The Complete ABC Timeline: Every Deadline From Decision to Final Check

Owners and creditors run different races through the same event. Here is the merged calendar — every deadline both sides live by, from the boardroom decision to the final distribution.

What the Law Says

The clocks: the owner’s runway weeks under fiduciary duties; the assignment’s execution; statutory creditor notice; reclamation windows measured in days; the claim bar date; the 120-day involuntary window; sale closings; claim determinations; and the accounting-and-distribution close — each with the party it disciplines.

How to Navigate It, Step by Step

1. Runway (owners): weeks minus-four to zero — team engaged, payroll and trust taxes funded, buyer developed, board record built.
2. Week zero to two: assignment signs, control transfers, going-concern sales close, notices mail.
3. Days one to ten (creditors): reclamation demands, setoff assertions, guarantee demands — the fast-twitch rights.
4. Months one to four: claims filed by the bar date, monitoring rhythm established, the 120-day window watched.
5. Months four to twelve: sales complete, claims determined, accountings rendered, distributions paid — and both races end at the same finish line.

Common Questions

Which single deadline costs each side the most when missed?

Owners: the final payroll funding — personal liability forever after; creditors: the claim bar date — the distribution forfeited in silence.

Can a simple estate really finish inside a year?

Routinely — pre-marketed sale, clean claims, prompt accounting; the twelve-month arc is the professional standard, not the exception.