130th Ohio General Assembly
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Sub. H. B. No. 51  As Passed by the House
As Passed by the House

125th General Assembly
Regular Session
2003-2004
Sub. H. B. No. 51


Representatives Hughes, Willamowski, Oelslager, Harwood, Book, Brown, Carmichael, C. Evans, Fessler, Flowers, Gilb, Hartnett, Latta, Martin, McGregor, T. Patton, Perry, Reidelbach, Schmidt, Schneider, Skindell, S. Smith, D. Stewart, Yates 



A BILL
To amend sections 2106.01, 2106.02, 2107.19, 2109.301, 2109.32, 2113.53, 2117.06, 2117.07, 2117.11, 2117.12, and 5731.21 and to enact section 2101.163 of the Revised Code relative to the election by a surviving spouse, notice of admission of a will to probate, accounts of administrators and executors, distribution of estate assets, presentation of creditors' claims to distributees, dispute resolution procedures in probate court, time for presenting claims against an estate, and elimination of the duty to file an estate tax return in specified circumstances.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF OHIO:
Section 1. That sections 2106.01, 2106.02, 2107.19, 2109.301, 2109.32, 2113.53, 2117.06, 2117.07, 2117.11, 2117.12, and 5731.21 be amended and section 2101.163 of the Revised Code be enacted to read as follows:
Sec. 2101.163. (A) A probate judge may establish by rule procedures for the resolution of disputes between parties to any civil action or proceeding that is within the jurisdiction of the probate court. Any procedures so adopted shall include, but are not limited to, mediation. If the probate judge establishes any procedures under this division, the probate judge may charge, in addition to the fees and costs authorized under section 2101.16 of the Revised Code, a reasonable fee that is to be collected on the filing of each action or proceeding and that is to be used to implement the procedures.
(B) The probate court shall pay to the county treasurer of the county in which the court is located all fees collected under division (A) of this section. The treasurer shall place the funds from the fees in a separate fund to be disbursed upon an order of the probate judge.
(C) If the probate judge determines that the amount of the moneys in the fund described in division (B) of this section is more than the amount that is sufficient to satisfy the purpose for which the additional fee described in division (A) of this section was imposed, the probate judge may declare a surplus in the fund and expend the surplus moneys for other appropriate expenses of the probate court.
Sec. 2106.01.  (A) After the initial appointment of an administrator or executor of the estate, the probate court shall issue a citation to the surviving spouse, if any is living at the time of the issuance of the citation, to elect whether to exercise the surviving spouse's rights under Chapter 2106. of the Revised Code, including, after the probate of a will, the right to elect to take under the will or under section 2105.06 of the Revised Code.
A surviving spouse may waive the service of the citation required under this division by filing in the probate court a written waiver of the citation. The waiver shall include an acknowledgment of receipt of the description of the general rights of the surviving spouse required by division (B) of section 2106.02 of the Revised Code.
(B) If the surviving spouse elects to take under section 2105.06 of the Revised Code and if the value of the property that the surviving spouse is entitled to receive is equal to or greater than the value of the decedent's interest in the mansion house as determined under section 2106.10 of the Revised Code, the surviving spouse also is entitled to make an election pursuant to division (A) of section 2106.10 of the Revised Code.
(C) If the surviving spouse elects to take under section 2105.06 of the Revised Code, the surviving spouse shall take not to exceed one-half of the net estate, unless two or more of the decedent's children or their lineal descendants survive, in which case the surviving spouse shall take not to exceed one-third of the net estate.
For purposes of this division, the net estate shall be determined before payment of federal estate tax, estate taxes under Chapter 5731. of the Revised Code, or any other tax that is subject to apportionment under section 2113.86 or 2113.861 of the Revised Code.
