What the Register of Wills Actually Does

Every county in Pennsylvania has a Register of Wills. When someone dies, with a will or without one, this is the office where their estate officially begins. For Chester County, the office is in West Chester, the county seat. Most people have never heard of it until they need it.

What the Office Does

• Probates wills. The Register accepts the original will, confirms it was properly signed, and admits it to probate.
• Grants authority. It issues letters testamentary to the executor named in a will, or letters of administration to an administrator when there is no will.
• Handles inheritance tax filings. The Register accepts Pennsylvania inheritance tax returns and payments on behalf of the Department of Revenue.
• Keeps the estate file. Later filings, such as the inventory of assets and the certification that beneficiaries were notified, go into the estate's file, which is a public record.

In many Pennsylvania counties, the same office also serves as the Clerk of the Orphans' Court, which handles matters such as marriage licenses, adoptions, and guardianships.

What It Does Not Do

The Register's staff can explain their procedures, but they cannot give legal advice or tell you how to run the estate. And if family members disagree about the will or how the estate is handled, that dispute goes to a judge in the Orphans' Court, not to the Register.

If the will was not signed with a self-proving affidavit, the Register may need statements from the witnesses. If there is no will, other relatives with the right to serve may need to sign papers stepping aside. Call ahead or check the county's website before you go, since procedures, forms, and fees change and many offices work by appointment.

After the First Visit

Once letters are granted, the longer work begins: notices, gathering assets, paying debts, and eventually distributing what is left. Our walkthrough of the first 30 days as executor covers what comes next.

This article is general information about Pennsylvania law, not legal advice for your situation. Every estate and family is different. Reading it does not create an attorney-client relationship with D'Amico Law, PC.