Legal Question in Wills and Trusts in New York
Estate Bank Account
I am the sole heir of my parents who
died in December 2006 and
December 2007 respectively. I am
going to have the will probated and
after probate goes through, and the
receipt of the funds from the sale of
their coop apartment (not a large
amount), deposit that check into the
estate account. I am in New York
State. I read somewhere else on the
web, that there must be a certain
number of months that have to go
by before the money that is left in
the estate account can be distributed
to the heirs (myself) after opening
the account. How many months do I
have to wait?
1 Answer from Attorneys
Re: Estate Bank Account
If the estate aggregates less than 1,000,000, so no death taxes are due, and all debts, funeral and related expenses have been paid in full, and final income tax returns are filed and taxes, if any, are paid, I do not see why you cannot wait about 60 days to see if any further bills come in. If there are no further bills, you can distribute the assets to yourself. You may need some documents to close the estate with the Surrogate. Of course, if any late bills come in after you distribute the assets, you are still responsible to pay them.