Connecticut Probate Timeline

Connecticut expects a decedent's estate to close inside about a year. The Connecticut Probate Courts tell the fiduciary to file the final financial report usually within 12 months of the death, and an estate still open after that has to file a status update. The statutory floor sits closer to eight months.

This guide walks the Connecticut probate timeline in order and gives each date the section number that sets it. One habit matters more than any single deadline: Connecticut anchors most estate clocks to the appointment of the first fiduciary rather than to the date of death, so a schedule counted from the funeral runs wrong by weeks. Estates are heard by the 54 probate districts of Conn. Gen. Stat. § 45a-2, each serving one or more of the state's 169 towns. Connecticut has no county probate court. For the process from first filing to final decree, start with the Connecticut probate guide.

How Long Does Probate Take in Connecticut?

A straightforward Connecticut estate closes 8 to 14 months after the death. Three numbers explain that range.

• About 8 months is the floor. Creditors get 150 days from the appointment of the first fiduciary under Conn. Gen. Stat. § 45a-356(a), and the fiduciary then has 60 days after that window closes to file the Return of Claims under § 45a-361. That is 210 days from appointment before the claims picture is even reported to the court. Add the three to six weeks it usually takes to get appointed and month eight is the earliest honest finish.
• 8 to 14 months covers the ordinary case: a valid will, cooperative heirs, no real estate sale, and a Form CT-706 NT with no tax owed. The Probate Courts treat 12 months as the working target for the final financial report.
• 12 to 24 months fits a will contest, an insolvent estate, a taxable estate filing Form CT-706/709, a Department of Administrative Services claim against an estate that received state aid, or a house that has to sell.

If the estate is still open a year after appointment, the fiduciary files Status Update/Decedent's Estate, Form PC-286, within three months after that first anniversary and every year afterward until an interim or final report is filed. That filing is the court's way of saying a year is the expectation rather than the ceiling.

Find the district that has jurisdiction, which follows the decedent's town of residence, on the Connecticut probate courts page.

Connecticut Probate Deadlines at a Glance

Three Clocks Connecticut Runs Its Own Way

Here is where out-of-state advice goes wrong.

The creditor window runs from appointment, not from publication. Section 45a-356(a) counts 150 days from the appointment of the first fiduciary. The newspaper notice the court places within 14 days under § 45a-354 starts nothing. The statute says outright that failure to publish, or a defective publication, does not interrupt or extend the 150 days. Time during which no fiduciary is in office does not count, so a resignation or removal pauses the clock without restarting it.

The spousal election runs from the mailing of the decree. Section 45a-436(c) gives the surviving spouse 150 days after the decree admitting the will is mailed to file written notice of intent to take the statutory share. That is a different starting gun from the creditor window, and it moved: before 2013 the same 150 days ran from the appointment of the first fiduciary. A spouse who files late is barred from the one-third life estate.

Every estate files a Connecticut estate tax return at six months. Not just taxable ones. Section 12-392(b)(3) requires a return for every decedent who died a Connecticut resident, and for every nonresident whose estate holds Connecticut real property or tangible personal property. That return also sets the numbers the Probate Court bills its own fee from, so a late return has a cost attached.

Phase 1: The First 30 Days

Anyone holding the will has to deliver it forthwith after learning of the death, to a person named as executor or to the judge, clerk or assistant clerk of the Probate Court with jurisdiction (§ 45a-282(a)). Neglecting to do so for 30 days after learning of the death carries a fine of up to $1,000, imprisonment of up to a year, or both, under § 45a-282(b).

Every person who knows the will names them as executor has to apply for probate within 30 days after the death, in the district where the testator was domiciled at death (§ 45a-283). Neglecting that carries a fine of up to $250. The petition is Form PC-200, filed with the original will, any codicils, and a copy of the death certificate. The petitioner sends copies of the petition and will to every heir and beneficiary listed and certifies on the form that the copies went out.

Order 10 or more certified death certificates from the town where the death occurred while the paperwork moves. Work through the first steps after a death in Connecticut at the same time.

