How Flow Estate Works
A law firm runs each estate in Flow Estate, from opening the file to distribution. The executor works on the same record, and beneficiaries see what the lawyer shares with them.
An estate, step by step
Every estate is different. These are the steps Flow Estate supports, roughly in the order they happen.
- 1
Your firm is set up
Flow Estate and the firm owner
We set up your law firm and its owner. The owner invites the firm’s lawyers and adds the firm’s logo.
- 2
The estate is opened
Lawyer
Create the estate with the deceased’s details and will status, and upload the death certificate and will. Flow Estate creates its NZ task list and puts it at the Intake stage. Apply an estate plan to fit the tasks to the estate’s facts.
- 3
The executor joins and gives the details
Lawyer and executor
Invite the executor by email and send the intake form. The executor fills in what they know about assets, debts and IRD details. The lawyer reviews each item and imports what has been checked.
- 4
Assets and debts are found and recorded
Lawyer and executor
Work through the NZ asset discovery checklist with draft letters and links to the public registers. Record what you find in the asset register and liabilities.
- 5
Organisations and creditors are told
Lawyer
Email banks a formal notice with the death certificate. Send the notice to creditors to Stuff and NZME, prepare the Gazette notice, and upload the proofs.
- 6
Probate is applied for
Lawyer
Fill in PR1AA, PR1 and PR7 from the estate record. Run the pre-filing checks and build the probate pack: one PDF with the forms and numbered exhibits. You check and file it.
- 7
Deadlines are watched
Lawyer and executor
When the grant date is entered, planned task dates move with it and the statutory deadlines are worked out: the creditor notice claim date, the distribution protection period and the claim periods, each with its Act and section.
- 8
The estate is accounted for and distributed
Lawyer and executor
Record income and expenses in the ledger, produce the balance sheet, work out each beneficiary’s share from one distributable figure, and record payments.
Throughout the estate
- Each person has a role on each estate (lawyer, executor, legal staff or beneficiary) and sees only what that role allows.
- People are told in the app and by email about what matters to them: a submitted intake, tasks due, a new stage, a published creditor notice, a document shared with them.
- Everything done on the estate is recorded on its timeline, and the firm owner has an audit log.
- The Help Centre has a guide for each screen, and a glossary of estate terms.
Flow Estate is software for administering estates. It is not legal advice, and the lawyer remains responsible for the estate.