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Kansas timeline

Kansas probate timeline and creditor deadlines

The waiting-period requirement has not been verified, so no number is published below.

That clock is one condition among several, and it is not the whole estate timeline. The deadlines that carry the most risk are creditor deadlines, and in Kansas they are set out below against the event each one runs from.

Sources reviewed August 9, 2026. Latest primary-source re-fetch September 15, 2026.

The one date this page can source

The waiting-period requirement for this route has not been verified, so no number is published. Read the statute below before assuming any waiting period applies.

Creditor deadlines

Kansas does not run one creditor clock. Separate periods start from separate events, and the date that actually bars a claim is the one the applicable period produces. They are listed here against the event that starts each, because a period attached to the wrong starting event is how a deadline gets missed by weeks.

From publication of notice to creditors
Four months from the date of first publication of notice to creditors under K.S.A. 59-2236 (K.S.A. 59-2239(a)).
From actual notice to a known creditor
If the identity of the creditor is known or reasonably ascertainable, 30 days after actual notice was given (K.S.A. 59-2239(b)). A demand is barred unless presented within the LATER of the publication period or this actual-notice period.
Outer limit, running from death
No creditor has any claim against or lien upon the decedent's property (other than liens existing at death) unless a petition for probate of the will or for administration is filed within six months after the death of the decedent (K.S.A. 59-2239(1)).

How these combine. Kansas keeps three separate claim clocks. Under K.S.A. 59-2239 a demand is forever barred unless presented within the LATER of (a) four months from the date of first publication of notice to creditors under K.S.A. 59-2236, or (b) where the creditor is known or reasonably ascertainable, 30 days after actual notice was given. Both run only if the estate is opened: no creditor has a claim unless a petition for probate or administration is filed within six months after the decedent's death. The four-month period is stated in months, so it is not reduced to a fixed number of days.

shall be forever barred from payment unless the demand is presented within the later of: (a) four months from the date of first publication of notice under K.S.A. 59-2236 , and amendments thereto; or (b) if the identity of the creditor is known or reasonably ascertainable, 30 days after actual notice was givenK.S.A. 59-2239 — Kansas Office of Revisor of Statutes; History: L. 1939.

Publishing notice starts a period after which most claims are barred. Missing a required notice can extend the estate’s exposure and, in some circumstances, the personal exposure of the person administering it. Confirm the dates that apply to this estate with the District Court before relying on them, because a specific case can carry deadlines these general provisions do not reach.

Kansas bars the claim on one clock and the creditor’s standing to have any claim at all on a second

K.S.A. 59-2239(1) bars demands against a decedent’s estate — including demands of the state, and expressly “the individual demands of executors and administrators” — unless presented within the later of four months from the date of first publication of notice under K.S.A. 59-2236, or, “if the identity of the creditor is known or reasonably ascertainable, 30 days after actual notice was given.” A will requiring payment of a demand exhibited later controls over the bar.

The second clock is the one that has no analogue in most states, and it does not depend on the creditor doing anything wrong. “No creditor shall have any claim against or lien upon the property of a decedent other than liens existing at the date of the decedent’s death, unless a petition is filed for the probate of the decedent’s will … or for the administration of the decedent’s estate … within six months after the death of the decedent.” If nobody opens an estate within six months, the creditor’s claim against the property is gone regardless of diligence.

That pairing inverts the usual incentive. In Michigan, failing to publish notice extends creditor exposure to three years; in Kansas, failing to open the estate at all extinguishes the claim at six months. A creditor watching a Kansas estate cannot simply wait to be notified.

Tort claims are carved out. Subsection (2) provides that nothing in the section prevents enforcement of a tort claim against the personal representative within the ordinary statute of limitations, and that for the purpose of enforcing such claims “the estate of the decedent may be opened or reopened, a special administrator appointed, and suit filed against the administrator” within that period.

The carve-out is narrower than it first reads. Any recovery in such an action “shall not affect the distribution of the assets of the estate” unless a claim was filed within the time allowed under subsection (1), or an action was commenced as provided in K.S.A. 59-2238(2). The tort claimant keeps the right to sue; what is lost is the right to be paid out of the estate’s assets.

Source: K.S.A. § 59-2239 (claims against estate; time for filing; when barred), read from the enacting state’s own published code on 2026-09-17. Quoted wording is the statute’s; the surrounding explanation is this site’s reading of it and is not legal advice.

Kansas timeline decision map

What must be established before the Kansas clock matters

The Kansas waiting period is only one condition. Use this map to separate the route clock from creditor deadlines, asset scope, court costs, and the documents needed to move from screening to filing.

