How Long Does Georgia's Banking Affidavit of Surviving Relative Take?
Georgia requires a 45-day waiting period after death before Banking Affidavit of Surviving Relative can be filed. After that, most families complete the process in a few more weeks — far faster than full probate, which commonly takes well over a year. This is informational only and is not legal advice.
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The short answer
Georgia requires a fixed 45-day waiting period after death before Banking Affidavit of Surviving Relative can even be filed — that part never moves, no matter how fast you gather documents. After that, most straightforward estates finish within a few more weeks. What actually stretches the timeline is presenting the approved filing to a bank, DMV, or title company that's never processed one before — see what to say when that happens.
What slows families down
- The deposit exceeds $15,000. Deposits at or under $15,000 can be paid in full under this affidavit. A deposit that exceeds $15,000 can still have up to $10,000 released this way, but the remainder requires a different mechanism (such as the no-administration-necessary petition, or full probate).
- The decedent left a valid will. This affidavit is available only when the decedent died intestate. The affidavit itself must state that there is no known will.
Why the delay matters: a probate attorney typically charges $1,500–$4,200+ to handle this instead, and every week spent re-filing after an avoidable rejection is a week the estate's accounts stay frozen. The next step is the step-by-step filing sequence.
The asset holder is why this takes longer than it should
It's the #1 reason a quick process turns into a multi-week one. Free one-pager: what to bring and say before you present it, so a first visit doesn't turn into a second — emailed now. Then a few short follow-ups over the next few weeks — then we stop.