Many straightforward Ohio probate estates take approximately six months to a year to complete. A smaller or simplified estate may move faster. A complicated estate involving real estate, tax questions, a business, contested claims, or family conflict may remain open well beyond a year. There is no universal closing date because probate is a sequence of tasks, not a single hearing. The executor must obtain authority, locate property, file an inventory, address creditor claims, resolve taxes and expenses, distribute assets, and account to the court. One unfinished step can delay everything behind it. The most useful way to estimate the timeline is to identify the estate’s required procedure and likely…