(D) Unless the will expressly provides that in case of an election under division (A) of this section there shall be no acceleration of remainder or other interests bequeathed or devised by the will, the balance of the net estate shall be disposed of as though the surviving spouse had predeceased the testator. If there is a disposition by a will to an inter vivos trust that was created by the testator, if under the terms of the trust the surviving spouse is entitled to any interest in the trust or is granted any power or nomination with respect to the trust, and if the surviving spouse makes an election to take under section 2105.06 of the Revised Code, then, unless the trust instrument provides otherwise, the surviving spouse is deemed for purposes of the trust to have predeceased the testator, and there shall be an acceleration of remainder or other interests in all property bequeathed or devised to the trust by the will, in all property held by the trustee at the time of the death of the decedent, and in all property that comes into the hands of the trustee by reason of the death of the decedent.
(E) The election of a surviving spouse to take under a will or under section 2105.06 of the Revised Code may be made at any time after the death of the decedent, but the surviving spouse shall not make the election later than five months from the date of the initial appointment of an administrator or executor of the estate. On a motion filed before the expiration of the five-month period, and for good cause shown, the court may allow further time for the making of the election. If no action is taken by the surviving spouse before the expiration of the five-month period, it is conclusively presumed that the surviving spouse elects to take under the will. The election shall be entered on the journal of the court.
When proceedings for advice or to contest the validity of a will are begun within the time allowed by this division for making the election, the election may be made within three months after the final disposition of the proceedings, if the will is not set aside.
(F) When a surviving spouse succeeds to the entire estate of the testator, having been named the sole devisee and legatee, it shall be presumed that the spouse elects to take under the will of the testator, unless the surviving spouse manifests a contrary intention.
Sec. 2106.02.  (A) The citation to make the election referred to in section 2106.01 of the Revised Code shall be sent to served on the surviving spouse by certified mail pursuant to Civil Rule 73. Notice that the citation has been issued by the court shall be given to the administrator or executor of the estate of the deceased spouse.
(B) The citation shall be accompanied by a general description of the effect of the election to take under the will or under section 2105.06 of the Revised Code and the general rights of the surviving spouse under Chapter 2106. of the Revised Code. The description descriptions described in this division shall include a specific reference to the procedures available to the surviving spouse under section 2106.03 of the Revised Code and to the presumption that arises if the surviving spouse does not make the election in accordance with division (E) of section 2106.01 of the Revised Code. The description of the general rights of the surviving spouse under Chapter 2106. of the Revised Code shall include a specific reference to the presumption that arises if the surviving spouse does not make exercise the election rights under Chapter 2106. of the Revised Code within the time period specified by section 2106.25 of the Revised Code. The description of the effect of the election and of the general rights of the surviving spouse need not relate to the nature of any particular estate.
(C) A surviving spouse electing to take under the will may manifest the election in writing within the times described in division (E) of section 2106.01 of the Revised Code.
Sec. 2107.19.  (A)(1) Subject to divisions (A)(2) and (B) of this section, when a will has been admitted to probate, the fiduciary for the estate or another person specified in division (A)(4) of this section shall, within two weeks of the admission of the will to probate, give a notice as described in this division and in the manner provided by Civil Rule 73(E) to the surviving spouse of the testator, to all persons who would be entitled to inherit from the testator under Chapter 2105. of the Revised Code if the testator had died intestate, and to all legatees and devisees named in the will. The notice shall mention the probate of the will and, if a particular person being given the notice is a legatee or devisee named in the will, shall state that the person is named in the will as beneficiary. A copy of the will admitted to probate is not required to be given with the notice.
(2) A person entitled to be given the notice described in division (A)(1) of this section may waive that right by filing a written waiver of the right to receive the notice in the probate court. The person may file the waiver of the right to receive the notice at any time prior to or after the will has been admitted to probate.
(3) The fact that the notice described in division (A)(1) of this section has been given, subject to division (B) of this section, to all persons described in division (A)(1) of this section who have not waived their right to receive the notice, and, if applicable, the fact that certain persons described in that division have waived their right to receive the notice in accordance with division (A)(2) of this section, shall be evidenced by a certificate that shall be filed in the probate court in accordance with division (A)(4) of this section.
