The administration of the estate consists of many elements and much of it depends on what assets need to be dealt with and the time it takes for third parties to respond. The initial steps to obtain the details of assets and liabilities as at the date of death usually takes several weeks. The next step is to prepare the application for probate which involves completing an Inheritance Tax (IHT) form setting out the value of the estate. If IHT is payable, a longer form is required and IHT will need to paid (or the first instalment) before HMRC will issue a receipt for you to progress matters with the Probate Registry. Again this stage will take several weeks.
Once the Probate Registry has issued the grant, the Executors or Administrators can then collect the assets and discharge an outstanding liabilities including any tax to the date of death and during the estate administration before distributing the estate. This stage can take a couple of weeks if the affairs of the deceased were straight forward and consisted of straight forward assets such as bank accounts. If the estate consists of property or a business, it can take much longer to find a buyer. Typically an estate administration can vary from around 6 months to a year but longer if the estate is more complicated or there are disputes.