If the decedent died with a trust, does the Court get involved? If the decedent passed away with a trust in place, no court administration is needed. The person designated in the trust document (the successor trustee) is the person who administers the trust estate.
What are the Trustee’s duties? Some of the Trustee’s duties include:
Provide an accounting of estate assets and expenses to the Beneficiaries
Identifying and gathering all assets of the Trust
Collecting rights to any income (royalties, rental income, stock dividends, etc.) that the decedent was entitled to
Settling financial disputes
Filing the decedent’s final income tax return
Filing the decedent’s estate tax return (if necessary)
Handling creditor’s claims, and
Distributing or transferring the trust assets to the beneficiaries and heirs