(4) The notice of the admission of the will to probate required by division (A)(1) of this section and the certificate of giving notice or waiver of notice required by division (A)(3) of this section shall be given or filed by the fiduciary for the estate or by the applicant for the admission of the will to probate, the applicant for a release from administration, any other interested person, or the attorney for the fiduciary or for any of the preceding persons. The certificate of giving notice shall be filed not later than two months after the appointment of the fiduciary or, if no fiduciary has been appointed, not later than two months after the admission of the will to probate, unless the court grants an extension of that time. Failure to file the certificate in a timely manner shall subject the fiduciary or applicant to the citation and penalty provisions of section 2109.31 of the Revised Code.
(B) The fiduciary or another person specified in division (A)(4) of this section is not required to give a notice pursuant to division (A)(1) of this section to persons who have been notified of the application for probate of the will or of a contest as to jurisdiction or to persons whose names or places of residence are unknown and cannot with reasonable diligence be ascertained, and a person authorized by division (A)(4) of this section to give notice shall file in the probate court a certificate to that effect.
Sec. 2109.301.  (A) An administrator or executor shall render an account at any time other than a time otherwise mentioned in this section upon an order of the probate court issued for good cause shown either at its own instance or upon the motion of any person interested in the estate. Except as otherwise provided in division (B)(2) of this section, an administrator or executor shall render a final account within thirty days after completing the administration of the estate or within any other period of time that the court may order.
Every account shall include an itemized statement of all receipts of the administrator or executor during the accounting period and of all disbursements and distributions made by the executor or administrator during the accounting period. In addition, the account shall include an itemized statement of all funds, assets, and investments of the estate known to or in the possession of the administrator or executor at the end of the accounting period and shall show any changes in investments since the last previous account.
Every account shall be upon the signature of the administrator or executor. When two or more administrators or executors render an account, the court may allow the account upon the signature of one of them. The court may examine the administrator or executor under oath concerning the account.
When an administrator or executor is authorized by law or by the instrument governing distribution to distribute the assets of the estate, in whole or in part, the administrator or executor may do so and include a report of the distribution in the administrator's or executor's succeeding account.
In estates of decedents in which none of the legatees, devisees, or heirs is under a legal disability, each partial accounting of an executor or administrator may be waived by the written consent of all the legatees, devisees, or heirs filed in lieu of a partial accounting otherwise required.
(B)(1) Every administrator and executor, within six months after appointment, shall render a final and distributive account of the administrator's or executor's administration of the estate unless one or more of the following circumstances apply:
(a) An Ohio estate tax return must be filed for the estate.
(b) A proceeding contesting the validity of the decedent's will pursuant to section 2107.71 of the Revised Code has been commenced.
(c) The surviving spouse has filed an election to take against the will.
(d) The administrator or executor is a party in a civil action.
(e) The estate is insolvent.
(f) For other reasons set forth by the administrator or executor, subject to court approval, it would be detrimental to the estate and its beneficiaries or heirs to file a final and distributive account.
(2) In estates of decedents in which the sole legatee, devisee, or heir is also the administrator or executor of the estate, no partial accountings are required, and the. The administrator or executor of an estate of that type shall not file a final account or final and distributive account. In or, in lieu of filing a final account, the administrator or executor of an estate of that type shall be discharged by filing may file with the court within thirty days after completing the administration of the estate a certificate of termination of an estate that states all of the following:
(a) All debts and claims presented to the estate have been paid in full or settled finally.
(b) An estate tax return, if required under the provisions of the Internal Revenue Code or Chapter 5731. of the Revised Code, has been filed, and any estate tax has been paid.
(c) All attorney's fees have been waived by or paid to counsel of record of the estate, and all executor or administrator fees have been waived or paid.
(d) The amount of attorney's fees and the amount of administrator or executor fees that have been paid.
(e) All assets remaining after completion of the activities described in divisions (B)(2)(a) to (d) of this section have been distributed to the sole legatee, devisee, or heir.
