DC probate & fiduciary bonds.
We size, underwrite & quote it.

Before some fiduciaries can act, the court requires a bond.
It guarantees you’ll administer the estate honestly and according to law.
The court sets the amount to the size of the estate — and we underwrite it.
A surety specialist reviews your file and returns a quote, usually within one business day.

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Required of a personal representative under D.C. Code § 20-502 unless the will or all interested persons waive it

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Amount is set by the court to the estate’s value, assets, and beneficiaries

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Underwritten on personal credit and financials; collateral may apply to a large estate

Underwrittencourt sets the amountA-ratedA.M. Best carriers1 business daytypical specialist reply

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How it works

Built for the appointment.

A bond that’s required or demanded has to be filed before the fiduciary has full authority to act, so it’s usually the gating step. Here is the whole process:

TODAY · 10 MINUTES

Send us the file

Apply online with the order or petition setting the bond, the estate’s value, and the fiduciary’s details. The estate size and any restricted assets drive the penal sum.

WITHIN 1 BUSINESS DAY

A surety specialist underwrites it

A specialist reviews the file, a personal credit check, and any financials, then returns a quote. The amount is set by the court — underwriting decides approval and any collateral on a large estate.

ON APPROVAL

Execute & file

Once you bind, we issue the executed bond on the court’s required form, payable to the District of Columbia for the benefit of interested persons and creditors, ready to file so you can act with full authority.

About this bond

What it is and who needs it.

What a fiduciary bond protects

When the court appoints you to handle someone else’s money — as a personal representative of an estate, or a guardian or conservator for a protected person — it may require a bond before you can fully act.

The fiduciary bond guarantees that you perform all your duties according to law: that you inventory the assets, account honestly, and don’t misuse the estate. If you breach those duties, the bond makes the estate or protected person whole — and the surety looks to you to repay it.

Because the surety stands behind the estate, the bond is underwritten on your personal credit and finances, and a large estate can require collateral or restricted-asset arrangements. We tell you what your file needs before you commit.

DC StatuteD.C. Code § 20-502 requires each personal representative, unless excused by the decedent’s will or a written waiver of all interested persons, to execute a bond to the District of Columbia for the benefit of interested persons and creditors, with a surety or sureties approved by the court; the bond is conditioned on faithful performance of the duties of the office. No bond is required of banks and trust companies authorized to act as personal representatives, and none is required for any period following distribution of all known assets and satisfaction of all known claims. A conservator’s bond is governed by § 21-2058, set to the aggregate capital value of the property under the conservator’s control plus one year’s estimated income.

You need this bond if you’re

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A personal representative (executor or administrator) appointed to administer a DC estate

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A guardian of the person or property of a minor or an incapacitated adult

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A conservator managing assets for a protected person under D.C. Code § 21-2058

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Counsel or a family member arranging the bond so the fiduciary can act with full authority

The application takes about ten minutes.

These are the actual underwriting fields — the estate, the bond amount the court set, the fiduciary, and your finances. Submit once and a surety specialist returns a quote, typically within one business day. Free until your bond is issued.

Start the application →

FAQs

Common questions.

If yours isn't here, the bond team can usually answer within the hour.

What is a DC probate or fiduciary bond? +

It is the bond a court requires of a fiduciary — a personal representative, guardian, or conservator — to guarantee faithful administration. Under D.C. Code § 20-502 it runs to the District of Columbia for the benefit of interested persons and creditors, protecting the estate or protected person from mismanagement or fraud.

How much does it cost? +

It is underwritten, not flat-rated. The court sets the penal sum to the size of the estate — under § 20-502 for a personal representative, or § 21-2058 for a conservator. A surety specialist then reviews the fiduciary’s personal credit and finances and returns a premium quote, usually within one business day.

Who decides the bond amount? +

The court does. For a personal representative, § 20-502 sizes it to the value of the personal estate and the income expected from it. For a conservator, § 21-2058 sets it at the aggregate capital value of the property plus one year’s estimated income. We size and underwrite the bond to whatever the court sets.

Can the bond be waived? +

Sometimes. Under § 20-502 the decedent’s will can excuse bond, all interested persons can waive it in writing, and banks and trust companies authorized to act as personal representatives are exempt. No bond is required for any period after all known assets are distributed and all known claims satisfied. Where it isn’t waived, the representative must file a bond.

How fast can the bond be issued? +

A specialist typically returns a quote within one business day of a complete application. Once you bind and any collateral is in place, the executed bond issues on the court’s form, payable as the statute requires, ready to file so you can act with full authority.

Related bonds

Other New York bonds.

Get bonded so you can administer the estate.

Send us the estate details and the amount the court set, and a surety specialist sizes, underwrites, and quotes the bond — typically within one business day. Free until your bond is issued.

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