The court then holds a hearing, acts on written waivers of notice, or notifies everyone of a right to request a hearing by a set date. When the will is admitted, the court appoints the named executor. Where there is no will, it appoints an administrator and the estate follows Connecticut intestate succession. Bond is usually required and the court sets the amount, unless the will excuses it, the heirs or beneficiaries waive it, or the estate falls under the small-value thresholds the court applies.

Phase 2: Appointment Through Month Two

Appointment starts three separate clocks in the same week.

• Day 14: the court publishes. Within 14 days after the first fiduciary is appointed, the Probate Court causes newspaper notice to run at least once, naming the fiduciary and the address where claims go. The court arranges this, so it is not a task on the fiduciary's list.
• Month 2: the land records notice. If the decedent owned Connecticut real property, or an interest in it, or a mortgage or lien on it, the fiduciary lodges a certificate with the town clerk of each town where that property sits within two months after qualifying (§ 45a-322(a)). The certificate states the fact and date of death, where the decedent last dwelt, and whether there was a will. The court supplies Form PC-251. Skipping it costs $25 per town.
• Month 2: the inventory. The fiduciary files an inventory of all estate property, except real property outside Connecticut, appraised at fair market value and signed under penalty of false statement, within two months after acceptance of the bond or other qualification (§ 45a-341(b)). The form is PC-2407. For cause shown, the court may extend that to no more than four months from qualification. Under § 45a-342 a fiduciary who lets the deadline pass can be cited in and removed.

Values go on the inventory as of the date of death. Real estate can be valued by a written appraisal, a comparative market analysis, the assessor's value adjusted to full fair market value, or an arm's-length sale price obtained within six months of the death. Property that passes outside probate, such as survivorship real estate, beneficiary-designated accounts, and trust property, stays off the inventory. Ask every bank and brokerage for date-of-death balances in writing while you have their attention, because the same figures feed the estate tax return and the final report. The Connecticut executor duties guide covers the recordkeeping the job needs.

Phase 3: The 150-Day Creditor Window

This is the longest fixed segment of a Connecticut estate.

Claims go to the fiduciary, not to the court. A claim not presented on or before day 150 from the appointment of the first fiduciary leaves the fiduciary unchargeable for assets already paid or distributed in good faith to satisfy lawful claims, expenses, taxes or beneficiaries. A payment counts as made in good faith unless the creditor proves the fiduciary actually knew about the claim when the money went out.

Read that carefully, because it is narrower than it sounds. The 150 days protects the fiduciary. It does not extinguish the debt, and a beneficiary who already received a distribution can still be reached. A fiduciary who wants a true bar uses the optional procedure in § 45a-357(a): send written notice, on Form PC-234, to anyone believed to hold a claim, setting a date no less than 90 days out. A creditor who misses that date is forever barred from recovering from the fiduciary, the estate, or any creditor or beneficiary of the estate. A creditor who missed through no fault of their own may apply to the court within 180 days of the notice, and the court may add up to 30 days from its order.

Once a claim arrives, § 45a-360 gives the fiduciary three moves: allow it, reject it in whole or in part with reasons, or pay it. Sit on a claim for 90 days and the creditor can demand action; 30 days after that demand the claim counts as rejected. A creditor whose claim is rejected then has 120 days from the rejection to sue or to apply to the Probate Court under § 45a-364 (§ 45a-363(b)).

Within 60 days after the 150-day period ends, the fiduciary files the Return of Claims and List of Notified Creditors, Form PC-237, listing everyone notified under § 45a-357 and every claim presented, with the extent to which each was allowed or rejected.

Behind all of it sits an outer bar. Under § 45a-375(c) no claim may be presented and no suit commenced later than two years from the date of death, or the date the ordinary limitation period on that claim would have run, whichever comes first. A claim that arises after the death gets its own two years from the day it arose. Never quote the two years as the routine claim window; the routine window is the 150 days. The Connecticut creditor claims guide works each of these paths through end to end.

