Kentucky Guardianship Annual Reporting Requirements and Fiduciary Bonds

What Reporting Is Required After Appointment

Getting appointed as a guardian or conservator in Kentucky is not a one-time event. KRS Chapter 387 imposes ongoing reporting obligations that continue for as long as the appointment is in effect—which may be years or decades. Missing a report can lead to court sanctions, removal as fiduciary, or referral to Adult Protective Services.

The reporting requirements differ depending on whether you are a guardian (responsible for personal affairs), a conservator (responsible for financial affairs), or both.

Guardian: Annual Personal Status Report

Every guardian must file a written report with the District Court each year detailing the protected person's current situation. The standard form is AOC-790. The report must cover:

• Physical condition — Current health status, medications, hospitalizations, changes in condition
• Residential placement — Where the person lives, whether the placement has changed, whether it remains appropriate
• Social activities — How the person spends their time, community involvement, relationships
• Medical treatments — Ongoing therapies, specialist visits, dental care, mental health services
• The guardian's assessment — Whether the current level of guardianship remains necessary or should be modified

The report is due at least annually. Confirm the due date with the court's order or clerk. Courts vary in how strictly they enforce the deadline, but filing late consistently is one of the most common reasons courts initiate proceedings to remove a guardian.

Conservator: 60-Day Inventory and Biennial Financial Reports

Financial reporting requirements are more detailed:

60-day inventory (Form AOC-855). Within 60 days of appointment, the conservator must file a complete inventory of all real and personal property belonging to the protected person. This includes bank accounts, investments, real estate, vehicles, personal property of significant value, and any income sources (SSI, DAC benefits, employment income, trust distributions).

Biennial financial accounting. Every two years, the conservator must submit a detailed report of all income received and all expenditures made on behalf of the protected person. Every transaction must be documented. The court reviews these accountings to ensure funds are being used appropriately.

These financial reports are subject to audit. If the court identifies irregularities—unexplained expenditures, commingling of the conservator's personal funds with the protected person's funds, or failure to account for income—the court may order a formal audit and potentially remove the conservator.

Fiduciary Bonds

Under KRS 387.070 and KRS 387.720, a guardian or conservator must post a fiduciary bond with the court. The bond protects the protected person's estate against mismanagement or theft by the appointed fiduciary.

How bonding works. The court sets the bond amount based on the value of the protected person's estate. The guardian or conservator must obtain a surety bond from a bonding company—essentially insurance that guarantees the fiduciary will fulfill their obligations. The annual premium depends on the bond amount and the surety provider.

Who pays. Bond premiums are a legitimate expense of the guardianship and can be paid from the protected person's estate. For families where the protected person has minimal assets (common when the primary income is SSI), the court may reduce or waive the bond requirement.

Consequences of not bonding. If a conservator fails to post the required bond, the court can refuse to grant financial authority or can suspend existing authority until the bond is in place.

What Happens If You Miss a Report

Courts take reporting failures seriously because the reports are the primary mechanism for monitoring whether the protected person is safe and their assets are being managed properly. Depending on the circumstances, responses can include:

1. Reminder notice from the court clerk
2. Show cause order requiring the guardian or conservator to appear and explain the failure
3. Appointment of a guardian ad litem to investigate the protected person's welfare
4. Removal proceedings — the court can remove the fiduciary and appoint a replacement
5. Referral to law enforcement if the investigation reveals financial exploitation or neglect

Practical Tips for Staying Compliant

Set calendar reminders for reporting deadlines at 60 days, 90 days, and 30 days before the due date. Do not rely on the court to send reminders—some do, some do not.

Keep a running log throughout the year. Documenting medical appointments, residential changes, and financial transactions as they happen is dramatically easier than reconstructing a year's worth of activity from memory the week the report is due.

Separate accounts. If you are conservator, maintain the protected person's funds in a dedicated account separate from your personal finances. Commingling funds—even temporarily—creates an accounting nightmare and raises red flags during court review.

Ask for help. If the reporting requirements feel overwhelming, some Kentucky attorneys offer annual guardianship compliance services where they prepare and file the reports for a flat fee. This is far less expensive than dealing with a show cause order.

Our Kentucky Adult Guardianship & Alternatives Guide includes a fiduciary reporting calendar tool that maps out all deadlines from the date of appointment and a template for organizing the information the annual report requires.

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