# Court accountings for estates and trusts, done for you

In Virginia, an executor or trustee must show the court where every dollar went. Many firms still type these reports by hand, page after page. Build them from the estate's own books instead, and let the forms fill in for you.

## The first list, within four months
Within four months, the executor or trustee files a list of what the estate owns and what each thing is worth. Build it from the assets in the estate's books. Homes, bank accounts and other property each go in the right place. If more turns up later, add it the same way. The court's own forms are filled in for you.

## Each yearly report, on time
The executor's first report is due within 16 months. After that, one is due each year. A trustee named in a will files by May 1 each year. Each due date goes on your calendar the day the estate opens. Reminders go to your staff and to the executor before each one. A late notice never comes as a surprise.

## Every dollar in date order
Each dollar that came in and each dollar that went out is listed one by one, in date order. Each payment has its proof, such as a cashed check, in the same order. The report shows what the estate started with, what came in, what went out and what is left. The math is checked for you before anything prints.

## Matched to the bank
The cash and the investments left at the end are matched to the bank and brokerage statements. Any gap shows up before you file, not after. The statements are kept with the report, so they are ready if the court asks to see them. Gains and losses on investments are shown the way the court wants them.

## Principal and income kept apart
When there is a trust, principal and income are kept apart. Each dollar in or out is marked as one or the other. The report shows both, side by side. The same split feeds the trust's tax return, so the numbers agree. When estate tax is due, the split shows what paid it. Your staff marks each dollar once.

## Each office's own way
Virginia law takes the court's forms, a computer copy of them, or any other clear format. But each Commissioner of Accounts has its own rules for copies and paper. One wants no extra copies, on loose letter-size pages it can scan. Another takes filings on its own website. Each office's rules are set up for you, so the report comes out ready.

## Copies for the family, and the oath
A family member who asks gets a copy of the report, without the proofs. The report says those copies were mailed. The executor signs the report under oath. Send it to be signed online, then print it or file it the way the office asks. When every heir is also an executor, a short form can take the place of a full report.

## From the same books as the tax returns
The court report, the estate's Form 1041 and its Virginia return all read the same books. So the numbers match from one to the next. Your staff enters each dollar once. The executor sees each filing in the portal. See [trust and estate returns](/fiduciary-returns), [try the platform](/try?for=accounting), or [talk with us](/contact) about the estates your firm serves.