Phase 4: Taxes at Six Months and Nine Months

The Connecticut Estate Tax Return

Form CT-706 NT or Form CT-706/709 is due six months from the date of death (§ 12-392(a)(1) and § 12-392(b)(1)). Which form depends on size. If the Connecticut taxable estate is at or below the federal exemption amount, which is $15 million for a 2026 death, the estate files Form CT-706 NT with the Probate Court and nothing with the Department of Revenue Services. Above that line, the estate files Form CT-706/709 with the department and a complete copy with the court.

The Probate Court may allow one extension of up to six months to file a CT-706 NT, on Form CT-706 NT EXT, filed before the return is due. An extension for a taxable CT-706/709 comes only from the Department of Revenue Services. Late payment carries a penalty of 10 per cent of the amount due and unpaid, or $50, whichever is greater, plus interest at 1 per cent per month.

Filing late also costs money at the courthouse. The Probate Court's fee under § 45a-107 is computed from the greatest of the inventory, the Connecticut taxable estate, or the gross estate for tax purposes, so the return usually sets the bill. Under § 45a-107(m)(2), if the return does not reach the court by its due date, the fee that would have been assessed draws interest at one-half of one per cent per month starting 30 days after that due date. An invoiced fee left unpaid for 30 days draws the same rate under § 45a-107(m)(1). Two kinds of estate escape that interest under § 45a-107(m)(4): a fee basis of $40,000 or less, and a fee basis of $500,000 or less where some of the property passes to a surviving spouse. Read the Connecticut estate tax rules before you decide which form applies.

Nine Months: Federal Return and Disclaimers

Federal Form 706 is due nine months after the death when the gross estate plus adjusted taxable gifts exceeds the federal exemption amount, or when the estate elects portability for a surviving spouse. Form 4768 buys a six-month extension. Connecticut at six months and the federal return at nine are different deadlines, and calendaring one for both is a common mistake.

An heir or beneficiary who wants to refuse an inheritance delivers a written disclaimer no later than nine months after the death, or after turning 18, whichever is later (§ 45a-579(d)). It goes to the legal representative of the estate or the holder of legal title. Disclaiming an interest in real property takes one more step: record a copy with the town clerk where the land sits inside the same nine months, or the disclaimer binds nobody but the disclaimant as to that property.

The decedent's final federal Form 1040 and Connecticut Form CT-1040 are due April 15 of the year after the death. Income the estate earns during administration goes on federal Form 1041 and Connecticut Form CT-1041.

Phase 5: Closing the Estate

Every executor and administrator files a financial report or account when administration is complete. Most estates use the shorter Financial Report/Decedent's Estate, Form PC-246. The more detailed Decedent's Estate Administration Account (Short Form), Form PC-242, is required in some cases, including where the will creates a life use in property or where a surviving spouse elects the statutory share. The Connecticut Probate Courts put this step at usually within 12 months of the death.

The court holds a hearing on the report or account so any interested party can question how the money was handled. Under § 45a-179(b) the hearing is required before the court approves a final account of an executor or administrator, unless every interested party signs and files a written waiver of notice. Forms PC-244A and PC-245 are those waivers. Gathering them early is the single cheapest way to shorten the back end of a Connecticut estate. The Connecticut probate accounting guide walks the report line by line.

Three filings finish the job.

1. Distribution. When the court approves the report or account, it orders the fiduciary to distribute what is left according to the approved distribution.
2. The land records certificate. Within one month after real property is devised, distributed, set out or divided, the fiduciary gets a certificate from the judge, clerk or assistant clerk and records it in the land records of every town where the property lies (§ 45a-450(a), Form PC-250). Where the property descends to heirs or a spouse, the month runs from the court's acceptance of the final administration account instead. The certificate names each recipient with a mailing address and describes what each one takes. Missing it costs $25 and leaves the title clouded.
3. The affidavit of closing. If the court directs it, the fiduciary files Affidavit of Closing of Estate, Form PC-213, within 30 days after all assets are distributed, reporting receipts and disbursements that came after the final report. That filing is the fiduciary's last act, and it releases the probate bond.

