Anatomy of a 5-week summary administration
What summary administration actually looks like, week by week. A composite walkthrough drawn from typical Florida cases — what the family does, what we do, what the court does.
Summary administration is fast, but “fast” is relative. Here’s what an actual 5-week timeline looks like for a clean Florida summary case — drawn from typical patterns we see, not any single client’s case. (Names and details are illustrative.)
The fact pattern
Margaret died in March 2026 at age 87, a Sarasota County resident. She had a will (her son David is named personal representative), no real estate (sold the house in 2023 and moved into an assisted living facility), and a single bank account at a regional bank with about $47,000. No debts beyond the funeral bill ($9,200) and one outstanding credit card ($1,800). David is her only child and the sole beneficiary.
The estate clearly fits summary administration: under $150,000 in non-exempt assets (under the old $75,000 cap too, since this death was before July 1, 2026), uncontested, single beneficiary, no real estate to transfer.
Week 1 — initial call, engagement, document gathering
Tuesday, day 4 after death. David calls us. We do a free 30-minute consult. We confirm summary administration fits, walk through the timeline, quote the flat fee in writing, and outline what we need from him. He signs the engagement letter electronically the same day.
Wednesday–Friday. David uploads through our encrypted portal: the death certificate (he ordered 8 copies — we recommended 8–12), the original will, a statement showing the bank balance, the funeral home invoice, and the credit card statement. We confirm everything within a day.
Week 2 — drafting the petition
We draft the Petition for Summary Administration, beneficiary affidavit, schedule of assets, and supporting paperwork. The petition is reviewed internally before David sees it.
Friday of week 2. David receives the drafts through the portal with a plain-English summary memo. He reviews over the weekend, has two questions (we answer by text on Monday), and signs everything by Tuesday of week 3.
Week 3 — filing
Monday, week 3. We file the petition with the Sarasota County clerk. Filing fee: $401. Sarasota’s probate division typically processes summary petitions within 4–6 weeks, but we’ve seen them sign clean uncontested orders in as little as 2 weeks.
Because Margaret died less than two years before filing, we publish a brief Notice of Administration in the Sarasota Herald-Tribune. Cost: $98. The 90-day creditor period in formal administration doesn’t apply to summary, but the notice is still good practice and required for some judges.
Week 4 — quiet wait
Most of week 4 is procedural waiting. The clerk processes the file. The judge reviews the petition. We track the docket.
Thursday of week 4. The credit card company sends a Statement of Claim for $1,800. Routine. The estate has more than enough to pay it; we instruct the clerk that this claim will be honored at distribution.
Week 5 — order signed, funds released
Tuesday of week 5. The judge signs the Order of Summary Administration. The order specifically directs the bank to release the $47,000 account balance to David, less the cost of valid claims (the credit card and the funeral expenses David already paid out of pocket).
Wednesday. We deliver a certified copy of the order to the bank. The bank takes 5 business days to verify and release.
Following Monday — day 35. Funds hit David’s account. He pays the credit card the same day. He’s reimbursed for the funeral. The remaining balance — about $36,200 — is his to keep.
We send David a closing letter with the docket number, the executed order, and a clean paper trail in case the IRS, banks, or anyone else asks questions later. The case is closed.
What it cost David
| Item | Cost |
|---|---|
| Our flat fee | $1,950 |
| Filing fee (clerk) | $401 |
| Newspaper publication | $98 |
| Death certificates (8 copies) | ~$110 |
| Total | ~$2,560 |
That’s roughly 5.4% of the gross estate. By comparison, the Florida statutory schedule for formal administration on a $47,000 estate would run roughly $3,000+ in attorney fees alone — and full formal administration would have taken 6–9 months instead of 5 weeks.
Where this can go sideways
Even clean cases have things that can complicate them:
- The bank requests something unusual (some banks ask for indemnification or a tax ID before releasing). We handle the back-and-forth.
- A creditor surfaces late with a real claim. Rare in summary because the creditor period structure is different, but possible.
- David finds another asset in week 4 — a forgotten brokerage account, a pension benefit. We adapt; sometimes that turns into a side process, sometimes a re-opening of the petition.
- Sarasota County is faster than other counties. Miami-Dade and Broward run 8–12 weeks for summary. Rural counties can be 3–4 weeks.
But on a clean fact pattern in a moderate-volume county like Sarasota, 5 weeks from “I’d like to engage” to “funds in your account” is realistic.
What this isn’t
This is summary administration on a single-asset, single-beneficiary, uncontested case. If you have multiple beneficiaries who haven’t all agreed yet, real estate to transfer, multiple creditors, or any complications, the timeline stretches and the work is different.
For your case specifically, the cost calculator and the Do I need probate? guide will get you to a 30-second answer. The free 30-minute consult turns that into a written quote.