How Long Does Probate Take by State
Typical probate timelines for all 50 states — with the statutory creditor-claim period that sets the floor, the statutory deadlines along the way, and the documented factors that extend it.
| State | Typical duration | Creditor claim period |
|---|---|---|
| California | 9 to 18 months for a routine case; longer in backed-up counties. | Four months after letters are first issued to the personal representative (or 60 days after notice is mailed to a specific known creditor, whichever is later), under Cal. Prob. Code §9100. |
| Texas | About 6 months for independent administration; longer if dependent administration is required. | Unsecured creditors who receive notice under Tex. Est. Code §308.054 must present their claim within 121 days of receiving notice. The independent executor is generally not required to respond to claims for six months after letters are granted. |
| Florida | 6 to 12 months for formal administration; a few months for summary administration. | Three months after the first publication of notice to creditors (or 30 days after service on a known creditor, whichever is later), under Fla. Stat. §733.702. An absolute 2-year cap applies under Fla. Stat. §733.710. |
| New York | 7 to 18 months for a routine case; longer for contested estates. | There is no fixed statutory cut-off for filing claims in New York, but the executor generally waits at least 7 months after issuance of letters before distributing the estate — this is the standard safe-harbor period during which creditor claims may be presented under SCPA practice. |
| Pennsylvania | 9 to 18 months for a routine, uncontested estate. Simple estates can close in 6 to 9 months; contested estates or those with complex assets often run 2+ years. The 9-month inheritance tax filing deadline and the Department of Revenue's review period effectively set a floor. | Pennsylvania has a one-year claims period from advertisement of letters under 20 Pa. C.S. §3384, but in practice the 9-month inheritance tax filing deadline and the Department of Revenue's 3–6 month review period set the effective timeline. |
| Illinois | A routine Illinois estate administered independently typically closes in 9 to 12 months, because final distribution generally cannot occur until the 6-month creditor claims period under 755 ILCS 5/18-3 has run. Supervised administration usually runs 12–18 months. Contested estates can take 18–36 months or longer. | Six months from first publication of notice to creditors, under 755 ILCS 5/18-3. Final distribution generally cannot occur until this period runs. |
| Ohio | A routine, uncontested Ohio probate typically takes 6 to 12 months. The six-month creditor claim window under ORC 2117.06 sets a practical floor. Contested estates, those with real estate to sell, or estates requiring federal estate-tax returns commonly take 12–24 months or longer. | Six months from the date of death, under Ohio Revised Code §2117.06. This sets the practical floor on closing an estate. |
| Georgia | Routine, uncontested probate generally takes 8 to 18 months. The statutory creditor-claim period alone runs about 3 months after the four-week publication of notice to debtors and creditors. | Approximately three months after the four-week newspaper publication of notice to debtors and creditors, under O.C.G.A. §53-7-41 et seq. |
| North Carolina | Routine, uncontested probate in North Carolina generally takes 6 to 12 months. The 90-day creditor claim window must run, the inventory is due within 90 days of qualification, and the final account is generally due within one year of qualification. Estates with real estate, contested claims, or tax issues often extend beyond a year. | 90 days from first publication of notice to creditors, under N.C.G.S. §28A-14-1. The inventory is also due within 90 days of qualification. |
| Michigan | Most Michigan decedent estates close in 6 to 12 months. The 4-month creditor-claims period (after publication) sets the practical minimum. Informal/unsupervised administration under EPIC moves fastest; supervised administration or contested matters commonly run 12–24+ months. | Four months from publication of notice to creditors, under MCL 700.3801. This sets the practical floor on closing an estate. |
| Connecticut | A routine Connecticut estate typically takes 6 to 12 months. The statutory creditor-claim window is 150 days from appointment of the first fiduciary, the fiduciary then has 60 days to file a return and list of claims, and Connecticut estate/succession-tax clearance must be completed before final distribution — so contested or taxable estates can run a year or more. | Creditors generally have 150 days from the date the first fiduciary is appointed to present claims; under Conn. Gen. Stat. §45a-356, a fiduciary who pays or distributes in good faith is not chargeable for claims presented after the 150-day period. |
