If you’re in probate, you’ve probably heard this advice before by someone you know, someone you love, even your own brain when you can’t sleep: just wait it out. It’s your money. It will come to you eventually.
While this can be a sound solution if you’re not desperate for funds, for a lot of people waiting on an inheritance, it turns out to be the most expensive advice they’ll ever follow.
There are multiple factors outside of your control that can make probate slow. First off, the court system has its own timeline, in which large volumes of cases mean that some cases can drag on. Also, if the estate includes property, it must be appraised and, in many cases, beloved family homes will have to be sold adding another layer of complication and delay. Personal issues also may arise as executors, who are often family members try to handle the paperwork for the first time, become overwhelmed making probate cases in 2025 and 2026 close anywhere between nine months to over two years.
What Waiting Actually Costs
Nothing is stopped by probate. Interest rates are compounding, the car requires repair, medical bills are piling up and none of it is flexible. Some people resort to taking loans with sky-high interest rates just to make ends meet, meaning that in almost all cases the money you will get from your inheritance will only pay off the debt accumulated during the waiting period.
To wait on probate can seem to be the easiest option but in fact it’s just moving the cost somewhere you can’t see it: interest charges, missed out opportunities, and a year or more of financial strain.
Your Options While Probate Settles
1. Wait it out: This option costs nothing but time if there is no urgent need for money and the estate is straightforward. You will eventually receive your full inheritance, but the timeline is unpredictable and may take months or years.
2. Take out a loan: A personal loan or line of credit are the familiar options; however the banks aren’t underwriting against your inheritance, they’re doing it against you. They look into your credit history, income, past debts, and if that isn’t to their standard, you may not qualify. On top of that, monthly payments are due meaning if the estate takes longer than expected to settle, you’re carrying debt for more time than you planned for.
3. Take an inheritance advance: This option most people have never heard of until they need it, which is a large part of why waiting remains the default advice. InheritNOW, one of the top inheritance advance companies in the industry, offers a great alternative and a clear path forward. InheritNOW is built on having the fairest pricing in the industry and A+ customer service.
What is an Inheritance Advance
An inheritance advance is a financial product that allows heirs to receive a portion of their inheritance before probate closes. It is not a loan: there is no interest rate, monthly payment, credit check, or personal liability. The heir meets with a funding analyst who verifies the estate, determines the advance amount, and transfers funds within 48 hours. During this process, the heir will assign a portion of their future inheritance to InheritNOW, and when probate eventually closes, the estate pays the company directly. To qualify for an inheritance advance, InheritNOW looks at the estate, any debts that may be owed, and what the heir is expected to receive, not credit score or income. InheritNOW also offers some of the lowest fees in the industry, so heirs walk away with more of what’s already theirs.
What Option is Right for Me?
Figuring out what to do with your money is a very personal decision depending entirely on your circumstances. If you can afford to wait then that option remains, but if you need funds immediately, would rather not take on new debt, and don’t want to gamble on the lengthy probate process, an inheritance advance was built just for that.
The real issue with waiting for probate is that that the advice is often given as though it’s the only option. Knowing that another path exists is the first step toward deciding, deliberately, what makes sense for you.