing fee schedule, effective July 12, 2024, lists the probate line items under "Additional filings in probate and trusts":

Read the lead-in to 31-3201A(5) closely. The fee is paid when an account is filed. An account you furnish to distributees under 15-3-1003 without filing it with the court does not trigger a filing fee. The fee applies when an account goes to the court, such as in a supervised administration or a 15-3-1001 petition.

The $9 figure is separate from the price of opening probate. The same Appendix A lists $166.00 as the fee for opening a civil case in the magistrate division not found elsewhere on the schedule, which is what a probate petition costs, and $130.00 for a summary administration of a small estate. The schedule's columns split each fee among several funds. Only the Total column is what you pay. Trust accountings follow the same $9.00 figure, which matters if a trust administration runs beside the probate.

Compensation and Who Can Challenge It

Your own fee belongs in the account, and Idaho gives the heirs a way to test it.

Idaho Code 15-3-719 says "a personal representative is entitled to reasonable compensation for his services." Idaho sets no percentage schedule. If a will sets your pay and you have no contract with the decedent about it, you may renounce that provision before qualifying and take reasonable compensation instead. You may also renounce all or part of your fee, and "a written renunciation of fee may be filed with the court."

Idaho Code 15-3-721 lets the court review, on notice to all interested persons or on petition of an interested person, whether it was proper to employ any attorney, auditor, investment advisor or other agent, whether that person's pay was reasonable, and "the reasonableness of the compensation determined by the personal representative for his own services." Anyone who received excessive compensation "may be ordered to make appropriate refunds." A fee shown plainly in the account, with the hours or tasks behind it, is the easiest one to defend.

Six Months After Closing, the Window Shuts

Idaho Code 15-3-1005 bars the rights of successors, and of creditors whose claims are not otherwise barred, against the personal representative for breach of fiduciary duty "unless a proceeding to assert the same is commenced within six (6) months after the filing of the closing statement."

The exception is the part worth reading twice. The rights barred "do not include rights to recover from a personal representative for fraud, misrepresentation, or inadequate disclosure related to the settlement of the decedent's estate." A thin account invites an argument later about inadequate disclosure. Full disclosure is how the six-month clock actually protects you.

Distributees have their own exposure. Idaho Code 15-3-1006 lets an heir, devisee or successor representative recover property improperly distributed until the later of three years after death or one year after the distribution, unless the matter was already settled in a proceeding settling the accounts of the personal representative. A court-approved account under 15-3-1001 closes that door sooner.

Records That Hold Up

Open one estate bank account in the first week and run every receipt and payment through it. Estate money never touches a personal account.

Value everything as of the date of death and write down where each number came from: a bank letter, a broker statement, an appraisal, a county assessor record. Under 15-3-707 the appraiser's name and address go on the inventory beside the items that person valued.

Keep a dated log of every request and mailing. Who asked for the inventory, when you sent it, when the closing statement and account went out. Idaho's duties are counted from events, and your file is where you prove which day each one happened.

Keep the inventory current. A supplementary inventory under 15-3-708 costs an afternoon. Explaining an asset that surfaced for the first time in the final account costs much more.

Hold the file past the deadlines. Keep everything at least through the one-year termination under 15-3-1003(b) and the six-month bar under 15-3-1005, and remember that neither one covers fraud or inadequate disclosure.

For the full list of what a personal representative does before and after these accounting steps, return to the rest of the personal representative's job, and check when the estate can close against your own appointment date.

Sources:

• Title: Idaho Code 15-3-501, Supervised administration, Nature of proceeding. Publisher: Idaho State Legislature. Publication Date: Not listed (accessed 2026-09-24). URL: https://legislature.idaho.gov/statutesrules/idstat/Title15/T15CH3/SECT15-3-501/
• Title: Idaho Code 15-3-505, Supervised administration, Interim orders, Distribution and closing orders. Publisher: Idaho State Legislature. Publication Date: Not listed (accessed 2026-09-24). URL: https://legislature.idaho.gov/statutesrules/idstat/Title15/T15CH3/SECT15-3-505/
• Title: Idaho Code 15-3-703, General duties, Relation and liability to persons interested in estate, Standing to sue. Publisher: Idaho State Legislature. Publication Date: Not listed (accessed 2026-09-24). URL: https://legislature.idaho.gov/statutesrules/idstat/Title15/T15CH3/SECT15-3-703/
• Title: Idaho Code 15-3-704, Personal representative to proceed without court order, Exception. Publisher: Idaho State Legislature. Publication Date: Not listed (accessed 2026-09-24). URL: https://legislature.idaho.gov/statutesrules/idstat/Title15/T15CH3/SECT15-3-704/
• Title: Idaho Code 15-3-706, Duty of personal representative, Inventory and appraisement. Publisher: Idaho State Legislature. Publication Date: Not listed (accessed 2026-09-24). URL: https://legislature.idaho.gov/statutesrules/idstat/Title15/T15CH3/SECT15-3-706/
• Title: Idaho Code 15-3-707, Employment of appraisers. Publisher: Idaho State Legislature. Publication Date: Not listed (accessed 2026-09-24). URL: https://legislature.idaho.gov/statutesrules/idstat/Title15/T15CH3/SECT15-3-707/
• Title: Idaho Code 15-3-708, Duty of personal representative, Supplementary inventory. Publisher: Idaho State Legislature. Publication Date: Not listed (accessed 2026-09-24). URL: https://legislature.idaho.gov/statutesrules/idstat/Title15/T15CH3/SECT15-3-708/
• Title: Idaho Code 15-3-709, Duty of personal representative, Possession of estate. Publisher: Idaho State Legislature. Publication Date: Not listed (accessed 2026-09-24). URL: https://legislature.idaho.gov/statutesrules/idstat/Title15/T15CH3/SECT15-3-709/
• Title: Idaho Code 15-3-712, Improper exercise of power, Breach of fiduciary duty. Publisher: Idaho State Legislature. Publication Date: Not listed (accessed 2026-09-24). URL: https://legislature.idaho.gov/statutesrules/idstat/Title15/T15CH3/SECT15-3-712/
• Title: Idaho Code 15-3-719, Compensation of personal representative. Publisher: Idaho State Legislature. Publication Date: Not listed (accessed 2026-09-24). URL: https://legislature.idaho.gov/statutesrules/idstat/Title15/T15CH3/SECT15-3-719/
• Title: Idaho Code 15-3-721, Proceedings for review of employment of agents and compensation of personal representatives and employees of estate. Publisher: Idaho State Legislature. Publication Date: Not listed (accessed 2026-09-24). URL: https://legislature.idaho.gov/statutesrules/idstat/Title15/T15CH3/SECT15-3-721/
• Title: Idaho Code 15-3-803, Limitations on presentation of claims. Publisher: Idaho State Legislature. Publication Date: Not listed (accessed 2026-09-24). URL: https://legislature.idaho.gov/statutesrules/idstat/Title15/T15CH3/SECT15-3-803/
• Title: Idaho Code 15-3-1001, Formal proceedings terminating administration, Testate or intestate, Order of general protection. Publisher: Idaho State Legislature. Publication Date: Not listed (accessed 2026-09-24). URL: https://legislature.idaho.gov/statutesrules/idstat/Title15/T15CH3/SECT15-3-1001/
• Title: Idaho Code 15-3-1003, Closing estates, By sworn statement of personal representative. Publisher: Idaho State Legislature. Publication Date: Not listed (accessed 2026-09-24). URL: https://legislature.idaho.gov/statutesrules/idstat/Title15/T15CH3/SECT15-3-1003/
• Title: Idaho Code 15-3-1005, Limitations on proceedings against personal representative. Publisher: Idaho State Legislature. Publication Date: Not listed (accessed 2026-09-24). URL: https://legislature.idaho.gov/statutesrules/idstat/Title15/T15CH3/SECT15-3-1005/
• Title: Idaho Code 15-3-1006, Limitations on actions and proceedings against distributees. Publisher: Idaho State Legislature. Publication Date: Not listed (accessed 2026-09-24). URL: https://legislature.idaho.gov/statutesrules/idstat/Title15/T15CH3/SECT15-3-1006/
• Title: Idaho Code 15-3-1204, Small estates, Closing by sworn statement of personal representative. Publisher: Idaho State Legislature. Publication Date: Not listed (accessed 2026-09-24). URL: https://legislature.idaho.gov/statutesrules/idstat/Title15/T15CH3/SECT15-3-1204/
• Title: Idaho Code 15-7-302, Trustee's standard of care and performance. Publisher: Idaho State Legislature. Publication Date: Not listed (accessed 2026-09-24). URL: https://legislature.idaho.gov/statutesrules/idstat/Title15/T15CH7/SECT15-7-302/
• Title: Idaho Code 31-3201A, Court fees. Publisher: Idaho State Legislature. Publication Date: Not listed (accessed 2026-09-24). URL: https://legislature.idaho.gov/statutesrules/idstat/Title31/T31CH32/SECT31-3201A/
• Title: IRCP Appendix A, Filing Fee Schedule, District Court and Magistrate Division. Publisher: Idaho Supreme Court. Publication Date: 2024-07-12 (effective date printed on the schedule). URL: https://api.isc.idaho.gov/uploads/Documents/Forms/Rules_and_Procedures_Forms/1777486274632-Appendix-A-Civil-Case-Filing-Fees-071224.pdf

It is not legal advice.