| Arkansas | About 9 to 14 months for a routine, uncontested estate. The binding constraint is the six-month creditor claim period, which starts on first publication of the notice to creditors; the estate generally cannot close until that period runs and valid claims are settled. Contested estates, real-estate sales, or tax issues can extend this well beyond a year. | Six months from the date of first publication of the notice to creditors; claims not filed within that window are forever barred. Backstops: claims of known or reasonably ascertainable creditors are barred at two years from first publication, and all claims are barred five years after death if no letters were issued. Ark. Code Ann. §28-50-101. |
| Indiana | A routine, uncontested Indiana estate using unsupervised administration typically takes about 6 to 12 months. The personal representative can file a closing statement no earlier than 3 months after the first published notice to creditors (Ind. Code §29-1-7.5-4), and the estate closes about 3 months after that if no objections are pending. Supervised, contested, or real-estate-sale estates can run a year or more. | Under Ind. Code §29-1-14-1, creditors generally must file claims within 3 months after the date of the first published notice to creditors, or the claim is barred. All claims are barred no later than 9 months after the decedent's death regardless of notice. |
| Oklahoma | About 6 to 12 months for a routine supervised probate. Summary administration for estates under $150,000 can finish in roughly 2 to 4 months. | The personal representative must file notice to creditors within two months of issuance of letters, and the claim presentment date must be at least two months after that notice is filed, under 58 O.S. §331. |
| Oregon | About 6 to 12 months for a routine case; Oregon probate must stay open a minimum of four months to allow for creditor claims, and complex estates can run a year or more. | Claims are barred unless presented within four months after the date of first published notice to interested persons (or 45 days after a mailed notice, if later), under ORS 115.005. |
| New Jersey | Often 9 to 16 months. New Jersey's mandatory 9-month creditor window and the wait for state inheritance/estate tax waivers are the main reasons even simple estates rarely close sooner. | Creditors should present claims in writing within 9 months of death; after that period the personal representative is protected from personal liability for distributing without notice of the claim (N.J.S.A. 3B:22-4). |
| Washington | Often 6 to 12 months. The estate must stay open at least through the 4-month creditor claim period; nonintervention powers let many estates close not long after. | A creditor served with notice must file within the later of 30 days after that notice or 4 months after first publication of the notice to creditors; claims not timely filed are generally barred (RCW 11.40.051). |
| Arizona | About 5 to 12 months for a routine informal probate. The four-month creditor-claim window sets the practical floor; the estate must stay open at least five months before it can close. | Four months after the first publication of notice to creditors (or 60 days after mailed notice to a known creditor, whichever is later), under A.R.S. §14-3801 and §14-3803. |
| Colorado | About 6 to 12 months for a routine informal probate. The estate must remain open at least the statutory minimum, and the creditor-claim period sets the practical floor before final distribution. | Four months after the first publication of notice to creditors under C.R.S. §15-12-801, with an outside bar of one year from the date of death for all claims under C.R.S. §15-12-803. |
| Massachusetts | About 9 to 18 months for a routine informal estate. The practical floor is the one-year creditor period: under M.G.L. c. 190B, §3-803, a personal representative generally isn't liable to a creditor unless the action is brought within one year of the date of death, so most representatives wait out that year before final distribution. | One year from the date of death, under M.G.L. c. 190B, §3-803. A personal representative is generally not answerable to a creditor unless suit is brought (and the representative served or a notice filed with the register) within that one-year window. |
| Maryland | About 9 to 18 months for a routine regular estate. The binding constraint is the six-month creditor claim period; the estate generally cannot close until that period runs and valid claims are resolved. Modified administration (when available) is faster, and contested estates run longer. | Six months from the date of death (or two months after the personal representative mails notice to a known creditor, whichever is later), under Md. Code, Est. & Trusts §8-103. |
| Minnesota | Roughly 6 to 12 months for a routine informal probate; simple estates can close in about 4 to 6 months. The four-month creditor period is the main timing constraint. | Four months after the date of the first published notice to creditors, under Minn. Stat. §524.3-801 (with an outer limit of one year after death). Known creditors served personally have the later of four months from first publication or one month after service. |