Anyone aggrieved by a Probate Court order has 30 days from the date the court sent the order to file an appeal in Superior Court (§ 45a-186(b)). Conservatorship and a handful of related matters get 45 days. A party who had no notice and was not present gets 12 months under § 45a-187(a). Hold the records until the appeal period passes.

The Short Path: Affidavit in Lieu of Administration

Not every Connecticut estate needs a fiduciary. Under § 45a-273, when the decedent's solely owned tangible and intangible personal property totals $40,000 or less and the decedent owned no solely owned Connecticut real property, the surviving spouse, next of kin, or another person with sufficient interest may file an affidavit instead of petitioning for probate of the will or letters of administration. The form is PC-212.

One built-in wait shapes the schedule. On receiving the affidavit the court sends a copy to the Department of Administrative Services and may not issue a decree until 30 days after that copy went out. Outside that pause, the court can act without notice or a hearing. Most affidavit estates finish in one to three months. The path moves personal property only, so a house in the decedent's sole name still needs a full administration.

What Pushes a Connecticut Estate Past a Year

• Real estate that has to sell. Listing, marketing and closing takes months, and the certificate under § 45a-450 cannot be recorded until distribution is set.
• A taxable estate. Form CT-706/709 keeps the estate open until the Department of Revenue Services processes it.
• A will contest or an appeal. A 30-day appeal window from every decree means each contested order resets the calendar.
• Medicaid and state aid. An estate that received state aid brings a Department of Administrative Services claim that has to be resolved before anyone is paid.
• An insolvent estate. When debts outrun assets, the fiduciary works the payment order in § 45a-365 and the estate can be settled as insolvent, which is a different and slower procedure.
• A statutory share election. A spouse's § 45a-436 election forces the longer account form and a setting-out of the one-third life estate.
• Missing or uncooperative heirs. Every party the fiduciary cannot reach turns a waiver into a noticed hearing.

How to Keep a Connecticut Estate on Schedule

You cannot shorten the 150-day creditor window or the 60 days that follow it. You can avoid the delays inside your control.

1. File the PC-200 inside 30 days. The statute is written with a penalty attached, and every day before appointment is a day added to the end.
2. Calendar from appointment, not from the death. Write the appointment date at the top of the file and count 14, 60, 150 and 210 days from it.
3. Start the inventory before you are appointed. Nothing stops you from requesting date-of-death balances and appraisals while the petition is pending, and two months is tighter than it reads.
4. Send the § 45a-357 notices early. The optional notice is the only tool that truly closes out a known creditor, and its 90 days can run inside the 150.
5. Decide the estate tax question by month three. The return is due at six months and the Probate Court fee rides on it, so a valuation problem found at month five is expensive.
6. Collect hearing waivers as you go. Signed PC-244A or PC-245 forms from every interested party let the court act on the final report without scheduling a hearing.
7. Ask a Connecticut probate attorney for help on the hard parts. A contest, an insolvent estate, a state-aid claim, or a taxable estate is worth professional help.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does probate take in Connecticut?

Most Connecticut estates settle in 8 to 14 months. The Connecticut Probate Courts tell fiduciaries to file the final financial report usually within 12 months of the death, and an estate still open a year after appointment has to file a status update on Form PC-286. The floor is about 8 months, because creditors get 150 days from appointment and the fiduciary then has 60 more days to file the Return of Claims under Conn. Gen. Stat. § 45a-361.

How long do creditors have to file a claim in Connecticut?

150 days from the appointment of the first fiduciary, under Conn. Gen. Stat. § 45a-356(a). The clock runs from appointment, not from the date of death and not from the newspaper notice. Missing it does not erase the claim. What it does is shield a fiduciary who already paid out in good faith. A fiduciary who wants an absolute bar sends the optional notice under § 45a-357 and sets a date at least 90 days out.

When is the Connecticut estate tax return due?

