Estate Planning Probate Probate is the process of transferring the estate of the decedent to the heirs or beneficiaries under the supervision of the courts. It usually involves filing the will with the court, having the will declared valid, gathering of the assets of the estate, paying the creditors of the estate, and then distributing the assets to the beneficiaries. Since all of this is done by the court, the information about the estate is public record. Additionally, this process is time consuming and often expensive. Unless steps were taken beforehand, probate is a method for transferring the property of the estate.