Blog & Resources

Question: As the Executor, if I sell my mother’s Chester County home, do I have to pay the Pennsylvania probate tax before dividing up the sale proceeds with my siblings?

First, let’s clarify a few things. In Pennsylvania the “probate tax” is the Pennsylvania Inheritance Tax. Because the estate is being divided up between the mother’s children, that rate is 4.5% on the date of death value of her entire taxable estate. The house is included in that taxable estate.

Beneficiaries of Delaware County estates will often approach us asking our help in keeping an eye on the estate’s executor. This is often the result of the executor not sharing information about the estate with the beneficiary, the executor’s unreasonable delays, or when the executor’s behavior has raised the beneficiary’s concern.

When we are asked about what steps a beneficiary can take to keep an eye on the executor, I will outline various options, such as:

Beneficiaries of Lehigh County estates will often approach us asking our help in keeping an eye on the estate’s executor. This is often the result of the executor not sharing information about the estate with the beneficiary, the executor’s unreasonable delays, or when the executor’s behavior has raised the beneficiary’s concern.

When we are asked about what steps a beneficiary can take to keep an eye on the executor, I will outline various options, such as:

Beneficiaries of Chester County estates will often approach us asking our help in keeping an eye on the estate’s executor. This is often the result of the executor not sharing information about the estate with the beneficiary, the executor’s unreasonable delays, or when the executor’s behavior has raised the beneficiary’s concern.

When we are asked about what steps a beneficiary can take to keep an eye on the executor, I will outline various options, such as:

If you are a Philadelphia resident with a will, following your death your executor will take your death certificate, the original copy of your will, a checkbook and an ID card to the Philadelphia Register of Wills Office to be sworn in as the executor of your estate.

Being an executor means that this person is a fiduciary with many responsibilities and duties. Selecting the correct person for the job is a vital part of your estate plan.

If you are a Montgomery County resident with a will, following your death your executor will take your death certificate, the original copy of your will, a checkbook and an ID card to the Montgomery County Register of Wills Office to be sworn in as the executor of your estate.

Being an executor means that this person is a fiduciary with many responsibilities and duties. Selecting the correct person for the job is a vital part of your estate plan.

If you are a member of the LGBT community in Pennsylvania with a will, following your death your executor will take your death certificate, the original copy of your will, a checkbook and an ID card to the Register of Wills Office to be sworn in as the executor of your estate.

Being an executor means that this person is a fiduciary with many responsibilities and duties. Selecting the correct person for the job is a vital part of your estate plan.

Question: As the Executor of a Philadelphia estate, can I hire an eviction attorney to remove a squatter from a rental owned by the estate?

It is the executor’s duty to protect the estate assets and to make them profitable. If the estate has a rental unit with a squatter, the beneficiaries could try to hold the executor responsible for lost rent if he does not act. Because this is an estate asset the executor is trying to optimize, he is free to use estate assets to retain an expert to assist in the eviction.

If you are a Lehigh County resident with a will, following your death your executor will take your death certificate, the original copy of your will, a checkbook and an ID card to the Lehigh County Register of Wills Office to be sworn in as the executor of your estate.

Being an executor means that this person is a fiduciary with many responsibilities and duties. Selecting the correct person for the job is a vital part of your estate plan.

Question: I am the Executor of a Montgomery County estate and the trustee of the trust into which the estate assets pour. The trust is for my brother. He is the beneficiary of the estate. What do I do when the beneficiary’s lawyer does not engage me?

Careful! First, the executor needs to understand that the beneficiary of the estate is not the brother; the beneficiary of the estate is the trust for the brother. The brother is a beneficiary of the trust, but he is not the heir of the estate. He may have an attorney, but the executor may be giving that attorney too much power over estate matters.