Legal Question in Wills and Trusts in Massachusetts

Re: How long does it take to settle an estate?

There are several potential problems. When an executor is named and allowed by the court, there are certain time schedules of events and filings that must be done. This includes and inventory of the estate, and the filing of estate tax returns within 9 months of the death. There are others as well. For each year that the estate is on file, there is an annual fee. If the house was sold two months ago, then you should have been informed about the terms of the sale, and the proceeds. You should know where the proceeds are, and you should know if any supplemental tax forms are to be filed. You should have a sense of when the final accounting is to be filed. If you do not know about these, there is a potential problem, for which you can contact me in my office, so we can discuss these.