California follows the reasonable-compensation standard for trusteesCal. Prob. Code §§ 15680-15688Verified Sep 18, 2026View source. A court decides what is reasonable case by case, on the trust's size, its complexity and the trustee's actual work. A family-member trustee often waives the fee. A professional trustee (a bank, a trust company, an attorney) typically charges 0.5% to 1.5% of trust assets a year, and a corporate fiduciary applies an annual minimum. The California trustee compensation calculator breaks it down by trust situation.

Trust administration in California is typically faster than probate because a trust needs no court supervision. The trustee can shorten the creditor-claim window to 4 monthsCal. Prob. Code §§ 19003, 19010, 19040, 19050, 19100 (elective trustee notice procedure; no duty to initiate).Verified Oct 17, 2026View source by publishing California's optional notice; otherwise the general 12 monthsCal. Prob. Code §§ 19003, 19010, 19040, 19050, 19100 (elective trustee notice procedure; no duty to initiate).Verified Oct 17, 2026View source period governs before final distributions are safe. A simple trust often wraps up in six to nine months; a trust holding a business interest, real property in more than one state, or one that files an estate tax return takes longer. The California trust settlement plan carries the full process.

Estate planning attorneys in California average $443Clio Compare Lawyer Rates, California: Wills and Estates rate (2025 data)Verified Oct 15, 2026View source an hour for wills and estates work. A flat-fee package runs $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 for a simple individual will and $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 a basic revocable trust. An online service prices the same documents in the tens to low hundreds of dollars; the California will cost calculator sets the two side by side.

In California, estates valued at $208,850Cal. Prob. Code § 13100Verified Sep 8, 2026View source or less skip probate with the Small Estate AffidavitCal. Prob. Code § 13100Verified Sep 8, 2026View source, 40 daysCal. Prob. Code § 13100Verified Sep 8, 2026View source after death. That route is a form rather than a court case, and most families handle it without an attorney. Above the line, formal probate generally benefits from counsel for the procedural work, even when nothing is contested. The California probate calculator estimates the cost by estate value.

In California, the situations where counsel is typically worth the cost are: a blended family with children from a prior relationship (community property rulesCal. Prob. Code § 6401Verified Sep 10, 2026View source can produce a surprising split); a business, rental property or significant investment assets; a dependent with special needs, who needs a special-needs trust to keep benefits; substantial property in more than one state. Where none of these apply, an online or self-help document is often enough.

Forms for Planning and Settling an Estate in California

Free California forms for planning an estate or settling one: a will, trust, powers of attorney, TOD deed, and the probate forms an executor files.

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Revocable Living Trust

Create a revocable living trust to avoid probate, protect privacy, and control asset distribution.

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Pour-Over Will

In California, a pour-over will is signed before 2Cal. Prob. Code § 6110Verified Oct 18, 2026View source witnesses and moves anything left outside the trust into it through probate.

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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 Do I Settle a Trust?

Settling a trust in California happens outside court: the trustee acts under the state's trust statuteCal. Prob. Code § 15000 et seq.Verified Oct 17, 2026View source, notifies the beneficiaries within 60 daysCal. Prob. Code §§ 16061.7, 16061.8, 16064, 16460Verified Sep 15, 2026View source, then pays the debts and distributes under the trust's terms.

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What's Fair Trustee Compensation?

In California, trustee compensation follows "reasonable compensation" (UTC § 708 or equivalent)Cal. Prob. Code §§ 15680-15688Verified Sep 18, 2026View source unless the trust instrument sets a different amount.

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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.

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Do I Have to File Tax Returns for Someone Who Died?

California requires a final state income tax return for the decedent alongside the federal Form 1040Cal. Rev. & Tax. Code §§ 17041, 17043; Cal. Const. art. XIII, § 36(f)(2)Verified Sep 20, 2026View source; a federal estate tax return (Form 706) is required only for estates above $15,000,00026 USC 2001(c), 2010; P.L. 119-21 §70106Verified Sep 15, 2026View source.

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How Does Step-Up in Basis Work?

Inherited assets in California take a basis reset to fair market value on the date of death26 USC § 1014Verified Sep 15, 2026View source, and the gain on a later sale faces ordinary income tax at the state's regular ratesCal. Rev. & Tax. Code § 17041(a), (e), (h) — rate schedule; estates/trusts taxed at individual rates; annual bracket indexingVerified Sep 15, 2026View source.

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