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Georgia probate guide
Which Georgia probate forms do you need?
The short answer
The form follows the path. Each Georgia probate path has its own state form, free on the probate judges' website. No will, heirs agree, no debts: GPCSF 9. No will otherwise: GPCSF 3. A will: GPCSF 5 or GPCSF 4. A spouse or young children asking for support: GPCSF 10. Our six-question quiz shows which path usually fits.
By Georgia Probate Specialist team
On this page
Match the path to the form
Each path has one main petition. A petition is the paper that asks the court to act. Which path fits is your family's call, and court staff can't make it for you.
| Your situation | The path | Main form |
|---|---|---|
| No will. Every heir agrees. No debts, or the people owed agree. | No Administration Necessary. | GPCSF 9. |
| No will. | Letters of administration. | GPCSF 3. |
| A will, with notice to the heirs first. | Probate in solemn form. | GPCSF 5. |
| A will, and the court acts without notice first. | Probate in common form. | GPCSF 4. |
| Not sure there is a will. | Find the will first. | No form for this step. |
| A spouse or children under 18 need support. | Year's support. | GPCSF 10. |
Official court forms
- GPCSF 9Petition for Order Declaring No Administration Necessary(PDF, opens new tab)
- GPCSF 3Petition for Letters of Administration(PDF, opens new tab)
- GPCSF 5Petition to Probate Will in Solemn Form(PDF, opens new tab)
- GPCSF 4Petition to Probate Will in Common Form(PDF, opens new tab)
- GPCSF 10Petition for Year’s Support(PDF, opens new tab)
Forms that often come along
The main petition is rarely the only paper. These are the add-ons families run into most.
| Form | What it is for |
|---|---|
| Supplement 4 | The oath, a sworn promise the person in charge makes. A probate judge or clerk gives it, not a notary. |
| GPCSF 53 | Lets a judge or clerk in another state give the oath. |
| GPCSF 2 | Temporary letters, the court's paper that lets someone act for the estate until a permanent pick is made. They can collect and protect, not hand out. |
| GPCSF 7 | Accepts a will and names an administrator with the will annexed, who follows the will when no executor can serve. |
| GPCSF 8 | Names that kind of administrator for a will the court already accepted. |
| GPCSF 13 | Leave to sell, the court's okay to sell estate property. Needed only when neither the will nor the heirs gave the power to sell. |
| GPCSF 17 | Asks the court's okay to sell or borrow against property set aside as year's support, when children share in it. |
| GPCSF 32 | Asks to waive the bond, a kind of insurance for the heirs, or to grant certain powers. |
| GPCSF 21 | The bond itself. |
| Supplement 1 | Names a guardian ad litem, a person who speaks for a child or for an adult who can't speak for themselves. |
| GPCSF 33 | Asks the court to release the person in charge once the work is done. |
Official court forms
- GPCSF Supplement 4Guardian/Conservator/Personal Representative Oath(PDF, opens new tab)
- GPCSF 53Commission to Administer Oath(PDF, opens new tab)
- GPCSF 2Petition for Temporary Letters of Administration(PDF, opens new tab)
- GPCSF 7Petition to Probate Will in Solemn Form and for Letters of Administration with Will Annexed(PDF, opens new tab)
- GPCSF 8Petition for Letters of Administration with Will Annexed – Will Previously Probated(PDF, opens new tab)
- GPCSF 13Petition of Personal Representative for Leave to Sell Property(PDF, opens new tab)
- GPCSF 17Petition for Leave to Convey or Encumber Property Previously Set Aside as Year’s Support(PDF, opens new tab)
- GPCSF 32Petition by Personal Representative for Waiver of Bond and/or Grant of Certain Powers(PDF, opens new tab)
- GPCSF 21Bond of Administrators, Conservators & Executors, Etc. (eff. 7/2008)(PDF, opens new tab)
- GPCSF Supplement 1Determination by Court that a Person May Act as Guardian or Appointment of Guardian Ad Litem(PDF, opens new tab)
- GPCSF 33Petition for Discharge of Personal Representative(PDF, opens new tab)
A mix-up on the temporary letters form
The instructions on GPCSF 2 say to use GPCSF 4 for the oath. But GPCSF 4 is the form to probate a will in common form. The other state forms point to Supplement 4 for the oath. Ask the clerk which one they want.
