Who Can Petition and When
The personal representative can file a petition for complete settlement at any time during the probate process. Other interested persons, such as heirs or beneficiaries, can petition after one year from the original appointment. In either case, no petition moves forward until the deadline for presenting creditor claims has passed. This legal process ensures all debts and taxes are addressed before estate assets are distributed.
A personal representative or any interested person may petition for an order of complete settlement of the estate. The personal representative may petition at any time, and any other interested person may petition after one year from the appointment of the original personal representative except that no petition under this section may be entertained until the time for presenting claims which arose prior to the death of the decedent has expired.
A.R.S. § 14-3931(A)The petition can ask the court to do several things at once. It can determine whether the deceased left a valid will, review the final accounting, approve the distribution plan, and discharge the personal representative from further claims. All interested persons must receive notice. Distributees whose interests are affected receive a copy of the final account.
Under Arizona law, this formal probate process applies to both small estates and larger ones. Creditors who want to file claims against the estate must do so within the statutory window. Once that period expires, the court can move forward with final settlement.
When Heirs Were Left Out of Earlier Proceedings
Sometimes an heir or beneficiary is not included in an earlier testacy proceeding. This statute accounts for that. The court can reopen the testacy question as it applies to the omitted person and confirm or adjust the earlier ruling. Evidence from the original proceeding still carries weight unless the omitted person raises a valid objection.
This matters because estate administration can stretch over months or even years. People move, family relationships are discovered late, and paperwork gets lost. The statute builds in a safeguard so the final settlement accounts for everyone who has a legal interest in the estate assets.