(3) In an estate of the type described in division (B)(2) of this section, a sole legatee, devisee, or heir of a decedent may be liable to creditors for debts of and claims against the estate that are presented after the filing of the certificate of termination described in that division and within the time allowed by section 2117.06 of the Revised Code for presentation of the creditors' claims.
(4) Not later than thirteen months after appointment, every administrator and executor shall render an account of the administrator's or executor's administration, unless a certificate of termination is filed under division (B)(2) of this section. Except as provided in divisions (B)(1) and (2) of this section, after the initial account is rendered, every administrator and executor shall render further accounts at least once each year.
Sec. 2109.32.  (A) Every fiduciary's account required by section 2109.301, 2109.302, or 2109.303 of the Revised Code shall be set for hearing before the probate court. The hearing on the account shall be set not earlier than thirty days after the filing of the account.
At the hearing upon an account required by section 2109.302 or 2109.303 of the Revised Code and, if ordered by the court, upon an account required by section 2109.301 of the Revised Code, the court shall inquire into, consider, and determine all matters relative to the account and the manner in which the fiduciary has executed the fiduciary's trust, including the investment of trust funds, and may order the account approved and settled or make any other order as the court considers proper. If, at the hearing upon an account, the court finds that the fiduciary has fully and lawfully administered the estate or trust and has distributed the assets of the estate or trust in accordance with the law or the instrument governing distribution, as shown in the account, the court shall order the account approved and settled and may order the fiduciary discharged. Upon approval of a final and distributive account required by division (B)(1) of section 2109.301 of the Revised Code, the court may order the surety bond for the fiduciary terminated. Unless otherwise ordered by the court, the fiduciary shall be discharged without further order twelve months following the approval of the final and distributive account.
(B)(1) An administrator or executor filing an account pursuant to section 2109.301 of the Revised Code shall provide at the time of filing the account a copy of the account to each heir of an intestate estate or to each beneficiary of a testate estate. An administrator or executor is not required to provide a copy of the account to any of the following:
(a) An heir or a beneficiary whose residence is unknown;
(b) A beneficiary of a specific bequest or devise who has received his or her distribution and for which a receipt has been filed or exhibited with the court.
(2) An administrator or executor filing an account pursuant to section 2109.301 of the Revised Code shall file with the probate court a certificate of service of account within three business days of filing the account.
(3) The probate court shall not approve the final account of any executor or administrator until the following events have occurred:
(a) Three months have passed since the death of the decedent.
(b) The surviving spouse has filed an election to take under or against the will, or the time for making the election has expired.
(3)(4) If an administrator or executor learns of the existence of newly discovered assets after the filing of the final account or otherwise comes into possession of assets belonging to the estate after the filing of the final account, the executor or administrator shall file a supplemental final account with respect to the disposition of the assets and shall provide a copy of the supplemental final account to each heir of an intestate estate or to each beneficiary of a testate estate, as provided in division (B)(1) of this section and subject to the exceptions specified in divisions (B)(1)(a) and (b) of this section.
(C) The rights of any person with a pecuniary interest in the estate are not barred by approval of an account pursuant to divisions (A) and (B) of this section. These rights may be barred following a hearing on the account pursuant to section 2109.33 of the Revised Code.
Sec. 2113.53.  (A) At any time after the appointment of an executor or administrator, the executor or administrator may distribute to the beneficiaries entitled to assets of the estate under the will, if there is no action pending to set aside the will, or to the heirs entitled to assets of the estate by law, in cash or in kind, any part or all of the assets of the estate. Each beneficiary or heir is liable to return the assets, or the proceeds from the assets, to the estate if they are necessary to satisfy the share of a surviving spouse who elects to take against the will pursuant to section 2106.01 of the Revised Code, if they are necessary to satisfy any claims against the estate as provided in this section, or if the will is set aside.
(B) After distribution pursuant to division (A) of this section, a distributee shall be personally liable to a claimant who presents a valid claim within the time set forth in division (B) of section 2117.06 of the Revised Code, subject to the limitations described in this division.
