Quick answer: the deadline that anchors most of the schedule is the 3-month creditor claim window, running from first publication of notice. See the full Florida probate timeline calculator for your specific estimate.
The core deadlines, in order
| Deadline | Florida rule | Statute |
|---|---|---|
| Deposit original will with clerk | Within 10 days of learning of death | Fla. Stat. § 732.901 |
| Notice to creditors published | Once/week for 2 consecutive weeks | Fla. Stat. § 733.2121 |
| AHCA notice (if decedent 55+) | Within 3 months of first publication | Fla. Stat. § 733.2121(3)(d) |
| Inventory served on interested persons | Within 60 days of Letters | Fla. Stat. § 733.604 |
| Creditor claim deadline | Later of 3 months from publication, or 30 days from direct service | Fla. Stat. § 733.702 |
| Absolute claim bar | 2 years from date of death, no exceptions | Fla. Stat. § 733.710 |
| Claims paid | Within 1 year of first publication (extendable) | Fla. Stat. § 733.707 |
| Formal administration target close | 12 months (if no federal estate tax owed) | Fla. Stat. § 733.901 |
A creditor deadline with an unusual outer bound
Fla. Stat. § 733.710: no claim against a Florida estate may be filed more than 2 years after the date of death — a hard, absolute limit that applies regardless of whether letters of administration were ever issued or notice was ever published. This is separate from, and independent of, the 3-month publication-based deadline under § 733.702, and it's the backstop that eventually closes out claims even on an estate that was never formally opened.
Florida's Inventory isn't a public court filing
Unlike states that file the Inventory directly with the court, Florida's personal representative serves it on interested persons — the surviving spouse, heirs at law, or residuary beneficiaries — rather than filing it as an open court record. The court can still order it produced if needed, but this is a genuinely different approach from most states' Inventory process.
Facing probate in Florida?
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