Connecticut Probate Hearing Waiver: How Form PC-245 Speeds Up Estate Settlement

Probate hearings in Connecticut take time to schedule, and time in probate costs money — in administrative fees, professional costs, and delayed distributions. For families where everyone agrees on the estate's handling and distribution, Connecticut provides a mechanism to skip certain hearings entirely: Form PC-245, the Waiver of Right to Hearing.

Understanding when this form applies and how to use it correctly can shave weeks or months off an estate settlement.

What a Probate Hearing Is and When One Is Required

Connecticut Probate Courts hold formal hearings for significant estate decisions — appointing an executor or administrator, approving the estate inventory, reviewing a family allowance petition, and approving the final administration account before distribution.

Hearings serve an important function: they give beneficiaries, heirs, and creditors an opportunity to object to the proposed actions or distributions. But when all interested parties agree and have no objections, a hearing is simply a scheduling formality — one that requires the court to set a date, notify all parties, and conduct a proceeding that produces no substantive disagreement.

Form PC-245 allows interested parties to voluntarily waive their right to appear at or receive notice of a hearing, signaling to the court that formal proceedings are unnecessary for the specific matter at hand.

Where Form PC-245 Is Most Commonly Used

Final Administration Account Approval

The most common and impactful use of the hearing waiver is at the end of the estate — when the executor files the Final Administration Account (Form PC-241 or PC-242) and proposes the distribution of remaining assets.

Beneficiaries must be given an opportunity to review the account and raise objections. If all beneficiaries are satisfied with the accounting and the proposed distribution, they each sign Form PC-245, waiving their right to a formal hearing on the account. The court can then approve the account administratively — without scheduling a hearing — which significantly accelerates the timeline to final distribution.

Executor/Administrator Appointment

In some cases, when all interested parties agree on who should serve as executor or administrator, hearing waivers can expedite the appointment step as well. This is particularly useful for uncontested testate estates where the will names an executor and all beneficiaries support the appointment.

Inventory and Intermediate Steps

The Probate Court also holds hearings at intermediate stages of administration, such as reviewing the inventory or approving specific transactions. When all interested parties have reviewed and approved a proposed action, hearing waivers can be filed to keep the estate moving without waiting for court scheduling.

How to Use Form PC-245

1. Identify who must sign. All interested parties — everyone entitled to notice of the hearing — must sign waivers for the court to dispense with the hearing entirely. Missing one signature means the hearing must proceed.

2. Ensure complete disclosure first. Beneficiaries should receive a full copy of whatever they are waiving review of — the final account, the proposed distribution schedule — before signing. Courts will not approve a waiver where parties later claim they signed without understanding what they agreed to.

3. File Form PC-245 with the court. The waiver must be filed with the Probate Court along with the relevant petition or account. The court will note the waivers in the record and may approve the matter administratively.

4. Confirm the court's process. Different districts may have varying administrative practices. Some courts handle administrative approvals quickly once waivers are filed; others still require a brief formal acknowledgment. Confirm the specific district's procedure with the clerk.

What the Waiver Does Not Waive

Signing Form PC-245 waives the right to a formal hearing on a specific matter. It does not waive:

• The right to receive a copy of the administration account or relevant documents
• The right to object to the account's accuracy after reviewing it
• Any substantive rights to a share of the estate under the will or Connecticut law
• The right to contest the will itself (will contest procedures are entirely separate)

If a beneficiary later discovers that the administration account they waived a hearing on contained errors or omissions, they can still petition the court to reopen the matter — though doing so after signing a waiver creates procedural complications. This is why the executor must provide full, accurate documentation before requesting waivers.

Contested Estates: When Waivers Are Not Possible

Hearing waivers require unanimous agreement. In contested estates — those involving disputes between beneficiaries, claims by estranged family members, creditor disputes, or questions about the validity of the will — hearings cannot be waived. These matters require the full hearing process, and potentially litigation in Connecticut Superior Court if disputes escalate beyond the Probate Court's authority.

The hearing waiver mechanism is specifically designed for uncontested estates where the primary delay is procedural scheduling rather than substantive disagreement.

Getting to Form PC-245 Efficiently

The faster the preceding phases of estate administration are completed — inventory filed, debts paid, DAS review window cleared, taxes filed — the sooner the final account can be submitted and beneficiaries can sign their waivers. Delays earlier in the process cascade to delay the final hearing, with or without waivers.

The Connecticut Probate Process Guide covers the complete 7-phase administration sequence, including the specific timing and documentation requirements for each phase, so executors can identify and clear bottlenecks before they affect the estate's closing timeline. For estates moving toward distribution, the combination of a complete final account and signed PC-245 waivers from all beneficiaries is the fastest path to legal closure.

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