Six months after the date of death. Every Connecticut decedent's estate files one, whether or not any tax is owed. Estates at or below the federal exemption amount file Form CT-706 NT with the Probate Court. Estates above it file Form CT-706/709 with the Department of Revenue Services and a copy with the court. Conn. Gen. Stat. § 12-392 sets the deadline.

When is the inventory due in a Connecticut estate?

Within two months after the court accepts the bond or the fiduciary otherwise qualifies, under Conn. Gen. Stat. § 45a-341(b). The Probate Court form is PC-2407. Everything is listed at fair market value as of the date of death, and the court can extend the deadline for cause to no more than four months from qualification.

How long does a surviving spouse have to elect the statutory share in Connecticut?

150 days after the decree admitting the will to probate is mailed, under Conn. Gen. Stat. § 45a-436(c). The clock runs from the mailing of that decree, not from the death and not from the appointment. A spouse who files late is barred from the one-third life estate.

Is there a deadline to open a Connecticut estate?

Yes. Under Conn. Gen. Stat. § 45a-330 a court may not grant administration or admit a will more than ten years after the death unless it finds, on written petition and after public notice and a hearing, that it should. A minor gets one year after reaching the age of majority, and newly discovered property gets one year from its discovery.

Related Guides

• Connecticut Probate Guide: the whole process, from the PC-200 to the final decree.
• Connecticut Creditor Claims: the 150-day window, the optional notice, and the two-year bar.
• Connecticut Executor Duties: what the fiduciary owes at each date on this page.
• Connecticut Probate Accounting: the financial report that closes the estate.
• Connecticut Estate Tax: Form CT-706 NT and the six-month return every estate files.
• Connecticut Probate Courts: all 54 probate districts and the towns each one serves.

Every estate carries its own facts, and each district sets its own hearing rhythm. Confirm the dates that matter to your family with the chief clerk of your probate district or a licensed Connecticut attorney, then head back to the Connecticut probate hub for the rest of the series.

Sources:

