Executor accounting spreadsheet template
A free five-tab ledger for executors and personal representatives: record the estate inventory, money in, money out, and distributions, and the summary tab reconciles automatically — what the estate should hold versus what it does. Works in Excel and Google Sheets. Built to match the record-keeping duties described in our executor record-keeping guide.
What's in the workbook
- Read Me — how to use it, and the three habits that prevent most estate disputes
- 1 Estate Inventory — everything owned at the date of death, valued as of that date
- 2 Money In — every deposit: refunds, interest, insurance, sale proceeds
- 3 Money Out — every payment, with a receipt reference column
- 4 Distributions — what each beneficiary received, and whether a release was signed
- Summary — automatic reconciliation: what should be on hand vs. what is
How to use it
- Fill the Estate Inventory tab first — it is the opening balance everything else reconciles against. Use date-of-death values from statements and appraisals.
- Record money in and money out as it happens, not in a monthly catch-up. Note where the receipt or statement for each row is filed.
- Check the Summarytab monthly. A difference you can explain (an asset sold above or below its inventory value) gets a note; a difference you can't explain means a missing row.
- When distributing, get a signed release and mark it on the Distributions tab before the money moves.
Canadian estates: use the court-format version
Canadian probate is provincial, and Ontario prescribes the most detailed format for formal estate accounts. The Ontario version of the template keeps your records in that structure from day one — see our guides to the Canadian estate accounting template and passing of accounts in Ontario for how the format works and when it becomes mandatory.
Common questions
- What should an executor accounting spreadsheet include?
- An executor accounting spreadsheet needs five parts: the estate inventory (everything owned at the date of death, with values), money received by the estate, money paid out by the estate, distributions to beneficiaries, and a reconciliation that ties them together — inventory plus receipts, minus payments and distributions, should equal what the estate still holds.
- Does this template work in Google Sheets?
- Yes. The template is a standard .xlsx file. Upload it to Google Drive and open it with Google Sheets, and the totals and reconciliation formulas keep working. It also opens in Excel, LibreOffice, and Apple Numbers.
- Do executors need accounting software, or is a spreadsheet enough?
- For most estates a spreadsheet is enough, provided every row has a receipt or statement behind it and estate money is kept in its own bank account. Software becomes worth considering for estates with many accounts, a business, or years of administration — or when the accounts must be filed with a court in a prescribed format.
- Is this template a court-format estate accounting?
- No. This is a working ledger for running the estate and for sharing informal accountings with beneficiaries. Courts that formally review estate accounts prescribe their own formats. If you are in Canada, use the Ontario court-format version of this template, which follows the structure in Ontario's Rule 74.17; in the US, check your state's probate accounting forms before filing.
- Why does the template ask for a receipt reference on every row?
- Because an estate accounting is only as strong as the paper behind it. A ledger row that points to a filed receipt or statement can be verified in seconds; a row without one becomes a question, and questions between beneficiaries and executors escalate. Recording the reference as you go costs a few seconds per entry.
Related reading
- How to keep records as an executor — the five things to track and the mistakes that cause disputes.
- Clearing a house as an executor — secure documents and valuables before anything moves.
- Estate cleanout costs — cited cost ranges for the biggest physical task, so the ledger entry has context.
The template and this article are general information, not legal or tax advice. Court accounting formats vary by state and province — have an estates lawyer review accounts before any court filing.