Updated September 7, 2026. Quick answer: In Indiana, you have 3 months to contest a will that has already been admitted to probate, running from the date of the order admitting the will to probate.
How long do you have to contest a will in Indiana?
| Deadline to contest an admitted will | 3 months |
| What starts the clock | the date of the order admitting the will to probate |
| Dedicated will-contest statute? | Yes |
“any interested person may contest the validity of any will in the court having jurisdiction over the probate of the will within three (3) months after the date of the order admitting the will to probate by filing in the same court, in a separate cause of action, the person’s allegations in writing verified by affidavit.”
Source: Ind. Code § 29-1-7-17
What makes Indiana different
Indiana’s 3-month window is one of the shortest nationally, and a contest must be filed as a separately verified pleading, not just a motion in the existing probate file. The controlling authority is Ind. Code § 29-1-7-17, and the window runs from the date of the order admitting the will to probate.
What happens once this deadline passes?
Once the window above closes, Indiana’s probate of the will generally becomes final and binding on everyone who had the chance to object, subject only to the tolling or discovery exceptions described above; a separate objection Indiana allowed at the original probate hearing does not reopen or extend it.
Sources
| Statute / rule | Ind. Code § 29-1-7-17 |
| Indiana courts (general reference) | Indiana judicial branch |
| Confidence | High |
Every statute or rule quoted on this Indiana page was read directly from the state’s own legislature/court/code site this session, or, where that site blocked automated access, from a reputable legal-citation mirror quoting the same official text with its official citation (disclosed below). General information, not legal advice; whether a specific contest is still timely can turn on facts (exactly when notice was given, how the will was probated, whether a disability applies) that only your own Indiana probate court file can confirm.