| Missouri | Roughly 9 to 15 months for a routine estate; the law requires a minimum six-month creditor claim period that cannot be shortened, so a full estate almost never closes faster than about six to nine months. | Six months from the date of first published notice of letters, under Mo. Rev. Stat. Ch. 473. Claims not filed within this period are forever barred. This minimum period cannot be shortened. |
| Alabama | About 6 to 12 months for a routine uncontested estate; the 6-month creditor claim window sets the practical floor. | Claims must be presented within 6 months after letters are granted (or 5 months after first publication of notice, whichever is later), under Ala. Code §43-2-350; a specifically-noticed creditor gets at least 30 days. |
| Alaska | About 6 to 12 months for a routine uncontested estate; the 4-month creditor claim window sets the practical floor. | Claims are barred unless presented within 4 months after the first publication of notice to creditors, under AS 13.16.460; creditors who are never notified have up to 3 years from death. |
| Delaware | About 8 to 12 months for a routine estate; the 8-month creditor window sets the practical floor. | Claims arising before death are barred unless presented within 8 months of the date of death, under 12 Del. C. § 2102 — one of the longer nonclaim periods in the country. |
| Hawaii | About 6 to 12 months for a routine, uncontested estate; the 4-month creditor window after publication sets the practical floor. | Creditors generally have 4 months from the first newspaper publication of the notice to creditors (HRS § 560:3-801) to present claims, or 18 months from death if no notice is published (HRS § 560:3-803). |
| Idaho | About 6 to 12 months for a routine uncontested estate; a case generally stays open at least 6 months so the creditor period can run. | Creditors generally have four months from the first publication of the notice to creditors to present claims, under Idaho Code §15-3-801; claims not timely presented are barred. |
| Iowa | About 6 to 12 months for a routine estate, and longer where inheritance-tax clearance or contested claims are involved. | Claims are barred unless filed within the later of four months after the second publication of the notice to creditors or one month after mailed notice to a known creditor, under Iowa Code §633.410. |
| Kansas | About 6 to 12 months for a routine estate; simplified 'informal' administration can move faster. | Creditors must file claims within four months of the first published notice to creditors under K.S.A. §59-2239; known creditors who receive mailed notice have at least 30 days from mailing. |
| Kentucky | About 9 to 18 months; Kentucky keeps the estate open at least six months so creditors can file claims. | Six months after the personal representative is appointed under KRS 396.011 (restored to the pre-2020 rule by 2021 legislation). If no personal representative is appointed, creditors have two years from the date of death. |
| Louisiana | About 3 to 6 months for a simple, uncontested succession; longer if a full administration or property dispute is involved. | Louisiana does not use the short common-law nonclaim period. Under a full administration, the succession representative advertises and pays claims through the formal administration process; in a simple 'possession' succession there is no fixed claims window, and heirs who accept the succession can be answerable to creditors up to what they receive (La. C.C.P. Book VI). |
| Maine | About 9 to 12 months for a routine informal-probate estate; the estate stays open through the creditor-claim period. | Creditors must present claims within 4 months after the first publication of notice, or within 9 months of death if no notice is published, under 18-C M.R.S. §§3-801 and 3-803. |
| Mississippi | About 6 to 12 months for a routine uncontested estate; the mandatory 90-day creditor window and court supervision set the floor. | Creditors must have their claims registered, probated, and allowed within 90 days after the first publication of the notice to creditors, or they are barred, under Miss. Code §91-7-151 — one of the shortest windows in the country. |
| Montana | About 6 to 12 months for a routine informal case; the four-month creditor window sets the practical floor. | Four months after the date of first publication of the notice to creditors, under MCA §72-3-801; claims not presented in time are barred. |
| Nebraska | About 6 to 12 months for a routine case; Nebraska's unusually short two-month creditor window can move things along faster than in most states. | When notice is published, claims arising before death are barred if not presented within two months of first publication under Neb. Rev. Stat. §30-2485 — one of the shortest creditor windows in the country. |
| Nevada | About 6 to 12 months for a routine case; the 90-day creditor period sets the floor, and set-aside or summary administration can be faster. | Creditors must file claims within 90 days after first publication of the notice to creditors under NRS §147.040 (60 days in a summary administration). |
