When will I get my inheritance?

In most probate cases, inheritances are not distributed until the end of the case and with court approval. Sometimes, usually when an estate is large, an early distribution can be made with permission from the probate court.

Every probate case has to go through a set of steps to completion. Each step can take a different amount of time depending on whether there is a dispute, a court holiday, and other causes for delay. Generally, the executor must be appointed at a court hearing, then property collected and sold with approval of the court, tax returns completed, debts paid,and finally distribution with court approval. 

In Clark County, the probate court only hears cases on Fridays, and is limited to about 150 cases. This means that when any given step in a probate case must happen, it typically takes about four to six weeks for the court to approve that action. 

In small probate cases, the process only requires one court hearing. For larger cases, there will be at least two court appearances required, plus a mandatory waiting period of 60 to 90 days in between. Therefore, there is a wide range of possible timeframes for you to get your inheritance, and it will depend on the type of probate case required.