QuestionRecorded Kansas answerCarry into the case
What route is being screened?Small estate affidavit (K.S.A. 59-1507b); Kansas Simplified Estates Act administration (K.S.A. 59-3201 to 59-3206)Confirm that the will, prior appointment, family facts, and asset titles fit this route.
What property and basis count?personal probate property only; gross value for this route.Keep real property, liens, beneficiary transfers, and survivorship transfers classified separately.
What is the amount screen?$75,000Use the counted property, not a bank-balance shortcut.
What is the time or deadline record?No waiting-period number verified; Kansas keeps three separate claim clocks. Under K.S.A. 59-2239 a demand is forever barred unless presented within the LATER of (a) four months from the date of first publication of notice to creditors under K.S.A. 59-2236, or (b) where the creditor is known or reasonably ascertainable, 30 days after actual notice was given. Both run only if the estate is opened: no creditor has a claim unless a petition for probate or administration is filed within six months after the decedent's death. The four-month period is stated in months, so it is not reduced to a fixed number of days.Keep the event that starts each clock with the date; do not combine separate periods into one number.
What does the cost record establish?$109.50 is the recorded statewide amount.Ask the District Court about local surcharges, copies, publication, bond, and later filings.
What does compensation use?K.S.A. 59-1717 entitles a fiduciary to 'just and reasonable' compensation for services, plus necessary expenses; there is no statutory percentage schedule. The court reviews reasonableness, and a will provision on compensation is honored subject to the statute. The relevant base is the estate accounting.Keep the will, task log, receipts, and accounting base together; extraordinary work is separate.

Clock ledger

Do not compress the Kansas deadlines into one date

The Kansas record names separate triggers. The description beside each trigger is the source-bound statement to carry into the estate calendar; the interaction rule explains which period controls when more than one applies.

Clock starts withRecorded periodSource
Publication of noticeFour months from the date of first publication of notice to creditors under K.S.A. 59-2236 (K.S.A. 59-2239(a)).K.S.A. 59-2239
Actual notice to a known creditorIf the identity of the creditor is known or reasonably ascertainable, 30 days after actual notice was given (K.S.A. 59-2239(b)). A demand is barred unless presented within the LATER of the publication period or this actual-notice period.K.S.A. 59-2239
Outer limit from deathNo creditor has any claim against or lien upon the decedent's property (other than liens existing at death) unless a petition for probate of the will or for administration is filed within six months after the death of the decedent (K.S.A. 59-2239(1)).K.S.A. 59-2239

How the periods combine: Kansas keeps three separate claim clocks. Under K.S.A. 59-2239 a demand is forever barred unless presented within the LATER of (a) four months from the date of first publication of notice to creditors under K.S.A. 59-2236, or (b) where the creditor is known or reasonably ascertainable, 30 days after actual notice was given. Both run only if the estate is opened: no creditor has a claim unless a petition for probate or administration is filed within six months after the decedent's death. The four-month period is stated in months, so it is not reduced to a fixed number of days.

Case-file context

Keep the Kansas answer with its neighboring conditions

A route answer is easier to use when the facts that can change it stay in the same record. These are the reviewed Kansas descriptions adjacent to this page\'s main question; they are not a substitute for the source quotations or the receiving court\'s instructions.

Route context

Kansas probate is handled by the District Court. Small estates up to $75,000 in personal property transfer by affidavit (K.S.A. 59-1507b), and the Kansas Simplified Estates Act (K.S.A. 59-3201 to 59-3206) offers a streamlined court administration in lieu of full supervision. The statewide probate docket fee is $109.50 (K.S.A. 59-104), and fiduciary compensation is 'just and reasonable' under K.S.A. 59-1717 with no statutory percentage schedule.

Kansas offers two abbreviated routes. (1) Small estate affidavit (K.S.A. 59-1507b): transfer a decedent's personal property by affidavit when the total assets of the estate subject to probate do not exceed $75,000 in value; the statute states no fixed post-death waiting period (threshold raised to $75,000 by L. 2024, ch. 35). (2) Kansas Simplified Estates Act (K.S.A. 59-3201 to 59-3206): a court-administered but streamlined alternative to full supervised administration. On the hearing of a petition for appointment of an administrator or for probate of a will where administration is sought under the Act, the court determines under K.S.A. 59-3202 whether the estate is administered as a simplified estate or a supervised estate, considering the size of the estate, the degree of kinship of the heirs and persons seeking appointment, the solvency of the estate, its nature, the wishes of the heirs and devisees, the probable cost of administration, and other pertinent matters. The Simplified Estates Act is a procedure, not a dollar-threshold shortcut, and coexists with the § 59-1507b affidavit.

