What you need
Have your appointing order, last year’s report, and each account’s statements for the period. For the first report, the approved JDF 882 takes the place of last year’s report.
Step 1 lists every deposit and withdrawal, account by account. A check register (JDF 871), a spreadsheet, or a report from accounting software may be attached instead.
The example follows Mavis Kettering, an invented ward whose conservator was appointed 06/10/2024. Her order sets each report to cover July 1 to June 30, due by August 31. This is her second report, covering 07/01/2025 to 06/30/2026, due 08/31/2026.
The ending cash balance goes to Step 5
Step 1 walks each bank account from its beginning cash balance to its ending cash balance. The ending balance goes to Step 5 and starts next year’s report.
| Beginning cash balance | $6,215.40 |
|---|---|
| Add: total amount of income | 32,130.00 |
| Add: total amount received as transfer | 0.00 |
| Less: total amount disbursed | 28,396.53 |
| Less: total amount transferred out | 5,000.00 |
| Ending cash balance | $4,948.87 |
Where the figures came from
| Social Security, $1,642.00 × 12 | $19,704.00 |
|---|---|
| Pension, $385.50 × 12 | 4,626.00 |
| Proceeds from sale of assets | 7,800.00 |
| Interest, to savings | 211.62 |
| Total | $32,341.62 |
| Assisted living, $2,150.00 × 12 | 25,800.00 |
|---|---|
| Medications | 734.18 |
| Groceries and household supplies | 612.35 |
| Legal fees, 5 hours at $250.00 | 1,250.00 |
| Total | $28,396.53 |
| Beginning cash balance | 18,430.00 |
|---|---|
| Add: income (interest) | 211.62 |
| Add: received as transfer | 5,000.00 |
| Ending cash balance | $23,641.62 |
| Checking | 4,948.87 |
|---|---|
| Savings | 23,641.62 |
| Motor vehicle | 0.00 |
| Total assets | $28,590.49 |
The summary
| (A) Total receipts/income | $32,341.62 |
|---|---|
| (B) Total disbursements/expenses | 28,396.53 |
| Net income | $3,945.09 |
| (A) Total assets | 28,590.49 |
| (B) Total liabilities/debts | 0.00 |
| Net worth | $28,590.49 |
The sale
Mavis’s conservator sold her car for $7,800.00. Last year’s report valued it at $8,500.00. The form has no line for a gain or loss.
The whole price goes in Step 2 as proceeds from sale of assets, and the car leaves Step 5. Step 5’s sales table gives the price, the date, and what the money was used for.
Last year’s total assets were $33,145.40. Add net income of $3,945.09 and take away the car’s $8,500.00, and you reach this year’s $28,590.49.
After you file
The court does not review disbursements or fees unless someone asks it to. Objecting is up to the protected person and the interested persons who get your copies. The form says so on its notice page.
You can ask for a hearing on the report. An order allowing it settles your liability for what it adequately disclosed. §15-14-420(1) (opens in a new tab)
Keep your statements, check copies and receipts. An interested person who asks for them gets them within 30 days. §15-14-420(5) (opens in a new tab)
There is no filing fee for the report. C.R.S. §13-32-102
The final report
The conservatorship ends on the person’s death, on a court order, or when a minor turns 21. Tick Final on this form and give the reason. §15-14-431(1) (opens in a new tab)
The final report and a petition for discharge are due within 63 days after you distribute the assets, unless the court sets another date. The petition is JDF 888 (opens in a new tab); the decree of discharge is JDF 730 (opens in a new tab). §15-14-431(2) (opens in a new tab)
Common mistakes
Transfers counted as income
Mavis’s $5,000.00 move from checking to savings is not income or an expense. It goes on the transfer lines of each account’s summary.
Column A from the wrong filing
The first report compares against the approved financial plan. Every report after it compares against the last report filed. Explain each change in the space below the table.
Fees counted twice
Step 4 details each professional’s rate, hours, services and benefit to the estate. Those fees already sit in Step 3’s total, so don’t add them again.
No copy of the bond
Part B asks you to attach the bond unless the court waived it. It also asks whether the bond covers all unrestricted assets.
Sources
- JDF 885, Conservator’s Report (opens in a new tab), Colorado Judicial Branch
- JDF 878, Order Appointing Conservator for Adult (opens in a new tab), where the due date and period are set (JDF 862 for a minor)
- C.R.S. §15-14-420 (opens in a new tab), yearly reports and what they contain
- C.R.S. §15-14-431 (opens in a new tab), the final report
- C.R.S. §15-14-404(4) (opens in a new tab), copies within 10 days
Also for Colorado: JDF 882, Conservator’s Financial Plan with Inventory and Motion for Approval
We make Fidura, guardianship accounting software built on a reconciled register for each ward. See the product
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