If presentation of a claim is made pursuant to division (A)(2) of section 2117.06 of the Revised Code, only those distributees who have received timely presentation of the claim pursuant to division (B) of that section have any liability for the claim, subject to the limitations described in this division.
The personal liability of any distributee shall not exceed the lesser of the following:
(1) The amount the distributee has received reduced by the amount, if any, previously returned or otherwise used for the payment of the spouse's share or claims finally allowed;
(2) The distributee's proportionate share of the spouse's share or of claims finally allowed. Any distributee's proportionate share of the spouse's share or of claims finally allowed shall be determined by the following fraction:
(a) The numerator shall be the total amount received by the distributee, reduced by all amounts, if any, previously returned or otherwise used for the payment of the spouse's share or claims finally allowed.
(b) The denominator shall be the total amount received by all distributees reduced by all amounts, if any, previously returned or otherwise used for the payment of the spouse's share or claims finally allowed.
(C) If there is a surviving spouse and if the executor or administrator distributes any part of the assets of the estate before the expiration of the times described in division (E) of section 2106.01 of the Revised Code for the making of an election by a surviving spouse, the executor or administrator shall be personally liable to any surviving spouse who subsequently elects to take against the will. If the executor or administrator distributes any part of the assets of the estate within three months after the death of the decedent, the executor or administrator shall be personally liable only to those claimants who present their claims within that three-month period. If the executor or administrator distributes any part of the assets of the estate more than three months but less than one year after the death of the decedent, the executor or administrator shall be personally liable only to those claimants who present their claims before the time of distribution and within the time set forth in division (B) of section 2117.06 of the Revised Code.
The executor or administrator shall be liable only to the extent that the sum of the remaining assets of the estate and the assets returned by the beneficiaries or heirs is insufficient to satisfy the share of the surviving spouse and to satisfy the claims against the estate. The executor or administrator shall not be liable in any case for an amount greater than the value of the estate that existed at the time that the distribution of assets was made and that was subject to the spouse's share or to the claims.
(D) The executor or administrator may provide for the payment of rejected claims or claims in suit by setting aside a sufficient amount of the assets of the estate for paying the claims. The assets shall be set aside for the payment of the claims in a manner approved by the probate court. Each claimant for whom assets are to be set aside shall be given notice, in the manner as the court shall order, of the hearing upon the application to set aside assets and shall have the right to be fully heard as to the nature and amount of the assets to be set aside for payment of the claim and as to all other conditions in connection with the claim. In any case in which the executor or administrator may set aside assets as provided in this section, the court, upon its own motion or upon application of the executor or administrator, as a condition precedent to any distribution, may require any beneficiary or heir to give a bond to the state with surety approved and in an amount fixed by the court, conditioned to secure the return of the assets to be distributed, or the proceeds from the assets or as much of the assets as may be necessary to satisfy the claims that may be recovered against the estate, and to indemnify the executor or administrator against loss and damage on account of such distribution. The bond may be in addition to the assets to be set aside or partially or wholly in lieu of the assets, as the court shall determine.
Sec. 2117.06.  (A) All creditors having claims against an estate, including claims arising out of contract, out of tort, on cognovit notes, or on judgments, whether due or not due, secured or unsecured, liquidated or unliquidated, shall present their claims in one of the following manners:
(1) After the appointment of an executor or administrator and prior to the filing of a final account or a certificate of termination, in one of the following manners:
(a) To the executor or administrator in a writing;
(2)(b) To the executor or administrator in a writing, and to the probate court by filing a copy of the writing with it;
(3)(c) In a writing that is sent by ordinary mail addressed to the decedent and that is actually received by the executor or administrator within the appropriate time specified in division (B) of this section. For purposes of this division, if an executor or administrator is not a natural person, the writing shall be considered as being actually received by the executor or administrator only if the person charged with the primary responsibility of administering the estate of the decedent actually receives the writing within the appropriate time specified in division (B) of this section.
