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What to Do When Someone Dies in Washington

A step by step guide to the first days and weeks after a death in Washington. Probate is heard by the county SUPERIOR COURT, and RCW 11.96A.040(1) gives the superior court of every county original subject matter jurisdiction over the probate of wills and the administration of estates. Each court is named the {County} County Superior Court, and the office you actually file with is the COUNTY CLERK, the clerk of that superior court. Washington has no separate probate court and no probate division. Washington also calls the person who settles an estate the personal representative, and it is a community property state, which changes almost every answer below.

Get Death Certificates
Sources

If You Are the Named Executor in Washington

If you are the named executor, personal representative, or the family member organizing a Washington estate, start with the records and court tasks below at a steady pace. Each step links to its full instructions in the timeline.

  1. Order Certified Death Certificates

    Statute: RCW 70.58A.560

  2. Find the Original Will and Deliver It

    Statute: RCW 11.20.010

  3. Sort Every Asset Into Two Piles

    Statute: RCW 11.02.070

  4. Work Out Whether a Probate Is Needed at All

    Statute: RCW 11.62.010

  5. Ask the Court for Nonintervention Powers

    Statute: RCW 11.68.011

We are sorry for your loss. Nothing on this page has to happen today. Washington sets no deadline for opening a probate, so take the time you need and come back when you are ready.

Timeline of Tasks

Start with the immediate tasks. Open each later phase as you reach it.

First 24 to 48 Hours

Get an Official Pronouncement of Death
A medical professional has to pronounce the death before anything else can move.
Contact a Funeral Home or Cremation Provider
The funeral home moves the body, works with the local registrar on the death record, and is usually the fastest route to the first certified copies.
Secure the Home, the Pets and the Vehicles
Nobody has authority over estate property yet, so the job right now is preservation rather than distribution.

The First Week

Order Certified Death Certificates
A Washington certified death certificate costs $25 under RCW 70.58A.560(1). There is no bulk discount, and a search that finds no record costs the same $25.
Find the Original Will and Deliver It
Washington puts the duty on whoever HOLDS the will, not on the family. RCW 11.20.010 gives any person with custody or control of a will 30 days after learning of the death to deliver it either to the court having jurisdiction or to the person named in the will as executor. An executor who holds the will has 40 days to deliver it to the court.
Notify Social Security and the Pension Payers
Benefits have to stop, and a payment for the month of death or later has to go back.
Sort Every Asset Into Two Piles
The question that decides everything else is whether an asset already names the person who takes it. In Washington the answer differs between real property, vehicles and bank accounts, so ask it asset by asset.

The First Month

Work Out Whether a Probate Is Needed at All
Washington gives a family several ways to move property without a court appointment, and they are not all value tests.
File the Petition With the County Clerk
If a probate is needed, it is filed in the superior court of the county, and the counter you go to is the county clerk's office. RCW 11.20.020(1) lets an application for probate of a will be made at any time after the death, and the court may hear the proofs immediately.
Ask the Court for Nonintervention Powers
This is the step that makes Washington probate cheap, and it is the step most out of state guidance skips. RCW 11.68.011 lets the court find a solvent estate and grant the personal representative authority to settle it without further court intervention.
Serve the Notices the First 30 Days Require
Appointment starts two short clocks that have nothing to do with creditors.
Decide Whether to Publish Notice to Creditors
Publishing is OPTIONAL in Washington, and that is the decision with the largest financial consequence in the whole administration.
Prepare the Inventory and Appraisement
Within three months after appointment, unless the court allows longer, the personal representative must make and verify by affidavit a true inventory and appraisement of the estate property, valued at fair NET value as of the date of death.

Months Two Through Twelve

Open an Estate Account and Keep the Money Separate
Get an EIN for the estate and move every estate dollar into an account in the estate's name.
Pay the Debts in the Statutory Order
RCW 11.76.110 was rewritten effective 1 August 2024 and now sets SIX classes, subject to federal preemption and to the privileges and priorities allowed to encumbrances and liens.
Handle the Tax Filings
Washington has a state ESTATE tax, which puts it in a minority of states, and no inheritance tax.
Retitle the Vehicles Inside 15 Days of Delivery
Washington sets a hard clock most states do not have, and it names inheritance inside it.
Close the Estate
A nonintervention estate normally closes by declaration rather than by a court hearing.

Who to Notify

Social Security Administration
Call 1-800-772-1213
Employer / HR Department
Phone call or email
Banks & Credit Unions
Visit branch with death certificate
Insurance Companies
Call policy customer service
Credit Card Companies
Call number on card
Utility Companies
Call to transfer or cancel
DMV / Vehicle Registration
Visit in person or online
Post Office
Submit change of address form

Documents to Gather

Death Certificates

Many estates start with 10-15 certified copies because banks, insurers, property-transfer contacts, and agencies may ask for them.

How to get death certificates →

Will & Trust Documents

Look in safe deposit boxes, home safes, attorney files, and records folders.

Probate guide →

Financial Statements

Bank statements, investment accounts, retirement accounts, and recent tax returns.

Asset transfer guide →

There is no rush on this. When you are ready, a short assessment can help you see whether probate is needed.

What Comes Next?

After the first 30 days, you may need to start probate or transfer assets. The Washington probate guide walks through what usually comes next.

Read the Washington Probate Guide

More Washington Resources

Explore the rest of the Washington probate hub.

Do I need probate?4 pages
Costs and money5 pages
File for probate2 pages
Transfer assets4 pages
Learn and reference5 pages