In this website, many times we refer to your “date of qualification” for purposes of determining when various forms will be due, and most of these forms include a blank where you will need to list your date of qualification. But you may find yourself asking: How do I know what my date of qualification is?
Your date of qualification is simply the day that you met with the Clerk of Court to be appointed—to “qualify”—as an executor or an administrator.
This is probably the same day that you brought the will (if there was one) to the Clerk to be probated. This is also the same day that the Clerk had you fill out many pieces of paperwork, including a list of heirs, a bond, and a probate tax return (which is not the same as an estate tax return or an estate income tax return).
When you left that day, the Clerk most likely gave you copies of this paperwork for your records, along with copies of the various forms that you need to submit to the Commissioner of Accounts. He should have also given you a few copies of the “letter of qualification” or the “certificate of qualification.” Your date of qualification is listed on the letter (or certificate) of qualification for your reference.