How long does probate take?

How long does probate take?

Ideally, if no federal estate tax return is required to be filed because the estate of the decedent is under 2,0000,000, dollars, we would like to think that we can complete the entire process within seven or eight months. The only reason it takes that long is that there are statutory time frames and requirements that have to be satisfied before the estate can be distributed. If an estate tax return is required to be filed, and that filing occurs nine months after date of death, the process will probably be extended by a minimum of six months to a year. Depending upon the complexity of the estate tax return and the amount of tax involved, the personal representative may be unwilling to distribute the estate until an estate tax closing letter has been issued by the IRS.