Once the Estate's final bills, debts and taxes have been paid, and remaining Assets distributed to Beneficiaries, the Estate can be officially closed.

In order to do this, the Executor or Administrator will need to deliver an accounting of all payments and distributions to Probate Court for final approval.

Only after a judge approves that all obligations have been taken care of can the Estate close.

The procedures, processes and timeline that govern this process differ between states, so be sure to check state law before getting started.