(2) If the final account or certificate of termination has been filed, in a writing to those distributees of the decedent's estate who may share liability for the payment of the claim.
(B) All claims shall be presented within one year six months after the death of the decedent, whether or not the estate is released from administration or an executor or administrator is appointed during that one-year six-month period. Every claim presented shall set forth the claimant's address.
(C) A claim that is not presented within one year six months after the death of the decedent shall be forever barred as to all parties, including, but not limited to, devisees, legatees, and distributees. No payment shall be made on the claim and no action shall be maintained on the claim, except as otherwise provided in sections 2117.37 to 2117.42 of the Revised Code with reference to contingent claims.
(D) In the absence of any prior demand for allowance, the executor or administrator shall allow or reject all claims, except tax assessment claims, within thirty days after their presentation, provided that failure of the executor or administrator to allow or reject within that time shall not prevent the executor or administrator from doing so after that time and shall not prejudice the rights of any claimant. Upon the allowance of a claim, the executor or the administrator, on demand of the creditor, shall furnish the creditor with a written statement or memorandum of the fact and date of the allowance.
(E) If the executor or administrator has actual knowledge of a pending action commenced against the decedent prior to the decedent's death in a court of record in this state, the executor or administrator shall file a notice of the appointment of the executor or administrator in the pending action within ten days after acquiring that knowledge. If the administrator or executor is not a natural person, actual knowledge of a pending suit against the decedent shall be limited to the actual knowledge of the person charged with the primary responsibility of administering the estate of the decedent. Failure to file the notice within the ten-day period does not extend the claim period established by this section.
(F) This section applies to any person who is required to give written notice to the executor or administrator of a motion or application to revive an action pending against the decedent at the date of the death of the decedent.
(G) Nothing in this section or in section 2117.07 of the Revised Code shall be construed to reduce the time mentioned in section 2125.02, 2305.09, 2305.10, 2305.11, 2305.113, or 2305.12 of the Revised Code, provided that no portion of any recovery on a claim brought pursuant to any of those sections shall come from the assets of an estate unless the claim has been presented against the estate in accordance with Chapter 2117. of the Revised Code.
(H) Any person whose claim has been presented and has not been rejected after presentment is a creditor as that term is used in Chapters 2113. to 2125. of the Revised Code. Claims that are contingent need not be presented except as provided in sections 2117.37 to 2117.42 of the Revised Code, but, whether presented pursuant to those sections or this section, contingent claims may be presented in any of the manners described in division (A) of this section.
(I) If a creditor presents a claim against an estate in accordance with division (A)(2)(1)(b) of this section, the probate court shall not close the administration of the estate until that claim is allowed or rejected.
(J) The probate court shall not require an executor or administrator to make and return into the court a schedule of claims against the estate.
(K) If the executor or administrator makes a distribution of the assets of the estate pursuant to section 2113.53 of the Revised Code and prior to the expiration of the time for the filing presentation of claims as set forth in this section, the executor or administrator shall provide notice on the account delivered to each distributee that the distributee may be liable to the estate if a claim is presented prior to the filing of the final account and may be liable to the claimant if the claim is presented after the filing of the final account up to the value of the distribution and may be required to return all or any part of the value of the distribution if a valid claim is subsequently made against the estate within the time permitted under this section.
Sec. 2117.07.  An executor or administrator may accelerate the bar against claims against the estate established by section 2117.06 of the Revised Code by giving written notice to a potential claimant that identifies the decedent by name, states the date of the death of the decedent, identifies the executor or administrator by name and mailing address, and informs the potential claimant that any claims he the claimant may have against the estate are required to be presented to the executor or administrator in a writing within the earlier of thirty days after receipt of the notice by the potential claimant or one year six months after the date of the death of the decedent. A claim of that potential claimant that is not presented in the manner provided by section 2117.06 of the Revised Code within the earlier of thirty days after receipt of the notice by the potential claimant or one year six months after the date of the death of the decedent is barred by section 2117.06 of the Revised Code in the same manner as if it was not presented within one year six months after the date of the death of the decedent.
