Filling In the Probate Forms
See the sample Petition for Probate to the right.
1. Court
- Fill in the county in which you will file or have filed.
2. Caption
3. Case Number (also called “Cause Number”)
- If your case has not yet been opened (ie, you have not filed anything yet):
- Leave this area blank
- When you file for the first time, the Court Clerk will rubber stamp a preset number into this area and then will likely hand the rubber stamp to you for you to stamp your copies as part of the conformation process.
- If your case has already been opened (ie, you have already filed something): Fill in this area with your case number. Caution: $15 fine if case number including area designation omitted upon filing, at least in King County.
4. Title & Statutes
5. Header: The portion of the document above the horizontal line under the Caption.
6. Body: The portion of the document below the horizontal line under the Caption (and, technically, above the date, place, and signature section at the end of the document).
7. Footer: The portion of the document in its bottom margin, to help identify the document in the Court file.
- Fill in your Contact Information.
8. Date, Place, & Signature Section
- Date: Use the date that the document is signed, in the form of Month day, year, eg, July 4, 2003.
- Place: Use the place that the document is signed, in the form of City, State, eg, Seattle, WA.
- Signature
- Printed Name of Signing Party
- Caution:
- Most of the documents you will sign as the petitioning or appointed Personal Representative.
- Some of the documents are for others to sign, for example:
- Waivers, Receipts, etc., to be signed, for example, by a surviving spouse, an heir, a beneficiary, or a creditor.
- Orders:
- Sign your name on the “Presented by” signature line, but
- Leave the date and main signature line blank, for the Judge to fill in.