A made-up example
Here is how parts of GPCSF 9 might look for a family we made up. The people are not real. Ruth Odom died with no will. She had no spouse and two grown sons, Paul and Sam. They are her heirs, the family who inherit.
| What the form asks | Made-up answer | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Each heir, their age, and where they live. | Paul Odom, son, over 18, Macon. Sam Odom, son, over 18, Dayton, Ohio. | The court has to see that these are all the heirs. |
| The estate's debts. | Box (a): the estate owes no debts. | Other boxes cover a mortgage, or creditors who agree or are served. |
| The heirs' agreement. | Paul takes the house. Sam takes the car and the bank account. | The signed original is attached. Each son signs in front of a notary or the probate clerk. |
| The land. | A full legal description of the house lot. | It has to name the land clearly enough for the deed records. |
| Other cases. | None. | No other estate case for Ruth can be open or done in a Georgia probate court. |
Before you print anything
The example only shows what the form asks. It is not a model for what your family writes.
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Most state forms carry the date July 2021. Counties add their own cover sheets, fees and online filing rules. Check with the clerk in the county where your loved one lived.
We link to the court's own forms and don't post copies, so you always open the current version.
Quick answers
Questions people ask
Where do I get the official forms?
On the Georgia Council of Probate Court Judges' website, gaprobate.gov. They are free to download as PDFs.
Is there a small estate form in Georgia?
Not by that name. The closest is No Administration Necessary, GPCSF 9. It is a petition to the court, and it has no dollar cap.
Does a notary give the oath?
No. A probate judge or clerk gives it, on Supplement 4. Heirs can sign their consents in front of a notary or the clerk.
Will the clerk fill out the form for me?
No. Court staff can explain the steps, but they can't fill out your forms or pick one for you.
Where these facts come from21 sources
This page explains how things work. It is not legal advice. Each fact here comes from one of these sources.
- Georgia Council of Probate Court Judges, Standard Forms
- GPCSF 1, General Instructions (oath, signatures)
- GPCSF 2, Petition for Temporary Letters of Administration (who is picked; temporary powers)
- GPCSF 3, Petition for Letters of Administration (bond, notice, waivers)
- GPCSF 4, Petition to Probate Will in Common Form (four years; yearly return)
- GPCSF 5, Petition to Probate Will in Solemn Form (30-day notice; publication)
- GPCSF 9, Petition for Order Declaring No Administration Necessary
- GPCSF 10, Petition for Year's Support
- GPCSF 13, Petition of Personal Representative for Leave to Sell Property
- GPCSF 17, Petition for Leave to Convey or Encumber Property Previously Set Aside as Year's Support
- GPCSF Supplement 4, Personal Representative Oath (judge or clerk, not a notary)
- GPCSF 53, Commission to Administer Oath (out-of-state oath)
- GPCSF 7, Petition to Probate Will in Solemn Form and for Letters of Administration with Will Annexed
- GPCSF 8, Petition for Letters of Administration with Will Annexed (will already probated)
- GPCSF 21, Bond of Administrators, Conservators & Executors, Etc.
- GPCSF 32, Petition by Personal Representative for Waiver of Bond and/or Grant of Certain Powers
- GPCSF 33, Petition for Discharge of Personal Representative
- GPCSF Supplement 1, Determination that a Person May Act as Guardian or Appointment of Guardian Ad Litem
- O.C.G.A. § 53-8-10, power to sell estate property
- Social Security POMS GN 02315.047, Georgia: no limit on estate size for No Administration Necessary
- Hall County Probate Court, Proceeding Pro Se in Probate Court (rev. 9/4/2024)