Task List

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If you want to see and manage all tasks in a single list, you can switch from the default Task Wizard view to the Task List by clicking the View | Task List menu. While the Task Wizard is a little simpler to understand and use, the Task List lets you more easily see how the various tasks relate to one another, and provides additional advanced features such as creating custom tasks and assigning tasks.

Note that EstateExec customizes the tasks according to the particulars of your estate, so this list can change somewhat over time as more becomes known about the estate. The automated list is not intended to be exhaustive, and it's likely that you will have additional tasks for your particular estate, so you can also add your own custom tasks as desired.

See also Track Tasks for information about the Tasks tab in general, and Key Duties for a high-level discussion about executor duties and individual tasks.

Working with Tasks

You can manage both standard and custom EstateExec tasks as follows:

Find a Task: Type a keyword or phrase in the Task filter field at the top of the table.
Get More Information: Click the task's summary description (in the column labeled "Task").
Mark Complete: Click your mouse in the task's "Done" cell (don't forget to save the estate at some point).
Mark N/A (Not Applicable): To mark a task not applicable (perhaps the task is about life insurance, and the decedent didn't have any), click your mouse in the task's "N/A" cell, which will gray out the task and exclude it from progress calculations. You can also select several tasks using the row selector checkmark (in the very first column), and mark them all N/A using the Mark N/A button at the top of the table.
Exclude N/A Tasks: You can use the checkbox at the top right of the table to include or exclude showing tasks you have marked "Not Applicable". You can also use the filter row by typing "Y" or "N" at the top of the N/A column.
Assigned: There is an optional "Assigned" column available for Tasks, not shown by default (as with all EstateExec tables, you can control which columns to show via the menu in the top right of the table). You can use this column to divvy up responsibilities if you are working with multiple people.

Custom Tasks

In addition to standard tasks calculated by EstateExec, you can also track your own custom tasks (however, it can be overwhelming to try to structure every little "to-do" as an official task, and there is no legal requirement to track custom tasks: if your main goal with custom tasks is to have a record of your activities and time spent, you may want to consider the Time Log instead):

Add a Custom Task: Click the "Create Task" button on the top of the table, then fill out the dialog box that appears.
Modify a Custom Task: Click the task name in the table and make changes in the edit dialog that appears.
Delete a Custom Task: Select whatever rows you want to delete via the checkmark in the first column of each row, then click the "Delete" button at the top of the table.
Custom Column: You can explicitly include a Custom column in the table via the menu in the top right of the table, enabling you to show only your own custom tasks, standard EstateExec tasks, or both. For example, you can enter a "Y" in the column's filter field to show only the custom tasks you have defined.

Task Colors

EstateExec displays tasks in different colors:

Blue: Normal tasks
Green: Custom tasks you defined
Black: Completed tasks
Gray: Tasks you marked "Not Applicable"

Services and Discounts

Some EstateExec tasks include links to third-party service providers who can help you complete the task, often with a special EstateExec discount (for example, see Task: Dispose of unwanted assets). EstateExec does not recommend or receive compensation from these discount providers; we make these offers available simply as a service to our customers. See also Discounts.

Completion Dates

By default, EstateExec tracks the date you complete each task:

Set Done Date: To mark a task complete and record the completion date, click the Date Done cell of a given task and select the desired date.
Mark Task Done: As a shortcut, you can simply click a task's Done cell, and it will set the Date Done to today's date.
Disable Date Tracking: If you don't want to bother tracking completion dates, you can use the Task Options dialog to turn off this feature: click the "Options..." button at the top right of the table, and uncheck "Track dates".

Task Sorting

By default, EstateExec shows tasks grouped by Timing Period (e.g., First Month, As Possible, Tax Year, etc.), and by due date within that Period. You can sort any EstateExec table in a variety of ways...

You can sort the table as desired by clicking on a column header (to sort by multiple columns, use Shift+Click). To reverse sort, click the column header again. Click a third time to restore things back to the default.
For example, to see tasks in the order you completed them, click the Done column. To see tasks by remaining due date, click the Due column (to sort strictly by due date), then enter N (for No) in the Done column (so you don't see the ones you've already completed).

Other Task Table Hints

EstateExec tables are quite powerful. Here are a few additional tips for using the Tasks table:

As with most EstateExec tables, some columns are not shown by default (e.g., Custom, N/A). You can include those columns in the table via the menu in the top right of the table.
To see just the remaining tasks, enter an 'N' in the Done column filter and an 'N' in the N/A column filter.
To see just the tax tasks, enter "Tax" in the Category filter. You can do this with any specific task category.