Adult Guardianship Periodic Reporting Requirements in Washington
At a glance
| Covered guardian and report types | Adult guardian: care plan and condition report, including funds under the guardian’s control; conservator: estate plan, inventory and report with accounting (§§ 11.130.340, .345, .510, .515, .530) |
|---|---|
| First plan, inventory or account | Guardian care plan within 90 days of appointment; conservator estate plan and detailed inventory within 90 days (§§ 11.130.340(1), .510(1), .515(1)) |
| Repeat interval and due date | Each report by court-set date; after approval, next interval may be annual, biennial or triennial, with due date within 90 days of appointment anniversary (§§ 11.130.345(1), (9), .530(1), (10)) |
| Condition and care-plan content | Guardian reports condition, residence, supports, visits, decisions, facility-plan fit, future care and continued need (§ 11.130.345(2)) |
| Property and accounting content | Guardian accounts for funds and property held or controlled; conservator lists estate assets, receipts, disbursements, liabilities, distributions, services and plan deviations (§§ 11.130.345(1), .530(2)) |
| Oath and required attachments | Conservator inventory carries oath or affirmation; guardian report attaches approved plan; conservator report attaches approved plan and available redacted financial statements (§§ 11.130.515(1), .345(2)(k), .530(2)(c), (e)) |
| Who receives or may inspect the report | Adult and notice parties receive guardian plan/report and 14-day filing notice; conservatee and statutory or court notice parties receive conservator plan/report notice and copies within 14 days; inventory filing notice within 14 days (§§ 11.130.340(1)–(2), .345(1), (4), .510(2), .515(2)–(3), .530(4)) |
| Court review and late filing | Court reviews plans and reports; report approval requires petition, sets next due date, and court may investigate suspected noncompliance; timely filing is a factor in the next interval (§§ 11.130.340(4), .345(5)–(9), .510(4), .530(5)–(10)) |
| Final or change-triggered report | Conservator reports on resignation, removal or termination; final report and discharge petition due within 90 days after adult’s death; changed needs can prompt guardian or conservator modification hearing (§§ 11.130.530(1), .355(2)(c), .570(4)(c), (10)–(12)) |
Requirements one by one
Roles and first filings
An adult guardian files a plan for the adult's care within 90 days after appointment. The plan describes living arrangements, services and supports, activities, close relationships and visits, goals and anticipated fees. The guardian gives the adult and other notice parties a copy of the plan and, within 14 days after filing, notice with a copy and the right to object. The court reviews the plan and may approve it or require a new one; it cannot approve the plan until 30 days after filing (§ 11.130.340).
A conservator separately files a plan for protecting and managing the estate within 90 days after appointment. It includes a budget, proposed fees, the individual's role in decisions, steps toward restoring estate-management ability and an estimated duration. The conservator gives the individual and other notice recipients the plan and objection notice within 14 days after filing. The court reviews it under the same 30-day minimum before approval (§ 11.130.510). Within 90 days of appointment the conservator also files a detailed estate inventory with an oath or affirmation that it is believed complete and accurate as far as information permits. Filing notice is due within 14 days; the conservator must keep administration records available for reasonable examination by the individual, the individual's guardian or another person the conservator or court determines (§ 11.130.515).
Repeat reports and their contents
The guardian files a condition report by the date set by the court. It covers the adult's mental, physical and social condition; housing; supports and services; visits; actions taken; participation in decisions; any facility plan; future care; and whether guardianship should continue. It also accounts for funds and other property in the guardian's possession or control, includes the most recently approved guardian plan and explains any departure from it (§ 11.130.345(1)–(2)).
The conservator files a report by the court's date unless the court directs otherwise. Its accounting lists estate property and the period's receipts, disbursements, liabilities and distributions. It also lists services, the approved plan and deviations, the need for continued conservatorship, specified benefits and business relationships, and, where feasible, recent financial statements with most account-number and Social Security digits redacted (§ 11.130.530(1)–(2)).
After approving either report, the court sets the next due date. It may set annual, biennial or triennial review, with the report due within 90 days of the appointment anniversary. The court may consider earlier filing timeliness in choosing the interval (§ 11.130.345(9); § 11.130.530(10)).
Notice and court review
The guardian gives the adult and other notice parties the report and filing notice within 14 days after filing. The conservator gives the report and filing notice within 14 days to the individual, persons entitled to notice under the appointment provision or later order, and others selected by the court (§ 11.130.345(4); § 11.130.530(4)).
Each fiduciary petitions for approval of a report. The court reviews compliance, continuation and requested fees. If it has reason to believe duties were not met or the arrangement should change, it must notify specified parties and may request more information, appoint a court visitor or hold a hearing. Approval creates a rebuttable presumption that adequately disclosed matters are accurate; a conservator's final report approved after notice and hearing has the additional discharge effect specified in the statute (§ 11.130.345(5)–(8); § 11.130.530(5)–(9), (13)).
Final and changed-circumstance reports
A conservator also reports on resignation, removal or termination. If an adult conservatorship ends for a reason other than death, the termination order directs a final report and discharge petition. If it ends on death, the conservator files those within 90 days after death; after approval, the conservator distributes the estate as the statute directs (§ 11.130.530(1); § 11.130.570(10)–(12)). A guardian or conservator report indicating changed functional needs, supports or available alternatives can trigger a hearing on termination or modification (§ 11.130.355(2)(c); § 11.130.570(4)(c)).
What trips people up
The inventory is a separate opening filing. The conservator's later report contains the period accounting and available redacted financial statements (§ 11.130.515(1); § 11.130.530(2)).
Common questions
When is the next report due? The court's order supplies the date. After a report is approved, the court may choose an annual, biennial or triennial interval with filing within 90 days of the appointment anniversary (§ 11.130.345(9); § 11.130.530(10)).
Does the conservator file after the adult dies? Yes. A final report and discharge petition are due within 90 days after the death (§ 11.130.570(11)).
Statutes and sources
The verbatim quotations in the statutes entries above come from the linked current Revised Code of Washington sections, accessed October 3, 2026.
Source links
Every statute quoted above, linked, with the date we checked it.
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