Manage Debts

Debts include mortgages, car loans, large outstanding credit card bills, and so forth.

List Debts

To manage debts using EstateExec, begin by listing all known debts in the Debts tab (see Enter Debt for specific EstateExec instructions, and Taking Inventory for some practical advice).

It is not necessary to list new estate expenses as debts: you can simply record payment of estate expenses via the Cashflow tab as they arise. If you do want to record estate expenses as debts, be sure to leave the Owed at Death column blank.

Debts to the estate are considered assets, and should be entered as Loans on the Asset tab, not here.

Resolve Debts

Unless the estate is insolvent, the executor must use estate funds to pay all estate debts, or get them forgiven (see also Resolving Debts).

If a debt becomes time-barred after the date of death (i.e., becomes expired due to the expiration of its claim period), then you should just delete anything in the Amount Owed Now, with an explanation in the Notes column (according to the Income Tax Act R.S.C., 1985, c. 1 §80.01, such time-barred debts are not officially considered forgiven).

Delete Debts

You can delete a debt from the Debts tab by selecting its row and then pressing the Delete button at the top of the tab.

Do NOT delete a debt just because it has been paid or forgiven. Only delete debts that were created by mistake. If you delete a valid debt, EstateExec will no longer be able to generate accurate Inventory Reports from the time of death, or a Final Accounting Report that shows changes to the estate over time. Moreover, when you delete a debt, all references to it will be deleted, including any debt payments.

If you want to see just the current debts of an estate, simply filter the Debts table to include only those with a Owed Now > 0.

Unreimbursed Executor Expenses

If you have entered executor expenses on the Executor tab, and not yet fully reimbursed yourself for all those expenses, you will see a special "Unreimbursed Executor Expenses" debt on the Debts tab. You cannot make changes to this debt from the Debts tab; you must handle such expenses via the Executor tab (see Log Executor Expenses).

Monitor Progress

The Estate Disposition chart on the Overview tab provides feedback on debt resolution progress, showing the percent of debt currently resolved.