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MCL 700.3803(1) · checked 2026-10-20
How long probate takes in Michigan
The longest fixed wait in a Michigan probate is usually the creditor claim period: 4 months from publication of notice to creditors under MCL 700.3803(1). An estate cannot be closed safely before that window shuts, and MCL 700.3803(1) sets an outer limit of 36 months after death.
- 1Claim period 4 months
- 2Counted from Notice / letters
- 3Outer limit 36 months
- 4Statute MCL 700.3803(1)
The statute
“within 4 months after the date of the publication of notice to creditors”
Source: MCL 700.3803(1). Last checked 2026-10-20.
The outer limit reads: “within 3 years after the decedent's death” (where the notice requirements were not met).
Worked example: a death on January 15, 2026
| Checkpoint | Date |
|---|---|
| Date of death | January 15, 2026 |
| Earliest affidavit of decedent's successor for delivery of assets (28 days, MCL 700.3983) | February 12, 2026 |
| Trigger: publication of notice to creditors | March 1, 2026 |
| Creditor claim period ends (4 months, MCL 700.3803(1)) | July 1, 2026 |
| Outer limit for claims (MCL 700.3803(1)) | January 15, 2029 |
Michigan starts the clock at publication of notice to creditors, so the end date moves with the court. The example assumes that event comes 45 days after the death (March 1, 2026); a later filing pushes July 1, 2026 back day for day. By comparison the small-estate route — when the estate fits — opens on February 12, 2026.
15 jurisdictions on this site give creditors longer and 8 give them less; the median is 122 days.
Steps that add time
- Getting appointed. Nothing runs until publication of notice to creditors; the time between the death and the petition is outside the statutory period.
- Notice. Published notice and notice mailed to known creditors start or shorten the claim period; a creditor who should have been mailed notice may get extra time.
- Real estate. Michigan's small-estate route does not take real property, so an estate with a house in the state generally goes through administration or another court step.
- Accounting and closing. The final account, receipts from heirs and any tax filings come after the claim period ends.
Opening the estate costs money too: see probate court fees in Michigan (MCL 600.880).
Nearby East North Central timelines
Illinois: 6 months; Indiana: 3 months; Ohio: 6 months from death.
Related: Michigan small estate limit · creditor claim periods compared · executor timeline.
General information from the statute as written on 2026-10-20; not legal advice. Dates are worked examples of the statutory periods, not deadlines for any real estate. The Michigan probate court and its clerk can confirm how the periods run in a given case.