Tools for Planning and Settling an Estate in California
Free calculators and checklists for planning or settling an estate in California: will and trust costs, probate, executor pay, and inheritance taxes.
How Much Does a Revocable Living Trust Cost?
An attorney-prepared revocable living trust in California runs $4,320Estimate: 10 hours at $432, Clio's California Trusts rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source to $6,480Estimate: 15 hours at $432, Clio's California Trusts rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source for an individual, against $0 to $549 up front plus a subscription with an online service.
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What Does Estate Planning Actually Cost?
An attorney-prepared revocable trust in California runs $4,320Estimate: 10 hours at $432, Clio's California Trusts rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source to $6,480Estimate: 15 hours at $432, Clio's California Trusts rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source and a simple will $1,329Estimate: 3 hours at $443, Clio's California Wills and Estates rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source to $2,658Estimate: 6 hours at $443, Clio's California Wills and Estates rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source, against $0 to $549 up front plus a subscription with an online service.
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How Much Life Insurance Do I Need?
In California, four years at a public university cost about $99,700NCES Digest of Education Statistics 2023, Table 330.20, public 4-year in-state tuition, fees, room and board, academic year 2022-23Verified Oct 17, 2026View source and the cost of living is 11% above the U.S. averageBEA Regional Price Parities, all items, by state, 2024Verified Oct 17, 2026View source;no state estate or inheritance tax appliesNo state estate, inheritance, or gift tax; prohibited by Cal. Rev. & Tax. Code § 13301 (voter Prop 6, 1982). California Estate Tax Return no longer required for decedents dying on/after Jan. 1, 2005 (CA State Controller's Office).Verified Sep 15, 2026View source.
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How Do I Settle an Estate?
Settling an estate in California: the personal representative files the estate inventory within 120 daysCal. Prob. Code §§ 8800-8804, 8900-8903Verified Sep 15, 2026View source of appointment; creditors have 4 monthsCal. Prob. Code §§ 9050-9054, 9100-9104, 9150, 9153, 9256, 9353, 11420; CCP § 366.2Verified Oct 18, 2026View source to present claims; a simple estate closes in 9 months to 12 months.
Firm listings are for informational purposes only. SimplyTrust does not endorse or recommend any specific firm or attorney. Contact firms directly to discuss your situation and verify their current practice areas and availability.
Merced firm serving Merced County for over 40 years with estate planning and probate, trusts, conservatorships, will contests, Medi-Cal planning, and elder law. Keith C. King, admitted in 1961, serves on the Merced Probate Court Rules Committee and belongs to the State Bar Estate Planning, Trust and Probate Law Section and the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys.
PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateProbate Litigationand 6 more
Bakersfield firm serving Kern County and the San Joaquin Valley since 1953, with offices in Fresno, Pasadena, Encinitas, and Santa Barbara. Handles probate and estate administration, including for personal representatives living outside California, plus trust administration and probate and trust disputes. Practice group leader Nancy L. Oehler is a certified specialist in trust and probate law.
PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateProbate Litigationand 6 more
Office
10000 Stockdale Hwy, Suite 200Bakersfield, CA 93311
Pacific Grove solo practice serving Monterey County and the Central Coast, handling probate from the petition through inventory, appraisal, and final distribution, plus trust administration for successor trustees. Also covers special needs planning, asset protection, and Medi-Cal planning. Kyle A. Krasa is a Certified Legal Specialist in Estate Planning, Trust & Probate Law.
PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateElder Lawand 3 more
Modesto firm on K Street serving Stanislaus, San Joaquin, Merced, Mariposa, Tuolumne, and Calaveras counties with trust administration and probate alongside wills, trusts, and powers of attorney. Founded in 2009 by Gina Leguria, whose own family spent four and a half years in probate court after her father died, it also handles Medi-Cal and special needs planning.
PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateElder Lawand 4 more
Visalia practice serving Tulare County and the surrounding Central Valley with revocable living trusts, trust updates, and long-term-care Medi-Cal planning. Attorney Russell C. Miller, admitted in California in 2004, also walks successor trustees and personal representatives through trust administration after a death and through probate when the court is required.
Newport Beach firm serving Orange County and families throughout California, founded by Darlynn Morgan in July 2005. Handles probate administration and executor guidance through the court, trust administration after a death, and special needs and Medi-Cal planning. Offers a no-charge post-death estate review.
PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateElder Lawand 3 more
El Dorado Hills practice serving the Sacramento Valley and the Sacramento, Placer, and El Dorado foothill communities with probate administration and trust administration for families and business owners, plus elder law and Medi-Cal planning. David R. Morris is a State Bar of California Certified Specialist in Estate Planning, Trust and Probate Law.
PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateElder Lawand 3 more
Office
5137 Golden Foothill Parkway, Suite 110El Dorado Hills, CA 95762
East Contra Costa firm in Pittsburg, with additional offices in San Diego and San Mateo, that administers decedents' estates through court probate and settles revocable living trusts after a death for successor trustees. It also handles estate litigation and Medi-Cal and veterans-benefit planning for families facing elder care.
PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateProbate Litigationand 5 more
Eureka firm serving Humboldt, Del Norte, and Trinity Counties on the North Coast with probate administration, trust administration, and trust and estate litigation alongside estate planning. Partner Arthur Nielsen is a Certified Specialist in Estate Planning, Trust, and Probate Law by the State Bar of California. Complimentary initial 30-minute meeting or call.
PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateProbate Litigationand 5 more
Sacramento and Roseville firm serving Sacramento, Placer, El Dorado, Yolo, Nevada, and Yuba-Sutter Counties with trust administration, probate, Medi-Cal planning, and long-term care planning since 1987. Founder Timothy Murphy is accredited by the Department of Veterans Affairs to assist veterans with benefits claims. Offers a free initial telephone call.
PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateElder Lawand 4 more
Visalia firm serving Tulare County and the Central Valley with probate petitions and court filings, trust administration support for trustees, and estate planning. Also handles special needs planning and Medi-Cal and elder law matters. Free initial call.
PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateElder Lawand 4 more
Fresno solo practice that guides personal representatives through California probate, validating the will, confirming the personal representative, settling debts, and overseeing distribution of estate assets, and handles trust administration for surviving families. Philip M. Flanigan has represented Fresno-area clients since 1998 and also takes conservatorship, Medi-Cal, and elder-law matters.
PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateElder Lawand 4 more
Sonora attorney serving Tuolumne County and the Mother Lode with probate, trust administration, and long-term care planning. Tamara Polley is a certified specialist in Estate Planning, Probate and Trust Law designated by the California State Bar's Board of Legal Specialization, and focuses on special needs trusts and Medi-Cal and veterans benefit eligibility.
PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateSpecial Needs Planningand 3 more