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Maryland probate timeline
The main filings a Maryland personal representative makes, and when each is generally due, counted from the date of appointment or the date of death.
General information, not legal advice. This page is the same for every Maryland estate. It does not give the dates for any particular estate. Deadlines can change with extensions, court orders or an estate’s facts, and small estates follow different rules. For an estate’s own dates, use the Register of Wills’ schedule (below), or ask the Register or an attorney.
Each estate’s own dates come from the Register of Wills
When a personal representative is appointed, the Register of Wills issues a schedule of the mandatory filing deadlines for that estate. That schedule, not this page, gives an estate’s dates. Source: Registers of Wills, Administering Estates in Maryland (2025), Section 6.
At a glance
Months after each starting point. Each mark is the latest a filing is generally due.
Regular estate, from appointment
Modified administration, from appointment
From the date of death
Regular estate: counted from the date of appointment
The List of Interested Persons, if it was not filed with the petition, and copies of the newspaper’s notice of appointment, which the Register mails to the interested persons. Estates and Trusts § 7-104; Registers’ guide, Section 6.
The Inventory (Forms 1122 and 1123) and the Information Report (Form 1124). Estates and Trusts § 7-201; Tax-General § 7-224.
The first Account. Each later Account is due by the earlier of 6 months after the previous Account is approved or 9 months after it was filed, until the final Account. Estates and Trusts § 7-305; Registers’ guide, Section 6.
Modified administration: counted from the date of appointment
An alternative to the Inventory and Accounts that some estates may elect.
The Election for Modified Administration (Form 1141), a Consent (Form 1142) from each residuary legatee or heir, and the Information Report. Estates and Trusts § 5-702; Registers’ guide, Sections 7 and 12.
The Final Report Under Modified Administration (Form 1143), in place of the Inventory and Accounts, unless an extension was approved. Registers’ guide, Section 7.
Complete and final distribution, unless an extension was approved. Registers’ guide, Section 7.
Counted from the date of death
In general, a creditor’s claim is barred unless it is presented by the earlier of 6 months after the death or 2 months after the personal representative mails or delivers that creditor a written notice. Some claims follow other rules, including claims of the United States or the State, Maryland Department of Health (Medicaid) claims, which run from the first publication of the notice of appointment, and a lender’s rights under a mortgage or other lien. Estates and Trusts § 8-103.
The Maryland estate tax return and payment, when one is required. Tax-General § 7-305 and § 7-306.
Inheritance tax, where it applies, is billed by the Register when an Account shows distributions, or paid with the Final Report under modified administration. Tax-General § 7-217; Registers’ guide.
Late filings and extensions
The Register of Wills tracks each estate’s filings and refers late ones to the Orphans’ Court. In Montgomery County, for example, a filing missed without an extension granted in advance leads to an order to show cause why the personal representative should not be removed. If more time is needed, ask the Register before the date passes. Registers’ guide, Section 2; Montgomery County Register of Wills, Probate Policies and Procedures (2026).
A filing deadline that falls on a weekend or legal holiday generally moves to the next business day. To be safe, file before it. General Provisions § 1-302.
The Account is the filing most people underestimate
It needs every statement for every estate account, every payment explained, and totals that balance to the cent. See what goes into it.
Checked against the Maryland Code and the Registers of Wills’ guide on 8 October 2026. General information only, not legal advice.