• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

The Mendel Law Firm, L.P.

Attorneys & Counselors

Call Now: (281) 759-3213

  • FB
  • TW
  • IN
  • RSS
LP Payment button
  • Home
  • Our Firm
    • About Our Firm
    • About The American Academy
    • Advantages of Working With Our Firm
    • Attorney and Staff Profiles
    • Mission Statement
    • Multimedia
    • Published Books
    • The Academy Fellow Designation
  • Services
    • Asset Protection & Business Planning
    • Elder Law & Medicaid Services
      • Are You A Caregiver
      • Coping With Alzheimer’s
      • Guardianship & Conservatorship
      • Hospice Care
      • Emergency Medicaid & Nursing Home Planning
      • Medicaid Planning
      • Veteran’s Benefits
    • Estate and Gift Tax Figures
    • Estate Planning Services
    • Family-Owned Businesses & Farms
    • Financial Planning Assistance
    • Incapacity Planning
    • IRA & Retirement Planning
    • Legacy Planning
    • LGBTQ Estate Planning
    • Pet Planning
    • SECURE Act
    • Special Needs Planning
    • Trust Administration & Probate
  • Seminars
  • Testimonials
    • Client Testimonials
    • Representative Clients
    • Review Us
  • Resources
    • Areas We Serve
      • Baytown
      • Conroe
      • Galveston
      • Houston
      • Pasadena
      • Woodlands
      • West University Place
    • Elder Law Reports
    • Elder Law Resources
      • Galveston Elder Law
      • Houston Elder Law
      • Sugar Land Elder Law
      • West University Place Elder Law
      • Woodlands Elder Law
    • Estate Planning Resources
      • Estate Planning Checkup
      • Estate and Gift Tax Figures
      • Estate Planning Definitions
      • Estate Planning Reports
      • Incapacity Planning Definitions
      • Is Your Estate Plan Outdated?
      • Top Estate Planning Techniques
      • Top 10 Estate and Legacy Planning Techniques
    • Frequently Asked Questions
      • Asset Protection Planning
      • Avoidance Tax Planning
      • Avoiding Probate
      • Business Succession Planning
      • Charitable Gifting
      • Elder Law
      • Estate Planning
      • Frequently Asked Questions for Families Without an Estate Plan
      • IRA and Retirement Planning
      • Legacy Wealth Planning
      • LGBTQ Estate Planning
      • Living Trusts
      • Medicaid
      • Medicaid Planning
      • Nursing Home Planning
      • Pet Planning
      • Power of Attorney
      • Probate
      • Trust Administration
      • Trust Administration & Probate
      • Trusts
      • Veterans Benefits
      • Wills
    • LGBTQ Resources
    • Probate Resources
      • Houston Probate
      • Sugarland Probate
      • Woodlands Probate
      • West University Place Probate
    • Probate & Trust Administration Resources
      • Bereavement Resources
      • How to Know if You Need Extra Help With Your Grieving
      • Loss of a Loved One
      • The Mourner’s Bill of Rights
      • Things You Need To Do When a Loved One Passes Away With a Trust
      • Things You Need To Do When a Loved One Passes Away With a Will
      • Trust Administration & Probate Definitions
    • Special Needs Resources
    • Newsletters
  • Contact Us
  • BLOG
Home » BLOG » How Long Does it Take to Settle a Revocable Living Trust?

How Long Does it Take to Settle a Revocable Living Trust?

