Duty of Guardian to File Annual Reports

By Jennifer L. Simons, Esq., Attorney in The Estates and Trusts Department

If you have been appointed as the legal guardian of an incapacitated person in Pennsylvania, you are required by the court to file annual reports with the court. A guardian of the person of an incapacitated person must file an annual Report of Guardian of the Person, and a guardian of the estate of an incapacitated person must file an annual Report of the Guardian of the Estate. Filing the annual guardian reports provides the court with updates as to the health and finances of the incapacitated person, as well as any changes as to where the person resides and their general well-being. But more importantly, it is a guardian’s duty to file the annual reports.  Failure of the guardian to file, or timely file the reports, may lead to severe consequences, such as the court requiring the guardian to appear at a hearing to explain why the reports were not filed or removing the guardian and appointing a new guardian. The reports are due each year on the date of the court order appointing the guardian. It is the sole responsibility of the guardian to ensure that the reports are filed on time. It may be helpful for a guardian to add a reminder to their calendar a month or two in advance, to allow sufficient time to prepare and file the reports.

All guardian reports are to be filed electronically using the Pennsylvania Guardianship Tracking System (GTS), which can be accessed at https://ujsportal.pacourts.us. The guardian will need to create a user account. Once the reports are filed, the guardian may also be required to provide a Notice of Filing to certain interested parties depending on the court order. If you have questions as to your role as a guardian or questions regarding the filing of the guardian reports, you may contact our office at 610-648-9300 or by clicking here and ask to speak with one of the attorneys in our Estates and Trust Department.