What it asks for
For property, the law asks for the inventory, where any will is kept, and your plan for managing the property. MHL § 81.30 (opens in a new tab) The Third Department form puts the inventory in two schedules.
| Schedule | What goes there |
|---|---|
| A.I.1 Bank accounts and cash | Each institution, account number and balance at the time of appointment, and cash on hand |
| A.I.2 Securities | Stocks, bonds and government notes |
| A.I.3 Present or future interests | Shares of partnerships, trusts, settlements and pensions not yet transferred to you |
| A.I.4 Other personal property | Furniture, jewelry and artwork, with an estimated value |
| A.II Real property | Address, description, approximate value, and the date you filed the real property statement |
| B Sources of income | Each source, such as Social Security, a pension or rent, by the month, with a monthly total |
A guardian for personal needs reports visits, a care plan and any advance directives in the same report.
Who gets a copy
Send copies to the person, the court evaluator, the person’s counsel and the court examiner. If the person lives in a facility, its chief executive gets one too. For a mental hygiene facility, so does Mental Hygiene Legal Service. MHL § 81.30 (opens in a new tab)
Common mistakes
Counting from the wrong day
The law counts 90 days from the day the commission issues. Westchester instead counts from the day the judgment is signed. Westchester Guardianship Part Rule 20(a) (opens in a new tab)
No real property statement
Real property stays in the person’s name. Record an acknowledged statement identifying it with the recording officer of the county where it sits, and give that date in Schedule A.II. MHL § 81.20(a)(6)(vi) (opens in a new tab)
No training certificate
Attach proof that you finished the approved guardian training, or the order that waived it. MHL §§ 81.30 (opens in a new tab), 81.39 (opens in a new tab)
Today’s balances
Schedule A wants each account’s balance at the time you were appointed. Use the statement for that date, not a recent one.
Your first annual report
Your first annual report is due the next May. It runs from the commission date to December 31, so a guardian commissioned on November 20 reports six weeks. Guardian Assistance Office manual (opens in a new tab)
Sources
- MHL § 81.30 (opens in a new tab), when the initial report is due, what it holds, copies, proof of training
- MHL § 81.20 (opens in a new tab), the real property statement
- MHL § 81.32 (opens in a new tab), the examiner’s review
- MHL § 81.39 (opens in a new tab), the training and its waiver
- Initial Report of Guardian (opens in a new tab), Third Department sample form
- Sample guardianship forms (opens in a new tab), every court group’s forms, NY courts
- Initial and annual reports (opens in a new tab), Guardian Assistance Office manual
- Westchester Guardianship Part rules (opens in a new tab), Rule 20, revised 01/06/2026
Also for New York: Annual Report of Guardian
We make Fidura, guardianship accounting software built on a reconciled register for each ward. See the product
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