Estate winding-up timeline estimator

Heirs want to know when they will receive their inheritance, and executors are asked the question weekly. This estimator gives a realistic range of months from the date of death, or from the date letters were issued, to finalisation, built from the stages the Administration of Estates Act requires and the things that lengthen them: fixed property, estate duty, a dispute or a minor heir, and foreign assets. Some of the periods are fixed by statute; most are the Master's office and the institutions the executor deals with, and those are practice figures the rate table marks as illustrative.

It is for heirs who want to understand why nothing has arrived, for executors who need to set expectations, and for families deciding whether to use the small-estate route.

What this calculator works out and who it is for

You enter the date of death, the gross value of the estate, whether it includes fixed property, whether there is a dispute, an objection or an heir under 18, whether there are assets outside South Africa, and, if the executor has already been appointed, the date letters were issued. The estimator decides whether the estate is a small estate under section 18(3) or needs the full process, lists each stage with its range in months, applies an overlap for the stages that run alongside the account, and gives a total range and a finalisation window.

It assumes a competent executor who gets the papers right first time. An executor who misses documents, or a Master's office that loses them, adds time the estimator cannot see.

How the calculation works

The estimator first classifies the estate. Gross assets of R250 000 or less make it a small estate under section 18(3), which skips the formal account and the inspection period; the small estate checker deals with that threshold. Above that, the full process applies, and above R3 500 000 the estate duty abatement is exceeded and SARS must assess duty before final distribution.

For a full estate it adds the stages in sequence: the Master issuing letters of executorship, one to three months; the section 29 notice to creditors and collecting the assets, one and a half to three; preparing the liquidation and distribution account, two to four; the Master's examination of the account, one to three; and the section 35 inspection and distribution, one to two. A small estate has only the letters and a single collection-and-distribution stage. If letters have already been issued, the estimator starts from that date and leaves out the letters stage.

It then adds the complicating stages. Transfer of fixed property, two to four months, and the estate duty assessment, two to four, both overlap the account stages, so the estimator adds them and then takes back half of their low end and a quarter of their high end. A dispute, an objection to the account, a will challenge or a minor heir's Guardian's Fund payment adds six to eighteen months in full, because those stop the clock. Foreign assets add three to nine months for resealing or a separate process abroad.

The result is a range in months and a window of calendar months from the start date.

The law behind the numbers

The Administration of Estates Act 66 of 1965 fixes a few periods and leaves the rest to practice. Section 7 requires the death to be reported to the Master within 14 days. Section 13 requires the Master to issue letters of executorship once satisfied with the papers, with no time limit on the Master; in practice weeks to months, depending on the office. Section 29 requires the executor, as soon as letters are issued, to advertise in the Gazette and a local newspaper calling on creditors to lodge claims within a period of not less than 30 days. Section 35(1) requires the executor to lodge the liquidation and distribution account with the Master within six months of letters, or such longer period as the Master allows on application. Section 35(4) and (5) require the account, once the Master has examined it, to be advertised and to lie for inspection at the Master's office and a magistrate's office for not less than 21 days, during which any interested person may object. Section 35(12) then requires the executor to pay creditors and distribute to heirs in accordance with the account. The guide to the liquidation and distribution account explains what goes in it.

The Estate Duty Act requires estate duty to be paid within one year of death or 30 days of assessment, whichever is later, with interest after that, and in practice SARS's assessment is needed before the Master will approve final distribution of a dutiable estate. The executor fees and estate duty calculator works out the duty.

Transfer of fixed property out of an estate requires the Master's endorsement of the executor's power of attorney under section 42(2), a rates clearance certificate and the ordinary deeds office process, which the transfer timeline estimator covers; it can run alongside the account once the account has been approved or, for a sale, once the Master has no objection.