Sec. 2117.11.  An executor or administrator, or a distributee who receives the presentation of a claim as provided in division (A)(2) of section 2117.06 of the Revised Code, shall reject a creditor's claim against the estate he represents by giving the claimant written notice of the disallowance thereof of the claim. Such The notice shall be given to the claimant personally or by registered mail with return receipt requested, addressed to the claimant at the address given on the claim pursuant to Civil Rule 73. Notice by mail shall be effective on delivery of the mail at the address given. A claim may be rejected in whole or in part. A claim which that has been allowed may be rejected at any time thereafter after allowance of the claim.
A claim is rejected if the executor or administrator, or a distributee who receives the presentation of a claim as provided in division (A)(2) of section 2117.06 of the Revised Code, on demand in writing by the claimant for an allowance thereof of the claim within five days, which demand may be made at presentation or at any time thereafter after presentation, fails to give to the claimant, within such that five-day period, a written statement of the allowance of such the claim. Such The rejection shall become effective at the expiration of such that period.
Sec. 2117.12.  When a claim against an estate has been rejected in whole or in part but not referred to referees, or when a claim has been allowed in whole or in part and thereafter rejected, the claimant must commence an action on the claim, or that part thereof of the claim that was rejected, within two months after such the rejection if the debt or that part thereof of the debt that was rejected is then due, or within two months after the same that debt or part of the debt that was rejected becomes due, or be forever barred from maintaining an action thereon on the claim or part of the claim that was rejected. If the executor or administrator dies, resigns, or is removed within such two months' that two-month period and before action is commenced thereon on the claim or part of the claim that was rejected, the action may be commenced within two months after the appointment of a successor.
For the purposes of this section, the action of a claimant is commenced when the petition complaint and praecipe for service of summons on the executor or administrator, or on the distributee who received the presentation of the claim as provided in division (A)(2) of section 2117.06 of the Revised Code, have been filed.
Sec. 5731.21.  (A)(1)(a) Except as provided under division (A)(3) of this section, the executor or administrator, or, if no executor or administrator has been appointed, another person in possession of property the transfer of which is subject to estate taxes under section 5731.02 or division (A) of section 5731.19 of the Revised Code, shall file an estate tax return, within nine months of the date of the decedent's death, in the form prescribed by the tax commissioner, in duplicate, with the probate court of the county. The return shall include all property the transfer of which is subject to estate taxes, whether that property is transferred under the last will and testament of the decedent or otherwise. The time for filing the return may be extended by the tax commissioner.
(b) The estate tax return described in division (A)(1)(a) of this section shall be accompanied by a certificate, in the form prescribed by the tax commissioner, that is signed by the executor, administrator, or other person required to file the return, and that states all of the following:
(i) The fact that the return was filed;
(ii) The date of the filing of the return;
(iii) The fact that the estate taxes under section 5731.02 or division (A) of section 5731.19 of the Revised Code, that are shown to be due in the return, have been paid in full;
(iv) If applicable, the fact that real property listed in the inventory for the decedent's estate is included in the return;
(v) If applicable, the fact that real property not listed in the inventory for the decedent's estate, including, but not limited to, survivorship tenancy property as described in section 5302.17 of the Revised Code or transfer on death property as described in sections 5302.22 and 5302.23 of the Revised Code, also is included in the return. In this regard, the certificate additionally shall describe that real property by the same description used in the return.
(2) The probate court shall forward one copy of the estate tax return described in division (A)(1)(a) of this section to the tax commissioner.
(3) A person shall not be required to file a return under division (A) of this section if the either of the following apply:
(a) The decedent was a resident of this state, and the value of the decedent's gross estate is twenty-five thousand dollars or less in the case of a decedent dying on or after July 1, 1968, but before January 1, 2001; two hundred thousand dollars or less in the case of a decedent dying on or after January 1, 2001, but before January 1, 2002; or three hundred thirty-eight thousand three hundred thirty-three dollars or less in the case of a decedent dying on or after January 1, 2002.
