GA Code § 53-7-41 (2021)
2021 Georgia Code|Title 53 - Wills, Trusts, and Administration of Estates|Chapter 7 - Administration of Estates Generally|Article 4 - Claims Against or in Favor of Estate|§ 53-7-41. Notice for Creditors to Render Accounts; Notification of Creditors' Claims; Requirement of Reasonable Additional Proof or Accounting; Failure of Creditors to Give Notice of Claims

  The personal representative shall be allowed six months from the date of the qualification of the first personal representative to serve in which to ascertain the condition of the estate.   Every personal representative shall, within 60 days from the date of qualification, publish a notice directed generally to all of the creditors of the estate to notify the personal representative of their claims and render an account of their demands for payment thereon. The personal representative's notice shall be published once a week for four weeks in the official newspaper of the county in which the personal representative qualified. No particular form shall be required for creditors to notify the personal representative of their claims, and such notification of a creditor's claim shall be sufficient for purposes of this Code section if given in writing, providing an account number or other identifying information or itemization adequate to establish the indebtedness as an obligation of the estate, and stating the principal balance and any applicable interest or other additional charges lawfully owed. An invoice or account statement satisfying the requirements of the preceding sentence of this subsection and generated by a creditor in the ordinary course of such creditor's business shall constitute sufficient notification to the personal representative of such creditor's claim if the personal representative actually receives such notification of the claim or if such creditor files such notification with the probate court having jurisdiction over the decedent's estate or sends such notification of the claim by electronic transmission, other form of wire or wireless communication, or by first-class mail or private carrier to the address of the decedent, the personal representative, or the attorney representing the personal representative; provided, however, that a notification of a claim sent by a creditor by electronic communication to an account for which the decedent is the user shall constitute sufficient notification to the personal representative of such creditor's claim only if the content of such electronic communication lawfully is disclosed to the personal representative pursuant to Chapter 13 of this title. As used in this subsection, the terms "account", "content of an electronic communication", "electronic communication", and "user" shall have the meaning provided by Code Section 53-13-2.   After receiving sufficient notification of a creditor's claim under subsection (b) of this Code section, the personal representative may require reasonable additional proof or accounting from such creditor prior to paying such creditor's claim, but such requirement by the personal representative shall not affect adversely the timeliness of such creditor's notification to the personal representative of the creditor's claims.   Creditors who fail to notify the personal representative of their claims in the manner provided by subsection (b) of this Code section within three months from the date of publication of the personal representative's last notice shall lose all rights to an equal participation with creditors of equal priority to whom distribution is made before sufficient notification of such claims is given to the personal representative, and they may not hold the personal representative liable for a misappropriation of the funds. If, however, there are assets in the hands of the personal representative sufficient to pay such debts and if no claims of greater priority are unpaid, the assets shall be thus appropriated notwithstanding failure of such creditors to timely notify the personal representative of their claims.     (Code 1981, §53-7-41, enacted by Ga. L. 1996, p. 504, § 10; Ga. L. 1998, p. 1586, § 33; Ga. L. 2020, p. 377, § 1-43/HB 865; Ga. L. 2021, p. 922, § 53/HB 497.)    The 2020 amendment,  effective January 1, 2021, rewrote this Code section, which read: "The personal representative shall be allowed six months from the date of the qualification of the first personal representative to serve in which to ascertain the condition of the estate. Every personal representative shall, within 60 days from the date of qualification, publish a notice directed generally to all of the creditors of the estate to render an account of their demands. The notice shall be published once a week for four weeks in the official newspaper of the county in which the personal representative qualified. Creditors who fail to give notice of claims within three months from the date of publication of the personal representative's last notice shall lose all rights to an equal participation with creditors of equal priority to whom distribution is made before notice of such claims is brought to the personal representative, and they may not hold the personal representative liable for a misappropriation of the funds. If, however, there are assets in the hands of the personal representative sufficient to pay such debts and if no claims of greater priority are unpaid, the assets shall be thus appropriated notwithstanding failure to give notice."    