Cost context

K.S.A. 59-104 sets a statewide docket fee of $109.50 for the probate of an estate or of a will. A temporary $22 non-judicial-personnel surcharge applied only 'On and after July 1, 2019, through June 30, 2025' and has expired, so $109.50 is the operative fee as of the review date.

$109.50 is the recorded statewide amount.

Compensation context

K.S.A. 59-1717 entitles a fiduciary to 'just and reasonable' compensation for services, plus necessary expenses; there is no statutory percentage schedule. The court reviews reasonableness, and a will provision on compensation is honored subject to the statute.

K.S.A. 59-1717 entitles a fiduciary to 'just and reasonable' compensation for services, plus necessary expenses; there is no statutory percentage schedule. The court reviews reasonableness, and a will provision on compensation is honored subject to the statute. The relevant base is the estate accounting.

Court-material note: Kansas probate is heard in the District Court of each county. The Kansas Judicial Council promulgates the statewide small-estate affidavit and decedent's-estate forms, but the Kansas Judiciary websites (kscourts.gov and the Judicial Council at kjc.ks.gov) return HTTP 403 to automated clients, so no court-resource URL could be verified as reachable for inclusion; the controlling forms live under the Kansas Judicial Council 'Decedent's Estate' probate forms.

Arithmetic illustration

See the Kansas amount screen without mistaking it for a result

The recorded Kansas ceiling is $75,000, and it is tested against personal probate property only, on a basis this site records as gross value for this route. Counted that way, $56,300 sits below the Kansas figure and $93,800 sits above it. Both are comparisons to a published number rather than legal outcomes: two estates holding the same total can land on opposite sides of this line, because what Kansas counts and how it values it are decided before the comparison is made.

Illustrative counted amountComparison to the Kansas ceilingWhat it does not decide
$56,300Below $75,000Title, liens, waiting period, appointment, or creditor duties
$93,800Above $75,000Whether another statutory route or court process applies

Next evidence to collect

Calendar the verified gate, preserve the unresolved questions, and confirm the county filing path before distributing property.

  1. Record the date of death, the county, and the exact proceeding or affidavit being considered.
  2. Classify each asset by title, beneficiary, trust, real-property status, and the value basis shown above.
  3. Open the official court material below and keep its form or schedule with the estate record.
  4. Do not distribute property until the route, creditor position, and required approvals are resolved.

Official material

Kansas publishes no court artifact in this registry. Kansas probate is heard in the District Court of each county. The Kansas Judicial Council promulgates the statewide small-estate affidavit and decedent's-estate forms, but the Kansas Judiciary websites (kscourts.gov and the Judicial Council at kjc.ks.gov) return HTTP 403 to automated clients, so no court-resource URL could be verified as reachable for inclusion; the controlling forms live under the Kansas Judicial Council 'Decedent's Estate' probate forms.

Kansas probate is heard in the District Court of each county. The Kansas Judicial Council promulgates the statewide small-estate affidavit and decedent's-estate forms, but the Kansas Judiciary websites (kscourts.gov and the Judicial Council at kjc.ks.gov) return HTTP 403 to automated clients, so no court-resource URL could be verified as reachable for inclusion; the controlling forms live under the Kansas Judicial Council 'Decedent's Estate' probate forms.

Source trail

Records used by this Kansas map

  • K.S.A. 59-1507bK.S.A. 59-1507b Small estate affidavit; reviewed August 9, 2026
  • K.S.A. 59-2239K.S.A. 59-2239 Claims against estate; time for filing; when barred; reviewed August 9, 2026
  • K.S.A. 59-2236K.S.A. 59-2236 Notice to creditors; reviewed August 9, 2026
  • K.S.A. 59-3201K.S.A. 59-3201 Citation of act (Kansas Simplified Estates Act); reviewed August 9, 2026
  • K.S.A. 59-3202K.S.A. 59-3202 Administration as simplified estate or supervised estate; determination by court; reviewed August 9, 2026
  • K.S.A. 59-1717K.S.A. 59-1717 Compensation and expenses of fiduciaries; reviewed August 9, 2026
  • K.S.A. 59-104K.S.A. 59-104 Docket fee; reviewed August 9, 2026

The general sequence

The order in which an estate is actually worked — secure property, confirm title and beneficiary designations, identify the court route, notify and account, then close — is the same everywhere and carries no citation, so it is set out once rather than repeated on each state’s page. Read it inthe executor’s first week, and seehow long probate takes for how the phases stretch in practice.

What is jurisdiction-specific is above: the Kansas periods, the event each one runs from, and the source each was read in.

Use this as a starting point.

This is general information, not legal, tax, or financial advice, and it does not create an attorney-client relationship. Probate law varies by state and county and changes over time. Verify the current rule with the court or a licensed attorney in the relevant state.

Continue in Kansas