What are letters of administration?

Letters of administration are the document a Florida probate court issues to show that a personal representative has been appointed and is authorized to act for the estate (§ 731.201). Florida uses that single name whether or not there is a will; you may hear them called “letters testamentary” in other states.

Banks, brokerage firms, title companies, and government agencies will usually ask for a certified copy of the letters, issued by the clerk, before they release information or assets.

How you get letters

Letters are issued in a formal administration after the court admits the will (if any) and appoints the personal representative, and after any required bond is filed (§ 733.402). A will that names you as personal representative is a nomination, not an appointment; you have no authority until the court issues letters.

Summary administration does not produce letters. It ends with an order of summary administration that directs who receives each asset (§ 735.206). If an institution insists on letters, it may be a sign that the estate needs formal administration, or that the institution needs to see the summary order instead.

What letters let you do

Open an estate bank account and collect the decedent’s accounts
Sell, lease, or manage estate property, within the powers the Probate Code and the will give
Deal with creditors, insurers, and government agencies on the estate’s behalf
Access the decedent’s safe-deposit box. Since July 1, 2026, a bank leasing the box must allow access to a personal representative who presents a copy of the letters, and must let the personal representative or their attorney pay the charges and end the lease (§ 655.933, § 655.936). The first opening must follow a specific inventory procedure (§ 733.6065).

Restrictions on letters

Letters can be limited. A court may, for example, restrict the personal representative from selling real estate or distributing funds without a further order. Read the order appointing you as well as the letters, and follow any restriction.

Before and after letters

A personal representative’s duties and powers begin at appointment. Florida gives the same effect to earlier acts by the person later appointed if those acts benefited the estate, and the personal representative may ratify proper acts others took (§ 733.601). Still, acting before appointment is risky. Until letters issue, limit yourself to protecting property (locking the house, keeping insurance in place) and gathering records.

What changes the answer

Whether the estate is in formal or summary administration
Whether the court restricted the letters
Whether the institution is in Florida or another state (another state’s institutions may require their own process)
Whether the letters are recent enough for the institution’s policy

An example

A daughter named in her father’s will asks his bank to close his account and is told she needs letters. She petitions for administration; the court admits the will and appoints her, and she obtains three certified copies of her letters from the clerk. The bank accepts one copy and transfers the balance to a new estate account in her name as personal representative. She uses another copy at a different bank to open his safe-deposit box with a bank employee present, inventories the contents, and files the inventory with the court.

Common mistakes

Treating the will’s nomination as authority to act
Ordering only one certified copy when several institutions each want one
Ignoring restrictions in the order of appointment
Opening a safe-deposit box without following the inventory procedure

What to gather

Several certified copies of the letters, and the order appointing you
Certified death certificates
The estate’s federal tax identification number (EIN)
Account numbers and contact details for each institution

Next step

Ask each institution in writing exactly what it requires (certified letters, a death certificate, its own forms) before visiting, and keep a list of where you have sent certified copies.

Related guidance

Sources: Florida Statutes § 655.933, § 655.936, § 731.201, § 733.402, § 733.601, § 733.6065, and § 735.206 (2026); chapter 2026-57, Laws of Florida, sections 1–2. Checked on October 23, 2026.