The court asked for a bond. We can have it filed quickly.
If you have been appointed to administer an estate, the Surrogate or Probate Court will usually require a bond before letters are issued. BF Bond has handled probate surety since 1949 and works with families and estate attorneys every day.
- Probate surety since 1949
- We work directly with your attorney
- A-rated carrier partners
What is an administrator bond?
An administrator bond is a probate bond the court requires from the person appointed to settle the estate of someone who died without a valid will. It is a guarantee to the heirs and to the estate creditors that you will handle the estate honestly and according to law: inventory the assets, pay legitimate debts and taxes, keep estate money separate from your own, and distribute what remains to the rightful people.
The court is the obligee here. You are the principal. The surety carrier stands behind your conduct. If you mishandle estate assets and a beneficiary or creditor suffers a loss, they can make a claim on the bond, and the surety that pays that claim can then recover from you personally. In practice, administrators who keep clean records and follow the court accounting schedule never see a claim.
You may also hear this called an administration bond, a probate bond, a fiduciary bond, or letters of administration bond. When the deceased left a will and named someone, the equivalent instrument is called an executor bond. The underwriting and the process are effectively the same.
- Required by the court before letters of administration are issued
- Protects the heirs and creditors of the estate, not the administrator
- Bond amount is set by the court, not by the surety
- We can work directly with your estate attorney
Administrator bonds at a glance
Set by the court, commonly the value of the personal property in the estate plus one year of expected income
A small percentage of the bond amount, charged annually while the estate remains open
Stays in force until the estate is settled and the court formally discharges you
The Surrogate, Probate, or Orphans Court handling the estate
Administration bond, probate bond, fiduciary bond, letters of administration bond
Situations that call for an administrator bond
Courts require a bond most often in these circumstances. Your attorney or the court clerk will confirm what applies in your county.
No Valid Will
When someone dies intestate, the court appoints an administrator and almost always conditions the appointment on a bond being filed.
Multiple or Distant Heirs
Where heirs are numerous, minors, or not in agreement, courts are far less willing to waive the bond requirement.
Out-of-State Fiduciary
Many courts require a bond as a matter of course when the appointed administrator lives outside the state where the estate is being probated.
Court Orders It Anyway
Even where a will waives bond, a judge can still require one if the estate is contested, complex, or holds substantial liquid assets.
How the bond gets filed
Apply online
Complete our probate application in about five minutes. Save and resume if you are still waiting on estate figures.
Send the court papers
Share the petition or the court order stating the required bond amount. Your attorney can send it directly to us.
Underwriting review
A quick review of the estate details and your credit history. Most straightforward estates are approved the same business day.
Bond to the court
We issue on the form your court accepts, with the required seal and power of attorney, ready for filing with the clerk.
Administrator bond FAQs
More Probate & Fiduciary bonds
Let us get the bond off your list.
Five minutes to apply, and a BF Bond probate agent takes it from there. Call (800) 921-1008 if the court has given you a filing date.
