Short answer. Within one year from receiving letters testamentary or of administration, unless the court extends that period because of extensions granted for presenting or paying claims or disposing of the estate. Further accounts are then required as the court demands until the estate is wholly settled.
What the law says
Every executor or administrator shall render an account of his administration within one year from the time of receiving letters testamentary or of administration, unless the court otherwise directs because of extensions of time for presenting claims against, or paying the debts of, the estate, or for disposing of the estate; and he shall render such further accounts as the court may require until the estate is wholly settled.
Rule 85, Section 8 — When executor or administrator to render account. Read the full provision →
The one-year clock starts when letters are issued
The default rule is specific about timing: every executor or administrator shall render an account of his administration within one year from the time of receiving letters testamentary or of administration. That receipt of letters — the court's formal authorization to act — is what starts the one-year period running, not the date of the decedent's death or the filing of the petition for administration.
The court can extend the deadline for good reason
The one-year period is not absolute. The rule allows the court to direct otherwise because of extensions of time for presenting claims against, or paying the debts of, the estate, or for disposing of the estate. Where the estate's own timeline for claims, debts, or asset disposal has genuinely been extended, the accounting deadline can move along with it accordingly.
Accounting does not stop after the first report
A single accounting within the first year does not end the obligation. The executor or administrator shall render such further accounts as the court may require until the estate is wholly settled. Administration of an estate can take considerable time, and the court retains ongoing authority to demand updated accountings for as long as the estate remains unsettled and under its supervision.
This continuing duty means an administrator cannot simply treat the very first accounting as the final word on how the whole estate has genuinely and actually been managed and administered.
Why this reporting duty matters to heirs and creditors
Regular accounting is what lets the court, the heirs, and creditors actually monitor how an estate is being managed while it remains under administration. An executor or administrator who fails to account within the required period, or ignores the court's demand for further accounts, exposes the administration to challenge and undermines the transparency this rule is designed to guarantee throughout the process.