(b) All property included in the value of the taxable estate is transferred to the decedent's surviving spouse in a transfer that would qualify for the marital deduction or qualifying terminable interest property deduction under division (A) or (B) of section 5731.15 of the Revised Code.
(4)(a) Upon receipt of the estate tax return described in division (A)(1)(a) of this section and the accompanying certificate described in division (A)(1)(b) of this section, the probate court promptly shall give notice of the return, by a form prescribed by the tax commissioner, to the county auditor. The auditor then shall make a charge based upon the notice and shall certify a duplicate of the charge to the county treasurer. The treasurer then shall collect, subject to division (A) of section 5731.25 of the Revised Code or any other statute extending the time for payment of an estate tax, the tax so charged.
(b) Upon receipt of the return and the accompanying certificate, the probate court also shall forward the certificate to the auditor. When satisfied that the estate taxes under section 5731.02 or division (A) of section 5731.19 of the Revised Code, that are shown to be due in the return, have been paid in full, the auditor shall stamp the certificate so forwarded to verify that payment. The auditor then shall return the stamped certificate to the probate court.
(5)(a) The certificate described in division (A)(1)(b) of this section is a public record subject to inspection and copying in accordance with section 149.43 of the Revised Code. It shall be kept in the records of the probate court pertaining to the decedent's estate and is not subject to the confidentiality provisions of section 5731.90 of the Revised Code.
(b) All persons are entitled to rely on the statements contained in a certificate as described in division (A)(1)(b) of this section if it has been filed in accordance with that division, forwarded to a county auditor and stamped in accordance with division (A)(4) of this section, and placed in the records of the probate court pertaining to the decedent's estate in accordance with division (A)(5)(a) of this section. The real property referred to in the certificate shall be free of, and may be regarded by all persons as being free of, any lien for estate taxes under section 5731.02 and division (A) of section 5731.19 of the Revised Code.
(B) An estate tax return filed under this section, in the form prescribed by the tax commissioner, and showing that no estate tax is due shall result in a determination that no estate tax is due, if the tax commissioner within three months after the receipt of the return by the department of taxation, fails to file exceptions to the return in the probate court of the county in which the return was filed. A copy of exceptions to a return of that nature, when the tax commissioner files them within that period, shall be sent by ordinary mail to the person who filed the return. The tax commissioner is not bound under this division by a determination that no estate tax is due, with respect to property not disclosed in the return.
(C) If the executor, administrator, or other person required to file an estate tax return fails to file it within nine months of the date of the decedent's death, the tax commissioner may determine the estate tax in that estate and issue a certificate of determination in the same manner as is provided in division (B) of section 5731.27 of the Revised Code. A certificate of determination of that nature has the same force and effect as though a return had been filed and a certificate of determination issued with respect to the return.
Section 2. That existing sections 2106.01, 2106.02, 2107.19, 2109.301, 2109.32, 2113.53, 2117.06, 2117.07, 2117.11, 2117.12, and 5731.21 of the Revised Code are hereby repealed.
Section 3. (A) Sections 2106.01, 2106.02, 2107.19, 2109.301, 2109.32, 2113.53, 2117.06, 2117.07, 2117.11, and 2117.12 of the Revised Code, as amended by this act, apply to estates that are in existence or are initiated on or after the effective date of this act.
(B) Section 2101.163 of the Revised Code, as enacted by this act, applies to civil actions and proceedings that are pending in or brought before the probate court on or after the effective date of this act.
Section 4. It is hereby declared that it was the intent of the General Assembly that the sections of the Revised Code described in Section 2 of Sub. H.B. 85 of the 124th General Assembly were to be repealed effective December 31, 2001, to coincide with Section 5 of Sub. H.B. 85 of the 124th General Assembly, and that the repeal of such Revised Code sections in Section 2 of Sub. H.B. 85 of the 124th General Assembly was not to be effective October 31, 2001.
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