December 6, 2010 by Stephen A. Mendel, Estate Planning Attorney

One of the benefits of choosing a revocable living trust over a will is that, in many cases, when the trust maker passes away, his or her trust can be settled quicker and more efficiently than a will can be probated. So, exactly how long does it take to settle a trust? The answer is, “it depends”. There are a lot of factors that, taken together, determine how long it will take for your successor trustee to transfer the property in your trust to the appropriate beneficiaries. Here are a few of those factors:

  • Is Your Estate Taxable? If your estate owes gift or estate taxes, then your trust can’t be settled until the appropriate returns are filed, the taxes are paid, and your successor trustee gets authorization from the IRS to distribute the remaining trust assets.
  • How Many Beneficiaries Do You Have? Trusts with a large number of beneficiaries tend to take longer to settle, as do trusts whose beneficiaries are hard to locate. The more time your successor trustee (or estate attorney) spends trying to track down beneficiaries, or attempting to coordinate with known beneficiaries, the longer it will take to settle your trust.
  • How Large and Complicated is Your Estate? If you have a large number of complex assets, then making sure the assets are properly valued and then distributed to your beneficiaries in the appropriate way can take some time.
  • Do Your Beneficiaries Get Along? If there’s one thing that can prolong the administration of the trust more than anything else, it’s conflict among beneficiaries or between your beneficiaries and your trustee. In the worst case scenario, feuding beneficiaries (or family members who weren’t named in your trust) can file a lawsuit challenging the validity of your trust. It’s very difficult to convince a judge to declare your trust invalid, but even if they lose, those challenging your trust can tie it up in court and stall progress on administering your trust.

So, if you have a large, complicated estate, you owe taxes, and your beneficiaries are in constant conflict with each other or the trustee, then it could take a significant amount of time to settle your trust.

The good news is that most revocable living trusts don’t carry with them all of these difficult situations. If you have a relatively simple estate, you don’t owe taxes, and your beneficiaries are cooperative, your trust could be settled in a few short months. And, your estate planning attorney can help establish your trust so that it will be as efficient as possible.

  • Author
  • Recent Posts
Stephen A. Mendel, Estate Planning Attorney
Stephen A. Mendel, Estate Planning Attorney
Mr. Stephen Mendel is an attorney who focuses a substantial part of his practice on estate planning. Mr. Mendel’s guiding principle is to provide his clients with quality legal services tailored to each client’s specific needs and goals.
Stephen A. Mendel, Estate Planning Attorney
Latest posts by Stephen A. Mendel, Estate Planning Attorney (see all)
  • Thought of the Day - February 1, 2023
  • Thought of the Day - January 25, 2023
  • Thought of the Day - January 18, 2023

Filed Under: Wills and Trusts Tagged With: revocable living trust, trusts

Other Articles You May Find Useful

  • DIY Dangers – Why You Need an Estate Planning Attorney
  • Five Questions to Consider before Appointing Your Executor
  • Why You Should Not Try to Revoke a Will Yourself
  • Questions To Consider When Choosing a Guardian for Minor Children
  • What Is a Pour Over Will and Do I Need One?
  • What Is a QTIP Trust?

About Stephen A. Mendel, Estate Planning Attorney

Mr. Stephen Mendel is an attorney who focuses a substantial part of his practice on estate planning. Mr. Mendel’s guiding principle is to provide his clients with quality legal services tailored to each client’s specific needs and goals.

Primary Sidebar

The Mendel Law Firm

Follow Us

  • FB
  • TW
  • IN
  • RSS

Blog Subscription

Subscribe to our blog to get all of the latest updates from our attorneys.

Plan For Your Future and Protect Your Legacy

There's a lot that goes into setting up a comprehensive estate plan, but with our FREE worksheet, you'll be one step closer to getting yourself and your family on the path to a secure and happy future.
  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

HOUSTON

The Mendel Law Firm, L.P.
1155 Dairy Ashford, Suite 104
Houston 77079
United States (US)
Phone: (281) 759-3213
Fax: 281-759-3214

Map

map

Office Hours

Monday8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Tuesday8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Wednesday8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Thursday8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Friday8:00 AM - 5:00 PM

Footer

The Mendel Law Firm

The information on this website is for general information purposes only. Nothing on this or associated pages, documents, comments, answers, emails, or other communications should be taken as legal advice for any individual case or situation. This information on this website is not intended to create, and receipt or viewing of this information does not constitute, an
attorney-client relationship.

© 2023 Mendel Law Firm, All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Contact Us | Disclaimer | Site Map | Powered by American Academy of Estate Planning Attorneys