Probate court, what to do once you get Personal Representative authority?

My son was killed and I opened a Probate case to determine what he had, to cover burial expenses. Now not sure what to do regarding going back to court or what? I don't have a lawyer so am relying on help.

* General Duties* The general duties of an executor or administrator of an estate are to:

1. Collect the assets of the estate;
2. Pay debts and taxes owed by the decedent or the estate; and
3. Distribute the estate in accordance with the will (or, if there is no will, in accordance with the laws of intestacy).

*Initial Tasks Shortly after death, it is usually necessary to:

1. Arrange for the funeral (if there is no surviving husband or wife, children, or other next of kin). You have probably taken care of it already.
2. If there is an unoccupied residence, make sure that it and any valuables in or around it are secure.

Within Three Months of Death

1. Notify banks, employers, insurance companies, stock brokers, and others of the death, and begin identifying assets and liabilities of the decedent.
2. If appropriate, arrange for the decedent's mail to be forwarded.
3. Advertise the grant of letters by the Register of Wills. This is required by Court Rules in all states.
4. Send required written notices to beneficiaries under will and to heirs at law, with certification to the Register of Wills.

Inventory all assets and have them appraised and insured, if necessary

Collect debts owed to the estate

Check with the deceased鈥檚 employer for unpaid salary, insurance and other employee benefits

File for Social Security, civil service or veteran benefits

File for life insurance and other benefits. Note that in most cases, life insurance is paid to named beneficiaries. The Personal Representative is acting to assist in the filing of proof of death claims.

File the decedent's final city, state and/or federal income tax returns.

File state death and federal estate tax returns. Note that some states, such as Pennsylvania, provide a discount for early payment of Inheritance Taxes.

Pay valid claims against the estate. Payment of funeral bill and expenses of last illness are preferred claims. In this category, if there is health insurance, you may need to work with health insurance companies to insure that hospital and medical insurance claims are filed.

Distribute assets and obtain receipts from beneficiaries. Be careful and do not distribute to beneficiaries until after you are sure that all claims against the estate are paid. If you make an early distribution to beneficiaries and claims are later made, you will have to ask for some money back or pay the claim out of your own assets.

File accounting and other papers to finalize the estate.

Do your research for your county's laws. I'm a collector, so I know there are ways to get around paying. You can reject all claims & set a hearing. Most creditors will not show up unless it is a substantial amount - & if it's a 3rd party collector they might not be able to get proof of the claim & not show either. Any questions, then e-mail me through my site. Also, you are saving a lot of dough by not using an attorney.

Balance sheet of his assets against his debts; if there is enough to cover the debts, you should begin paying them off; if not, you need to submit the inventory to the court to determine what creditors they want paid and in what amounts