Executor spreadsheet: what to track and how (Australia)
An executor does not need special software. A spreadsheet is enough, as long as it records the right things. This guide explains what to track. You can build it yourself, or use a ready-made template such as the All Ends Tied Workbook.
Why a spreadsheet?
- One place for everything. Banks, super funds, the ATO and Services Australia all need telling. Without a list it is easy to forget who you have contacted.
- A record of your actions. If a beneficiary or a court ever asks what you did, a dated record answers it.
- Easy to share. Your solicitor and accountant can be given the same file, or a printout.
The tabs worth having
- Estate details. Full name and other names of the person who has passed away, date of birth and death, last address, will location, executor names and contact details, solicitor and accountant.
- Task timeline. A list of tasks with a status, the date started, the date finished and notes. Leave statutory deadlines blank until you have confirmed them with the court or a solicitor. The probate steps differ by state, and our guides for NSW, Victoria, WA and Queensland set them out in order.
- Contacts. Everyone you deal with, with the phone number, email, reference number and the date you last spoke.
- Notification register. Each organisation you have told: when, how, who with, a reference number and what is outstanding.
- Assets. Each asset, where it is held, an account or reference number (last four digits only is enough), the value at date of death and the source of that value. Record the date of every valuation.
- Liabilities. Each debt, the creditor, the amount and the date, with a column for paid, unpaid or disputed.
- Income and receipts. Money that comes into the estate after death: refunds, dividends, rent, the proceeds of sales.
- Expenses and reimbursements. Every payment, who paid it (the estate or you personally) and whether you have been reimbursed. Keep receipts.
- Decision diary. Dated notes of significant decisions and reasons.
- Beneficiaries and distributions. What each person received and when.
- Summary. Totals of the above, so you can see the position at any time.
Habits that make it work
- Enter things when they happen. Ten minutes a week is easier than a weekend of catching up.
- Always record the source of a number (statement, valuation, phone call) and its date.
- Keep the estate’s money and your own separate, and record anything you pay personally so it can be reimbursed correctly.
- Store the file in your own account with a strong password, and keep sensitive numbers out of it.
- Back it up and give your solicitor a copy at key stages.
What a spreadsheet cannot do
It cannot tell you what the law requires, work out tax, or replace advice. For those, speak to a solicitor or registered tax agent. The ATO has a checklist for what to do when someone dies that is a useful companion to your records.
All Ends Tied Workbook (A$39)
A 20-tab Google Sheets / Excel workbook for tracking the estate: tasks, notifications, assets, debts, expenses, time, decisions, distributions and a printable summary.