"Once you determine you have the right to represent the estate, you can file an extension for the estate. This will buy you needed time to begin the process of settlement."
Two problems with this.
Problem #1
What happens if there isn't enough time to secure the right to represent the estate before the tax filing deadline. If I can't even file an extension without having a court proceeding to appoint me executor, and I can't secure that authority before 4/18/23 then the filing will be late and there is nothing I can do about it.
Problem #2
If I get the authority to represent the estate before 4/18, then I don't need to file an extension, I can file the tax return instead. I can easily complete the return by then. But I think it is unlikely that I can be appointed executor by the court by then. That process is extremely slow.
Note that completing this income tax return and distributing the assets of the estate are two different things. Right now filing my mother's 2022 taxes is the most urgent matter.
There has to be an answer to this. What happens if my mother had died one day before the return is due? Obviously I wouldn't be able to get a court action in time even if I was cold enough to care about that the day my mother died.