• Title: Conn. Gen. Stat. § 45a-283: Executor to apply for probate of will. Penalty. Publisher: Connecticut General Assembly. Publication Date: Not listed. URL: https://www.cga.ct.gov/current/pub/chap_802b.htm#sec_45a-283
• Title: Conn. Gen. Stat. § 45a-282: Custodian of will to deliver it after testator's death. Penalty. Publisher: Connecticut General Assembly. Publication Date: Not listed. URL: https://www.cga.ct.gov/current/pub/chap_802b.htm#sec_45a-282
• Title: Conn. Gen. Stat. § 45a-341: Inventory to be filed. Property included in inventory. Appraisal. Time limits. Publisher: Connecticut General Assembly. Publication Date: Not listed. URL: https://www.cga.ct.gov/current/pub/chap_802b.htm#sec_45a-341
• Title: Conn. Gen. Stat. § 45a-322: Death of owner of real property or oyster grounds to be recorded. Penalty. Publisher: Connecticut General Assembly. Publication Date: Not listed. URL: https://www.cga.ct.gov/current/pub/chap_802b.htm#sec_45a-322
• Title: Conn. Gen. Stat. § 45a-354: Notice to creditors. Publisher: Connecticut General Assembly. Publication Date: Not listed. URL: https://www.cga.ct.gov/current/pub/chap_802b.htm#sec_45a-354
• Title: Conn. Gen. Stat. § 45a-356: Effect of failure to present claim; exoneration of fiduciary. Publisher: Connecticut General Assembly. Publication Date: Not listed. URL: https://www.cga.ct.gov/current/pub/chap_802b.htm#sec_45a-356
• Title: Conn. Gen. Stat. § 45a-357: Optional notice procedures; effect of failure to present claim; discretionary extension of time; exoneration. Publisher: Connecticut General Assembly. Publication Date: Not listed. URL: https://www.cga.ct.gov/current/pub/chap_802b.htm#sec_45a-357
• Title: Conn. Gen. Stat. § 45a-360: Allowance or rejection of claims. Publisher: Connecticut General Assembly. Publication Date: Not listed. URL: https://www.cga.ct.gov/current/pub/chap_802b.htm#sec_45a-360
• Title: Conn. Gen. Stat. § 45a-361: Return and list of claims. Publisher: Connecticut General Assembly. Publication Date: Not listed. URL: https://www.cga.ct.gov/current/pub/chap_802b.htm#sec_45a-361
• Title: Conn. Gen. Stat. § 45a-363: Suit against estate on rejected claim; time within which to commence suit or file application. Publisher: Connecticut General Assembly. Publication Date: Not listed. URL: https://www.cga.ct.gov/current/pub/chap_802b.htm#sec_45a-363
• Title: Conn. Gen. Stat. § 45a-375: Statutes of limitation; suspension. Maximum periods applicable to claims. After-accruing claims. Publisher: Connecticut General Assembly. Publication Date: Not listed. URL: https://www.cga.ct.gov/current/pub/chap_802b.htm#sec_45a-375
• Title: Conn. Gen. Stat. § 45a-436: Succession upon death of spouse. Statutory share. Publisher: Connecticut General Assembly. Publication Date: Not listed. URL: https://www.cga.ct.gov/current/pub/chap_802b.htm#sec_45a-436
• Title: Conn. Gen. Stat. § 45a-450: Descent or distribution of real property to be recorded. Publisher: Connecticut General Assembly. Publication Date: Not listed. URL: https://www.cga.ct.gov/current/pub/chap_802b.htm#sec_45a-450
• Title: Conn. Gen. Stat. § 45a-330: Time limited for granting administration or proving will; exceptions. Publisher: Connecticut General Assembly. Publication Date: Not listed. URL: https://www.cga.ct.gov/current/pub/chap_802b.htm#sec_45a-330
• Title: Conn. Gen. Stat. § 45a-273: Settlement of small estates without probate of will or letters of administration. Publisher: Connecticut General Assembly. Publication Date: Not listed. URL: https://www.cga.ct.gov/current/pub/chap_802b.htm#sec_45a-273
• Title: Conn. Gen. Stat. § 45a-579: Disclaimer of property in decedent's estate. Time limitation. Effect of disclaimer. Publisher: Connecticut General Assembly. Publication Date: Not listed. URL: https://www.cga.ct.gov/current/pub/chap_802g.htm#sec_45a-579
• Title: Conn. Gen. Stat. § 45a-107: Fees and expenses for settlement of decedent's estate. Interest on unpaid fees. Exception. Publisher: Connecticut General Assembly. Publication Date: Not listed. URL: https://www.cga.ct.gov/current/pub/chap_801b.htm#sec_45a-107
• Title: Conn. Gen. Stat. § 45a-179: Notice and hearing on final accounts. Publisher: Connecticut General Assembly. Publication Date: Not listed. URL: https://www.cga.ct.gov/current/pub/chap_801b.htm#sec_45a-179
• Title: Conn. Gen. Stat. § 45a-186: Appeals from probate. Venue. Service of process. Publisher: Connecticut General Assembly. Publication Date: Not listed. URL: https://www.cga.ct.gov/current/pub/chap_801b.htm#sec_45a-186
• Title: Conn. Gen. Stat. § 12-392: Payment of tax. Penalties for late filing. Extension of time. Method of filing. Notice to court of probate. Publisher: Connecticut General Assembly. Publication Date: Not listed. URL: https://www.cga.ct.gov/current/pub/chap_217.htm#sec_12-392
• Title: Administration of Decedents' Estates User Guide. Publisher: Connecticut Probate Courts. Publication Date: Updated 2026. URL: https://www.ctprobate.gov/trusts-estates/trusts-estates-user-guides
• Title: 26 U.S.C. § 6075: Time for filing estate and gift tax returns. Publisher: Office of the Law Revision Counsel, United States House of Representatives. Publication Date: Not listed. URL: https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=granuleid:USC-prelim-title26-section6075&num=0&edition=prelim

It is not legal advice.