The 2021 amendment,  effective May 10, 2021, part of an Act to revise, modernize, and correct the Code, substituted "to timely notify" for "timely to notify" near the end of the last sentence of subsection (d).   RESEARCH REFERENCES   Am. Jur. 2d.   - 31 Am. Jur. 2d, Executors and Administrators, §§ 564, 571, 600, 604, 605, 608, 620, 623, 649, 650, 659.   C.J.S.   - 34 C.J.S., Executors and Administrators, §§ 527, 534, 540.   ALR.    - Effect of conduct of personal representative preventing filing of claim against estate within time allowed by the statute of nonclaims, 11 A.L.R. 246; 66 A.L.R. 1415.    Applicability of nonclaim statutes to claims arising under contract executory at the time of death, 41 A.L.R. 144; 47 A.L.R. 896.    Applicability of statute of nonclaim to superadded liability of stockholders, 41 A.L.R. 180; 51 A.L.R. 772; 87 A.L.R. 494.    Failure to present claim against estate of deceased principal as releasing surety, 50 A.L.R. 1214.    Necessity of presenting, probating, or prosecuting claims for allowance as affected by provision of will directing payment of debts, 65 A.L.R. 861.    Construction and application of statutory provisions excusing under certain conditions compliance with requirement as to filing claim against decedent's estate, 71 A.L.R. 940.    Remedies of creditors of insolvent decedent's estate where other creditors have received excessive payments, 77 A.L.R. 981.    Nonclaim statute as applied to real estate mortgage or mortgage debt, 78 A.L.R. 1126.    Priority received by creditors as regards ancillary assets of receivership or decedent's estate as justification for reducing their claims or dividends upon distribution in the primary or domiciliary jurisdiction so as to effect ultimate equality among creditors as regards total assets, 92 A.L.R. 596; 127 A.L.R. 504.    Claim on decedent's contract of guaranty, suretyship, or endorsement as contingent within statute of nonclaim, 94 A.L.R. 1155.    Necessity of presenting claim against decedent's estate as affected by executor's or administrator's personal duty or obligation to claimant, 103 A.L.R. 337.    Right of creditor of decedent, before perfecting his claim or after loss of recourse against decedent's estate, to pursue remedy against property conveyed by the decedent in fraud of his creditors, 103 A.L.R. 555.    Right of nonresident creditor of decedent's estate to file claim in ancillary administration, 106 A.L.R. 893.    Claims for taxes as within contemplation of statute requiring presentation of claims against decedents' estates, 109 A.L.R. 1370.    Nonclaim statute as governing claim barred, subsequent to death of obligor, by general statute of limitations, 112 A.L.R. 289.    Filing claim against estate of decedent as affecting or precluding other remedies against estate, 120 A.L.R. 1225.   Claim of government or subdivision thereof as within provision of nonclaim statute, 34 A.L.R.2d 1003.   Failure of personal representative to file proof of publication of notice of appointment or notice to creditors within specified time as tolling statute of nonclaim, 42 A.L.R.2d 1218.   Exclusiveness of grounds enumerated in statute providing, under specified circumstances, extension of time for filing claims against decedent's estate, 57 A.L.R.2d 1304.   Necessity of presenting spouse's claim under separation agreement to personal representative of other spouse's estate, 58 A.L.R.2d 1283.   Appealability of order, of court possessing probate jurisdiction, allowing or denying tardy presentation of claim to personal representative, 66 A.L.R.2d 659.   Asserted right to rescission or cancellation of contract with decedent as claim which must be presented to his personal representative, 73 A.L.R.2d 883.   Tort claimant against decedent's estate as person or party interested, or as creditor, entitled to object to account or report of personal representative, 87 A.L.R.2d 1231.   Application of nonclaim statute to claim for unmatured payments under land contract, 99 A.L.R.2d 275.   Tort claim as within nonclaim statutes, 22 A.L.R.3d 493.   Amount of claim filed against decedent's estate as limiting amount recoverable in action against estate, 25 A.L.R.3d 1356.   Executors and administrators: construction of statutory provision giving priority on distribution to claims for wages of servants, employees, or the like, 52 A.L.R.3d 940.   Validity of claims against estate filed prior to publication of notice to creditors, 70 A.L.R.3d 784.   Validity of nonclaim statute or rule provision for notice by publication to claimants against estate - Post-1950 cases, 56 A.L.R.4th 458.