What you need
Have the last account or the inventory, the year’s bank and brokerage statements, and a voucher for every payment. A first account opens on the inventory’s value. Every later one opens on the balance of the account before it.
The example follows Clement Aubrey, an invented ward whose guardian was appointed 03/10/2024. This is the second account, covering 03/11/2025 to 03/10/2026. It is due 05/09/2026.
Charges less total credits is the balance remaining
Paragraph 1 is everything you are charged with. Paragraphs 2 and 3 are what you take credit for. The difference is what is still in your hands, and paragraph 4 lists it item by item.
| Balance shown on the previous account | $42,615.40 |
|---|---|
| Income | 14,202.35 |
| Gain on sale | 1,260.00 |
| Charges to accountant (paragraph 1) | $58,077.75 |
| Credits as per paragraph 2 | 11,359.60 |
| Credits as per paragraph 3 | 0.00 |
| Total credits | $11,359.60 |
| Balance remaining in hands of accountant | $46,718.15 |
Where the figures came from
| Pension, $1,150.00 × 12 | $13,800.00 |
|---|---|
| Savings interest | 402.35 |
| Income | $14,202.35 |
| Nursing home, $850.00 × 12 | 10,200.00 |
|---|---|
| Pharmacy | 734.60 |
| Bond premium | 175.00 |
| Tax preparer | 250.00 |
| Paragraph 2 | $11,359.60 |
| Checking | 17,615.80 |
|---|---|
| Savings | 20,402.35 |
| Mutual fund, 100 shares at $87.00 cost | 8,700.00 |
| Inventory value or cost | $46,718.15 |
The sale
Clement’s last account held 200 fund shares at their cost of $87.00 each. His guardian sold 100 for $9,960.00. Those shares were already charged at $8,700.00, so only the $1,260.00 gain goes in paragraph 1. A loss would go in paragraph 2.
The other $8,700.00 is the same money in a new form, moved from the fund to checking. It goes in paragraph 5, which lists changes in form that do not affect the balance, each with its date.
Paragraph 6 lists debts you know of, apart from the balance. Clement owed a $62.10 pharmacy bill at the year’s end, so it reads $62.10.
The hearing
Most counties take probate filings only through eFlex, the courts’ e-filing system. The account is set for a hearing. Notice goes to the same people, in the same way, as notice of the petition that appointed you. The court may excuse notice to a mentally incompetent ward if it would harm them. §28-65-320(b) (opens in a new tab)
Once notice is given, the court’s order settling the account binds everyone who was notified, subject to appeal. §28-65-320(d) (opens in a new tab) The form’s last paragraph asks the court to approve the account and to allow your fee for the period.
The final account
When the guardianship ends, file Form 31 as your final account within 60 days, unless the court directs otherwise. The form’s opening names the occasion for the account. §28-65-320(a)(2) (opens in a new tab)
Common mistakes
Market value in paragraph 4
The form asks for each item at its inventory value or cost. Use market value and paragraph 4 stops matching the balance remaining.
Credits that don’t say whether they were paid
Each item you take credit for must show whether it has been paid. The court may allow or disallow any item. §28-65-320(c) (opens in a new tab)
A payment with no voucher
The account must come with vouchers for the payments, and the form says they are attached. §28-52-104(a)(2) (opens in a new tab)
File late and the court may deny your fee for the time between the due date and the day you file. §28-65-320(f) (opens in a new tab)
Sources
- Form 31, Accounting by Guardian (opens in a new tab), Arkansas Judiciary
- Official Probate Forms (opens in a new tab), Arkansas Judiciary, Admin. Order 12
- Ark. Code §28-65-320 (opens in a new tab), when accounts are due, notice, late fees
- Ark. Code §28-52-104 (opens in a new tab), what an account contains; vouchers
Also for Arkansas: Form 30, Inventory of Ward’s Estate
We make Fidura, guardianship accounting software built on a reconciled register for each ward. See the product
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