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A final settlement can be made six months from the date of the grant of Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration. If the estate is closed in less than one year, the final settlement is the only settlement.

After the executor is appointed by the probate court, the executor is charged with managing the estate. The executor must determine what assets are in the estate and secure the estate assets for the benefit of the heirs and potential creditors. If the estate owes debts, the executor must negotiate with the creditors.

In Alabama, you can make a living trust to avoid probate for virtually any asset you own—real estate, bank accounts, vehicles, and so on. You need to create a trust document (similar to a will), naming someone to take over as trustee after your death (called a "successor trustee").

In Alabama, probating a will without an attorney is possible, but it requires careful attention to detail and compliance with state-specific probate laws. The first step is typically to file a petition to probate the will in the probate court of the county where the deceased resided.

How to File Probate Without a Lawyer - A Step-by-Step Guide Petition the court. The probate process won't begin automatically. Notify heirs, beneficiaries, and other interested parties. Change the legal name of the assets. Pay creditors and tax payments first. Pay funds to heirs. Report back to the court and close the estate.

WHEN MUST A WILL BE FILED FOR PROBATE? To be effective, a Will must be filed for probate within five years of the date of the testator's death.

Assets that are subject to probate in Alabama include any property solely owned by the deceased person and any assets that do not pass automatically to a designated beneficiary (such as with a joint survivorship deed or payable on death “POD” bank account).

The probate process begins when the decedent passes away. A petition is filed with the proper court to have probate opened. The next step is to identify the executor or personal representative of the decedent's estate. If there is a Will, an executor will likely be named in it.

Most states have a “small estates” rule that allows you to avoid probate entirely, as long as the estate value doesn't pass a certain threshold. In Alabama, if an estate doesn't have any real property and the value doesn't exceed $36,030, after waiting 30 days, you can use what's known as a summary probate procedure.