A: You are not required to accept compensation for acting as an executor. Oftentimes an executor may not want to take compensation to appease other siblings or to not have the compensation be taxable income (the inheritance is tax-free but the compensation must be reported and taxed!). The good news is that an executor need not make that decision until the final petition for distribution is submitted. This is why we usually counsel our executors to wait until the very end to decide what they think is most fair or beneficial!
