Short answer. Within ten days after the notice has been published and posted, the executor or administrator must file with the court a printed copy of the notice, together with an affidavit stating the dates of first and last publication and the newspaper's name.
What the law says
Within ten days after the notice has been published and posted in accordance with the preceding section, the executor or administrator shall file or cause to be filed in the court a printed copy of the notice accompanied with an affidavit setting forth the dates of the first and last publication thereof and the name of the newspaper in which the same is printed.
Rule 86, Section 4 — Filing copy of printed notice. Read the full provision →
A ten-day deadline
Publishing and posting the notice is not the end of the executor's or administrator's obligation. Within ten days after that publication and posting is done, the executor or administrator must file, or cause to be filed, proof of it with the court, keeping the compliance step tightly tied in time to the publication itself. The obligation can be carried out personally or through someone else acting on the executor's or administrator's behalf, since the rule allows the proof to be filed or caused to be filed.
What the proof must contain
The proof required is specific: a printed copy of the notice itself, accompanied by an affidavit setting out the dates of the first and last publication and the name of the newspaper where it appeared, giving the court a documented record it can rely on rather than a bare assertion of compliance. A copy of the notice without the accompanying affidavit, or an affidavit without the printed copy, does not satisfy what the rule asks for — both pieces belong in the same filing.
Why documented proof matters for the estate
The published and posted notice is what alerts creditors that they must present claims against the estate within the period the court has set, so the court needs a reliable record of exactly when that notice ran and where. Filing the printed copy and affidavit gives interested parties, including heirs and creditors themselves, a way to verify that publication actually happened as required, rather than relying solely on the executor's or administrator's word that it did. A missing or incomplete proof of publication can also become an issue later if a creditor's claim is challenged as untimely, since the filed proof is what fixes the dates against which any later claim gets measured. This filing obligation binds the executor or administrator personally, not merely the estate in the abstract, since it is that officer, or someone acting on their behalf, who must ensure the proof reaches the court on time.
Related provisions
- Rule 86, Section 4 — Filing copy of printed notice
- Rule 86, Section 3 — Publication of notice to creditors