Quick answer: the deadline that anchors most of the schedule is the 4-month creditor claim window, running from publication. See the full Michigan probate timeline calculator for your specific estimate.
The core deadlines, in order
| Deadline | Michigan rule | Statute |
|---|---|---|
| Notice to creditors published | Promptly after appointment | MCL 700.3801 |
| Notice to known creditors | Within 4 months of publication (or 28 days of learning of them) | MCL 700.3801(2) |
| Inventory due | Within 91 days of appointment | MCL 700.3706 |
| Creditor claim deadline (unknown) | 4 months from publication | MCL 700.3803(1)(a) |
| Creditor claim deadline (known) | Later of 1 month from notice, or 4 months from publication | MCL 700.3803(1)(b) |
| If notice never given | 3 years from date of death | MCL 700.3803(1)(c) |
| Suit after a disallowed claim | 63 days | MCL 700.3806 |
Two different deadlines, easy to confuse
Worth separating clearly: the Inventory itself — the sworn list of the decedent's assets at fair market value — is due within 91 days of appointment under MCL 700.3706. The inventory fee is a completely different thing: a statutory cost under MCL 600.871, tiered by estate value, calculated from that same inventory but functioning as a court fee, not a filing deadline. Confusing the two is a common source of misunderstanding among first-time personal representatives.
Good faith doesn't always protect the estate
A personal representative or attorney who gives notice based on a good-faith belief that someone is a creditor isn't personally liable for having given that notice, under MCL 700.3801(3). But this protects the individual, not necessarily the estate — a genuinely known creditor who was missed can still have a valid claim against estate assets.
Facing probate in Michigan?
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