Getting Started
Create your account, understand the platform, and set up your first case in minutes.
Welcome to Allocate
Allocate is a platform for managing the distribution of personal property from estates. Whether you are settling a deceased estate or helping a living owner plan ahead, Allocate provides a structured, transparent process that moves from cataloging assets to gathering preferences to making final distribution decisions.
The platform is organized around three phases that mirror the natural workflow of estate administration:
- Inventory — Catalog every asset with photos, documents, and valuations. Invite the beneficiaries who will participate in the process.
- Allocation — Run voting rounds so beneficiaries can express their preferences. Review results, identify conflicts, and make distribution decisions.
- Fulfillment — Finalize the allocation, generate PDF reports, and archive the completed case.
Each phase builds on the previous one. You do not need to complete every step in strict order, but the platform guides you through a logical progression that keeps the process organized and defensible.
Note: Allocate is designed for estate attorneys, fiduciaries, trust administrators, and anyone responsible for distributing tangible personal property fairly and efficiently.
Creating Your Account
To get started, visit the sign-up page and create a manager account. This is the account type for professionals who create and oversee cases. Beneficiaries and estate owners receive separate invitations and do not need to create accounts on their own.
When you sign up, you will choose an email and password. Your account is secured through Clerk, which handles authentication, session management, and password recovery. You can sign in again at any time from the login page.
After signing in for the first time, you will land on your Dashboard — the central hub where all of your cases are listed. From here, you can create new cases, access existing ones, and monitor progress at a glance.
Tip: New accounts start on the Free plan, which allows up to two active cases. Upgrade to Pro from the Pricing page for unlimited cases, participants, voting rounds, and PDF report generation.
Your First Case — A Quick Walkthrough
The fastest way to learn Allocate is to walk through the process end to end. Here is a condensed version of a typical workflow:
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Create a case. From your Dashboard, click “New Case.” Give it a name (for example, “Thompson Estate”) and an optional description. Choose “Execution” as the case type for a standard estate settlement.
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Add a few assets. Navigate to the Assets tab and click “Add Asset.” Enter a title, set a value type (exact, range, or unknown), and optionally upload a photo. Repeat this for two or three items to get a feel for the process. You can also bulk-import assets from a CSV file later.
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Invite a beneficiary. Go to the Beneficiaries tab and click “Invite.” Enter the beneficiary’s email address. They will receive an invitation link that lets them access the case and participate in voting rounds.
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Create a voting round. Switch to the Elections tab and create a new round. Choose “Simple” as the round type, select which assets to include, and confirm the participants. Activate the round to make it available for voting.
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Review results. Once the beneficiary has voted (or you have closed the round), you can see which assets had interest, which had conflicts, and what the platform suggests for allocation. Use this information to make final distribution decisions in the Distribution tab.
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Finalize. When every asset has a decision — assigned to a beneficiary or marked for liquidation — you can finalize the allocation. This locks the case into a read-only state and makes reports available for download.
That is the complete lifecycle of a case. The sections that follow explain each phase in detail, with guidance on the features and strategies that make the process smoother.