Letters of Administration
Also called: administration letters
Updated June 7, 2026
When letters of administration are issued
If a person dies intestate — without a valid will — no executor has been named, so the court appoints an administrator and issues letters of administration to confirm their authority. This document is then presented to banks, government agencies, and other institutions just as an executor would present letters testamentary.
The practical burden
Obtaining letters of administration takes time — the administrator must petition the court, give notice to potential heirs, and often post a bond. This is one of the reasons that dying with a valid, findable will — and a named executor — makes a difficult time considerably easier for the people you leave behind.
Related terms
- Administrator — An administrator is a person appointed by a probate court to settle an estate when the deceased left no will, or when the will named no executor who can serve. The administrator has the same duties as an executor — gathering assets, paying debts, and distributing what remains — but receives their authority from the court rather than from a will.
- Letters Testamentary — Letters testamentary is a document issued by a probate court that officially authorizes the executor named in a will to act on behalf of the estate — to access accounts, transfer property, and conduct the business of settling the estate. Without it, banks and institutions will not cooperate with an executor.
- Intestate — Intestate means dying without a valid will. When that happens, state law — called intestate succession — decides who inherits, in a fixed order that usually favors a spouse and children, then other close relatives. The court appoints an administrator to settle the estate.
- Probate — Probate is the court-supervised process of proving a will is valid, settling the deceased's debts and taxes, and distributing what remains to the people entitled to it. It applies whether or not there is a will, and it is overseen by a probate court in the county where the person lived.
- Personal Representative — Personal representative is a neutral legal term used in many states to refer to the person responsible for administering a deceased person's estate — whether they were named in a will (an executor) or appointed by a court without one (an administrator). Using one term for both roles simplifies court paperwork and reflects that the duties are identical.
Legatus Vault keeps your wills, trusts, and estate documents in one secure place and releases them — only when the time comes, and only after careful verification — to the people you choose.