| New Hampshire | At least 6 months, because the creditor period runs six months from appointment; routine estates typically close in about 9 to 12 months. | Creditors generally must present claims within six months of the grant of administration under RSA ch. 556; suit cannot be brought in the first six months and must be filed within one year. |
| New Mexico | About 6 months for a routine informal case, since the estate stays open through the creditor-claim period. | Four months after the first published notice to creditors under NMSA §45-3-801, subject to an ultimate one-year-from-death bar under §45-3-803. |
| North Dakota | About 6 months to a year, since the estate must stay open through the 3-month creditor-claim period. | Three months after the first publication of the notice to creditors under N.D.C.C. §30.1-19-03; no final distribution is allowed before that period ends. |
| Rhode Island | About 8 to 14 months, driven largely by the six-month creditor claim period. | Creditors generally must present claims within six months after the personal representative qualifies and notice is published, under R.I. Gen. Laws §33-11-5; a longer outer limit on suits applies under §33-11-50. |
| South Carolina | About 8 to 12 months, largely because creditors have eight months to file claims. | Creditors must present claims within eight months of the first published notice, and in no event later than one year after death, under S.C. Code §62-3-801 and §62-3-803. |
| South Dakota | About 6 to 12 months for a routine informal probate. | Creditors have four months from the first published notice to present claims, with a one-year-from-death outer limit, under S.D. Codified Laws §29A-3-801 and §29A-3-803. |
| Tennessee | About 6 to 12 months for a routine, uncontested estate; the four-month creditor-claim period sets the practical floor. | Creditors generally have four months from the first publication of the notice to creditors to file claims, under Tenn. Code Ann. §30-2-306 and §30-2-307, with an ultimate bar of twelve months from the date of death for creditors who never receive notice. |
| Utah | About 4 to 12 months for a routine informal probate; the estate generally cannot close until the 3-month creditor claim period has run. | Creditors must present claims within 3 months after the first published notice to creditors, or be barred, under Utah Code §75-3-801. A separate 1-year ultimate cutoff measured from the date of death also applies under Utah Code §75-3-803. |
| Vermont | About 6 to 12 months for a routine uncontested estate; the mandatory 4-month creditor period sets the practical floor. | Claims that arose before death are barred unless presented within four months after the first publication of the notice to creditors, under 14 V.S.A. § 1203 (notice requirements in § 1201). |
| Virginia | About 8 to 12 months for a routine estate; often a year or more, because creditors generally have up to a year from death to file claims. | Creditors generally have up to one year from the date of death to assert claims (Va. Code §64.2-528). A personal representative can shorten and cut off claims by requesting a debts-and-demands hearing before the Commissioner of Accounts under Va. Code §64.2-550, and should generally not distribute the estate within the first six months (Va. Code §64.2-556). |
| West Virginia | About 6 to 12 months for a routine estate; short-form settlement is possible once the 60-day creditor and 4-month waiting periods pass. | Creditors have 60 days from the first publication of the notice to creditors by the county clerk to file a claim (W.Va. Code §44-2 and §44-3A); a short-form settlement can follow if no claim or reference is requested. |
| Wisconsin | About 6 to 12 months for informal administration, which generally must be closed within 18 months of appointment. | The court or probate registrar sets a claim deadline of not less than 3 nor more than 4 months from the date of the order, under Wis. Stat. §859.01. |
| Wyoming | About 6 to 12 months for full probate; a summary distribution can close in a couple of months. | Creditors must present claims within three months after the first publication of the notice to creditors (Wyo. Stat. §2-7-201 et seq.). |
All 50 states are listed above. The statutory creditor-claim period sets the floor on how quickly an estate can close. Note that the clock does not start on the same event in every state: depending on the statute it runs from the date of death, from the date letters are issued, or from first publication of notice.
Want to understand probate first?
If you’re new to probate, start with our main explainer — it walks through the process step by step before you look at state-specific timelines:
- Executor Deadlines by State — the creditor-claim period that sets each state’s timeline floor, quoted from the statute.
- What Is Probate and How Does It Work?
- How Much Does Probate Cost by State (companion guide)
- What to Do When Someone Dies — the practical checklist for the first days and weeks
Educational information only — not legal advice. Always confirm current statutes and figures with a licensed attorney in your state.