Probate is a court-supervised process which takes place after a person dies.
Probate is for gathering the person's assets, paying taxes and bills, and then distributing assets to beneficiaries. Generally speaking, probate can take anywhere from a couple of months to a year or more to complete. The length of time depends on the complexity of the estate, the laws of the particular state and, more often than not, whether there are any disagreements or lawsuits, such as a will contest. When there is disagreement or litigation within a probate estate, it can take many years to complete. Here in Florida, a probate averages about six to nine months to open and complete.