California probate timeline: every deadline, in order
Short answer
California requires the inventory and appraisal within 4 months of letters, closes the creditor claims period at 4 months (or 60 days after a mailed notice, if later), and requires a petition for final distribution or a status report within 1 year of letters — 18 months if a federal estate tax return is required.
Every date below links to the statute or court rule it comes from. Not legal advice — courts can extend several of these.
The deadlines
California runs its clocks from the death and the date letters are first issued to the personal representative.
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Whoever holds the will delivers it to the superior court clerk
30 days from the date of death · Prob. Code §8200
The 30 days run from learning of the death, unless a probate petition was already filed.
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File the inventory and appraisal
4 months from the letters issued · Prob. Code §8800(b)
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Give notice of administration to known creditors
4 months from the letters issued · Prob. Code §9051
Or 30 days after you first learn of a creditor, if later.
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Creditor claims period closes
4 months from the letters issued · Prob. Code §9100
For a creditor mailed a notice, the later of this date or 60 days after the notice.
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One-year outside limit to sue on the decedent’s debts
1 year from the date of death · Code Civ. Proc. §366.2
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Petition for final distribution, or file a status report
1 year from the letters issued · when no federal estate tax return is required · Prob. Code §12200(a)
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Petition for final distribution, or file a status report
18 months from the letters issued · when a federal estate tax return is required · Prob. Code §12200(b)
Clocks with no fixed date
- Notice of the hearing on the probate petition must be delivered to heirs and named beneficiaries at least 15 days before the hearing (Prob. Code §8110), and the first newspaper publication must also be at least 15 days before it (§8121).
Worked example
Someone died March 3, 2026, and letters were first issued May 4, 2026. The statutory dates fall like this:
- Whoever holds the will delivers it to the superior court clerkApril 2, 2026
- File the inventory and appraisalSeptember 4, 2026
- Give notice of administration to known creditorsSeptember 4, 2026
- Creditor claims period closesSeptember 4, 2026
- One-year outside limit to sue on the decedent’s debtsMarch 3, 2027
- Petition for final distribution, or file a status reportMay 4, 2027
For the executor doing the work
Don’t run probate from a list of dates
Estate Executor OS keeps these deadlines next to the asset inventory, every account to close, and the receipts the final accounting needs. One offline file, one-time $29.00.