What you need
Have last year’s account, a transaction log of every receipt and payment, and each account’s ending statement. Forms 5 through 9 must be used as the court provides them, unless the court orders otherwise. Conservator Account Forms (opens in a new tab)
The complete ending statements and the transaction log go in as attachments. So do the settlement statement for any real estate sold, any amended budget, and a fee statement if you ask the court to approve fees. Rule 45(e)(2) (opens in a new tab)
The first account is Form 6. It runs from the date of your appointment to the last day of the 9th month after your permanent letters. Form 7 then covers each 12 months that follow. Rule 45(e)(4)–(5) (opens in a new tab)
The example follows Rosalind Ferrante, an invented ward. Her conservator’s permanent letters issued 03/10/2024, so the first account ended 12/31/2024. This second account covers 01/01/2025 to 12/31/2025 and was due by 03/10/2026.
Line 24 must equal line 14
Schedule 2 ends with a cash walk. Starting cash plus receipts, less disbursements, is ending cash. The form says it must equal column B, line 14, which is the cash and bank accounts on hand.
| 20. Starting cash balance | $24,318.52 |
|---|---|
| 21. Total receipts (Schedule 1, line 8) | 26,646.36 |
| 22. Available funds | $50,964.88 |
| 23. Total disbursements (Schedule 1, line 23) | 24,745.15 |
| 24. Ending cash balance | $26,219.73 |
| Line 14, column B: cash and bank accounts | $26,219.73 |
Where the figures came from
| 3. Social Security, $1,412.00 × 12 | $16,944.00 |
|---|---|
| 3. Pension, $386.50 × 12 | 4,638.00 |
| 6. Savings interest | 214.36 |
| 7. Sale of 50 fund shares | 4,850.00 |
| Line 8 | $26,646.36 |
| 11. Assisted living, $1,650.00 × 12 | 19,800.00 |
|---|---|
| 11. Clothing | 236.40 |
| 12. Supplemental insurance, $185.00 × 12 | 2,220.00 |
| 12. Pharmacy | 418.75 |
| 13. Personal allowance, $60.00 × 12 | 720.00 |
| 18. Fiduciary fees | 1,200.00 |
| 21. Bond premium | 150.00 |
| Line 23 | $24,745.15 |
| 10. Savings, restricted | 20,214.36 |
|---|---|
| 11. Checking, unrestricted | 6,005.37 |
| Line 14 | $26,219.73 |
The sale
Rosalind’s last account showed 100 fund shares on line 6 at $9,000.00. Her conservator sold 50 for $4,850.00. The whole price goes on line 7, and again on line 9. Line 9 takes it back out of income, so line 10 reads $21,796.36.
Schedule 2 shows updated values, not cost. Line 6 now holds the 50 shares left at their year-end price, $97.20 × 50 = $4,860.00. Column E explains the change. Line 5 still carries her household items at $1,500.00, so net assets on line 19 are $32,579.73.
The budget and Schedule 3
Column F of Schedule 1 is the budget for the next 12 months. If you later expect a category to run over it by 10% or $2,000, whichever is more, file an amended budget within 30 days. The threshold is set in the form instructions and may change. Rule 45(d)(3) (opens in a new tab)
Schedule 3 asks how long the estate can last. With no adjustments, Rosalind’s line 27 is a net expense of $2,948.79. Her net assets of $32,579.73 divided by that is 11.05 years. Line 11 asks whether that covers the years she will need care. If it does not, add a management plan.
After you file
The cover sheet is a petition for approval. The court approves the account only after notice and a hearing. Notice goes to the ward, any separate guardian, a spouse, parent or adult child, and any guardian ad litem. A.R.S. §14-5419(C) (opens in a new tab)
In Maricopa County a Court Accountant reviews the account first. Give the Court Accountant a separate set, with the ending statements in an envelope marked “Confidential – for Court Accountant”.
If the ward receives VA benefits, the VA office is entitled to a copy of every account you file. §14-5419(E) (opens in a new tab)
The final account
When the ward dies or the court ends the conservatorship, file the final account on Form 8 within 90 days. It runs from the end of the last approved account, and comes with a statement of who received each remaining asset. Rule 45(e)(6) (opens in a new tab)
After a death, unless the court prohibits it, you may instead file a verified statement that every successor waived a final account in writing after receiving your closing statement. §14-5419(F)–(I) (opens in a new tab)
Common mistakes
Transfers counted as receipts
Moving money between the ward’s own accounts is neither a receipt nor a disbursement. Leave it off the transaction log.
Real estate net of the mortgage
Line 2 is full market value. What is still owed goes on line 17 as a debt.
Unpaid fees left out
Fiduciary and attorney fees for work already done but not yet paid go on line 16, with bills over 30 days old.
On an interested person’s application and for good cause, the court may relieve you of annual accounts. A.R.S. §14-5419(A) (opens in a new tab)
Sources
- Form 7, Conservator’s Account, Schedules 1–3 (opens in a new tab), Arizona Supreme Court
- Conservator Account Forms (opens in a new tab), Forms 5 to 9, instructions and the transaction log
- Ariz. R. Prob. P. 45 (opens in a new tab), periods, due dates, budget, attachments
- A.R.S. §14-5419 (opens in a new tab), annual accounts and their approval
Also for Arizona: AOCPBGN3F, Inventory
We make Fidura, guardianship accounting software built on a reconciled register for each ward. See the product
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