Probate Estate Closing and Representative Discharge in District of Columbia
At a glance
| Closing routes and prerequisites | Supervised: approved final account; unsupervised: verified Certificate of Completion after claim period and distribution, or appointment termination after three years/extension (D.C. Code §§ 20-1301, 20-735). |
|---|---|
| Who may start or compel closing | Representative files final account or Certificate; supervised representative may petition later to end appointment; interested person may demand unsupervised accounting (D.C. Code §§ 20-1301, 20-734). |
| Final filing and contents | Supervised final account and possible appointment-termination request; unsupervised Certificate verifies claims, account notice and consent/no objection, distribution, expenses, recipients and service (D.C. Code §§ 20-1301, 20-735). |
| Final account and support | Supervised verified accounts filed with certificate of delivery to interested persons, subject to waiver; unsupervised representative accounts to interested persons and sends final account before Certificate (D.C. Code §§ 20-721, 20-731, 20-734, 20-735). |
| Distribution or delivery | Unsupervised Certificate confirms distribution under account; supervised final-account approval closes estate, and representative may perform necessary final administrative acts afterward (D.C. Code §§ 20-735, 20-1301). |
| Notice and objections | Supervised account mailed/delivered before filing; exceptions within 30 days of filing. Unsupervised final account notice gives 60 days to object before Certificate (D.C. Code §§ 20-721, 20-726, 20-735). |
| Hearing and order | Court approves supervised final account; later appointment-termination petition can prompt hearing if requested within 20 days of mailing. Unsupervised Certificate closes by filing (D.C. Code § 20-1301). |
| Closing effect and discharge | Supervised account approval closes estate and may terminate appointment if requested/approved; unsupervised Certificate can elect immediate termination, otherwise three-year termination applies; statutory liability limits are separate (D.C. Code §§ 20-1301, 20-736, 20-1303). |
| Bond, liability, later administration | Nonfraud claims may be barred after unobjected final account; personal-liability claims generally run one year from complete distribution and known-claim satisfaction; later property permits new appointment (D.C. Code §§ 20-736, 20-1303, 20-1304). |
Requirements one by one
Supervised final account
A supervised representative files verified accounts with a certificate that copies and advance notice of filing were sent to interested persons within the preceding 15 days. (D.C. Code § 20-721.) The first account is due within one year and one day of first publication of appointment notice, with later accounts generally due every nine months until the final account or appointment termination. (D.C. Code § 20-724.) Interested persons may file exceptions within 30 days after filing an account. Written waivers signed by every heir or legatee, or a will waiver, can excuse court filing of inventories and accounts under the statute. (D.C. Code § 20-726; § 20-731.) The final account’s approval closes the estate. It ends the representative’s appointment only when the account requests that result and the court approves it. A later petition to terminate appointment requires notice to the specified heirs or residuary legatees and unpaid claimants; recipients have 20 days from mailing to request a hearing. (D.C. Code § 20-1301.)
Unsupervised Certificate of Completion
An unsupervised representative accounts to interested persons at reasonable intervals or on reasonable demand and can be compelled to account to court after notice and hearing. (D.C. Code § 20-734.) The verified Certificate of Completion cannot be filed before the creditor-claim period expires. It confirms that interested persons received an account and 60-day objection notice, consented or did not object, and that distribution, known claims and administration expenses were handled. It lists recipients and certifies service of the Certificate. A recipient can object in writing to the representative or court within the 60 days. (D.C. Code § 20-735.) Filing the Certificate closes the estate and ends appointment if the representative elects that effect. Without a Certificate, appointment ends after three years from appointment or a later court-extended date. (D.C. Code § 20-1301.)
What trips people up
Absent fraud, an interested person who received the final unsupervised account but missed the 60-day objection period is bound by § 20-736; supervised account exceptions likewise have a statutory finality effect. A separate one-year limitation on personal claims against the representative is measured from distribution of all assets and satisfaction of all known claims, with its own date presumption for unsupervised administration. (D.C. Code § 20-736; § 20-1303.)
Common questions
Can a representative finish minor administrative acts after closure? Closing or appointment termination does not prohibit necessary final administrative actions. (D.C. Code § 20-1301.)
What happens if property appears later? An interested person may petition for appointment of the same or a successor representative, with court-directed notice. Previously barred claims remain barred. (D.C. Code § 20-1304.)
Statutes and sources
The verbatim operative passages, official section URLs and access date are recorded above. (D.C. Code §§ 20-721, 20-724, 20-726, 20-731, 20-734, 20-735, 20-736, 20-1301, 20-1303, 20-1304.)
Source links
Every statute quoted above, linked, with the date we checked it.
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