Vermont Guardian Annual Report: Filing Requirements and Deadlines

Being appointed as a guardian in Vermont is not a one-time event. Once the Probate Division grants your authority, you take on a continuing duty to account for how you are exercising it — and the annual report is the mechanism that keeps the court informed.

What the Law Requires

Under 14 V.S.A. § 3076(a), every guardian of an adult must file a Guardian's Annual Report within 30 days of the anniversary of their appointment. If the court appointed you on March 15, your report is due by April 14 each year.

The report covers the full scope of the ward's life: physical health, medical and dental care received during the reporting period, current residential placement, employment or day-program participation, education, and any significant changes in condition. The court wants a concrete picture of how the person is doing and whether the current level of guardianship is still appropriate.

Which Forms to File

The primary form is Form 700-00093A (Guardian's Annual Report on Adult Guardianship), available from the Vermont Judiciary's forms library at vtcourts.gov. You complete this whether you hold guardianship over the person only, finances only, or both.

If you also have financial authority, you file a companion document:

• Form 700-00089PAG (Summary of Account for Adult Guardianship and Motion to Allow Account) — the standard financial accounting that lists all income received, expenditures made, and assets held on behalf of the ward
• Form 700-00400 (Accounting When Only Income is Social Security Benefits) — a simplified alternative if the ward's only income source is federal SSI or SSDI payments

The simplified form exists because many young adults with disabilities receive SSI as their sole income. If that describes your situation, you can skip the full accounting and use Form 700-00400 instead, which requires far less documentation.

What to Include in the Personal Report

The court evaluates several areas in the annual report:

• Health status — current diagnoses, medications, hospitalizations, and any changes from the prior year
• Living arrangement — where the person lives, whether the placement changed, and whether it remains appropriate
• Activities and participation — employment, day programs, social engagement, and community involvement
• Guardian's assessment — your opinion on whether the current guardianship scope is still necessary, or whether it should be expanded, reduced, or terminated

That last point matters more than many guardians realize. Vermont treats guardianship as a dynamic arrangement that should shrink as the person develops new capacities. The annual report is the court's primary tool for deciding whether to schedule a review hearing.

What Happens If You Miss the Deadline

Failure to file the annual report and accounting is one of the reasons the Vermont Judiciary lists for asking to modify or terminate a guardianship. If your report is late, contact the Probate Division promptly about the missing filing.

If another guardianship motion is pending, tell the Probate Division that the report is overdue and ask what must be filed before the court acts.

Tips for Staying on Track

Set a calendar reminder 60 days before your anniversary date. That gives you time to gather medical records, bank statements, and program reports without rushing.

Keep a running log throughout the year. Rather than trying to reconstruct twelve months of events from memory, note significant medical appointments, changes in medication, moves, and new services as they happen. Your annual report becomes a summary of that log rather than an exercise in recall.

If the ward receives services through a Designated Service Agency or participates in a day program, request their records in advance. Agencies sometimes take weeks to produce documentation, and waiting until the filing deadline to ask creates unnecessary stress.

The Vermont Adult Guardianship & Alternatives Guide includes an annual report preparation checklist that walks through each required section, helping you organize your documentation well before the filing window opens.

Financial Accounting Basics

For guardians with financial authority, the accounting must show every dollar that came in and went out during the reporting period. The court wants to see that funds are being used for the ward's benefit and that you are not commingling their money with your own.

Maintain a dedicated bank account for the ward's funds where appropriate. This can make your annual accounting easier and demonstrate clear financial boundaries to the court.

If you manage a Special Needs Trust alongside the guardianship, coordinate with the trustee so your accounting reflects accurate trust disbursement figures. The trust itself has its own reporting requirements under 14A V.S.A. § 813, but the court expects your guardian accounting to show how trust distributions were used.

When the Reporting Requirement Ends

Your obligation to file annual reports continues until the guardianship ends. When it ends, the guardian must file a final report.

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