At what time frame can money from an estate be distributed to the heirs?
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At what time frame can money from an estate be distributed to the heirs?
Such as money from the sale of a house.
Asked on March 10, 2013 under Estate Planning, Massachusetts
Answers:
Catherine Blackburn / Blackburn Law Firm
Answered 11 years ago | Contributor
The executor/administrator/personal representative of the estate has an obligation to gather all of the decedent's assets, notify all potential creditors, assess the merits of creditors' claims, pay legitimate creditors' claims, and account to the probate court for all of this. The time period depends on several factors and can be quite lengthy if there are disputed claims from creditors or difficulties gathering assets. It can take at least 6 months to a year for a simple estate and substantially longer if there are complications. Distributions are usually made to heirs after all of this is complete.
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