A minor heir's inheritance in money must be paid into the Guardian's Fund under section 43 unless the will provides otherwise, and an objection to the account under section 35(7) must be considered by the Master and can be taken to court, which suspends distribution. Foreign assets need either resealing of the South African letters in the other jurisdiction or a separate grant there, and the executor must deal with exchange control. The guide to how long an estate takes walks through the stages with examples, and the guide to removing an executor deals with an executor who is simply not doing the work.

Worked example

Sipho's mother dies on 1 September 2026 leaving a house worth R1 800 000, investments of R600 000 and a car, R2 450 000 in all, to Sipho and his sister in equal shares, with a will naming Sipho executor. There is no dispute and no minor.

The estate is above the small-estate threshold and below the estate duty abatement. The estimator lists letters at one to three months, the creditor notice and collection at one and a half to three, the account at two to four, the Master's examination at one to three, and inspection and distribution at one to two, a base of six and a half to fifteen months. The house adds two to four months for transfer, overlapping the account, which after the overlap adjustment brings the total to roughly seven and a half to eighteen months, a finalisation window of roughly April 2027 to March 2028. The estimator tells Sipho and his sister that nothing can be distributed before the account has lain for inspection and the Master has approved it, and that the Master's turnaround is the largest variable.

Had the estate been R200 000 in a bank account with no property, the small-estate route would apply, and the estimate would be two and a half to six months. Had the house been worth R4 000 000, estate duty would come in and SARS's assessment would add two to four months, overlapping the account. Had the sister objected to the account, the dispute stage of six to eighteen months would stop everything until it was resolved.

What the calculator does not include

It does not know the current turnaround of the particular Master's office, which differs between Cape Town, Pretoria, Johannesburg, Durban and the smaller offices and changes from year to year.

It does not model an executor's delay, a lost file, or papers rejected for defects, each of which restarts a stage.

It does not model the sale of an asset to pay debts or duty, which adds the time to find a buyer and register a transfer.

It does not deal with estates administered under section 34 because they are insolvent, which follow a different path, or with estates where the deceased was married in community of property and the joint estate must be divided first.

It does not calculate the executor's fee, the costs of administration or the duty; the executor fees and estate duty calculator does.

When to get advice

If you are an heir and the estate has been running for longer than the top of the estimator's range with no account lodged, ask the executor in writing what stage it is at and whether an extension was obtained from the Master; if the answer is unsatisfactory, write to the Master, who can call the executor to account under section 36 and remove an executor who fails to perform under section 54. Get advice if you want to object to an account, if you suspect assets have been left out, if the executor is dealing with assets before letters were issued, or if a minor's inheritance is being handled outside the Guardian's Fund without a will directing it. If you are the executor, use an attorney or fiduciary firm as agent where there is fixed property, estate duty or anything foreign; the fee comes out of the estate and the time saved usually pays for it.

Frequently asked questions

How long does it take to wind up an estate in South Africa? A simple estate with no fixed property is commonly finalised in six to twelve months; one with a house in twelve to twenty-four. A small estate under R250 000 is usually done in two to six months. The estimator gives a range for your case.

What are the fixed deadlines? Report the death within 14 days; creditors get not less than 30 days to lodge claims; the liquidation and distribution account is due within six months of letters, with extensions; the account lies for inspection for 21 days before distribution.

Why does the Master take so long? The Master's office has no statutory turnaround for issuing letters or examining accounts, and its load differs by office and year. It is the largest single variable and the one nobody can control.

Can heirs receive anything before the account is approved? Only an interim distribution the executor is satisfied the estate can afford without prejudicing creditors, which executors are cautious about. Final distribution waits for the inspection period and the Master's approval.

Does a house slow things down? Yes. The transfer needs the Master's endorsement, a rates clearance and the deeds office, and typically adds two to four months, partly overlapping the account.

What stops the clock completely? An objection to the account, a challenge to the will, or a dispute among heirs, which can add six months to eighteen or more while it is resolved.

What can I do about a slow executor? Ask in writing for the stage and the Master's extension; complain to the Master, who can demand an explanation and remove an executor who does not perform; and if the Master does not act, apply to court.