Can an executor of a will use the money from an estate for things that are not bills of estate?

No, generally, the executor of the will cannot use the money of the estate to pay for things that are not bills of the estate.

An executor of an estate in California can only use the money from an estate for things that are related to expenses and bills of the estate.

 

However, there are categories of bills of the estate which cannot be paid from the estate account without a court order.

The executor cannot pay himself from the estate without a court order.

The executor of the estate may not pay his attorney from the assets of the estate without a court order.

The executor of the estate may not pay distributions to beneficiaries and heirs without a court order.

 

Thing that can regularly get paid from the estate without a court order as follows:

  1. Taxes
  2. Bond
  3. Accountant’s fees.
  4. Utilities of the property.
  5. Insurance.
  6. Claims of creditors which have been filed timely and have been accepted by the creditor.
  7. Probate Referee’s bill.
  8. Storage Bills.

To find out more about the types of expenses that the executor can pay from the estate, contact Mina Sirkin, Probate Attorney at 818-340-4479.