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.
Create a revocable living trust to avoid probate, protect privacy, and control asset distribution.
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.
Free calculators and checklists for planning or settling an estate in California: will and trust costs, probate, executor pay, and inheritance taxes.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
199 trust administration firms in California, by county and firm type.
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.
Loading firms...
199 firms
FirmEureka, CA
Eureka firm serving Humboldt and Del Norte Counties on the North Coast with probate, trust administration, transfers of property after death, and probate alternatives alongside estate planning. Dustin Owens and Laurence Ross formed the firm in 2016 and also practice real estate, civil litigation, and family law.
PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateTax PlanningReal Estate
FirmFresno, CA
Fresno boutique serving Fresno County and central California with probate administration, trust administration, small estate transfers, and conservatorships alongside estate planning. Harry Pascuzzi, Susan Pascuzzi, and Steven Stoker advise families on the probate process and probate avoidance. Founded in 1990; Spanish spoken.
PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateConservatorshipReal Estate
Solo PracticeRedding, CA
Redding office serving Shasta County and the northern Sacramento Valley with probate administration and trust administration alongside wills, trusts, and advance directives. Justin Arel sits on the Shasta-Trinity Counties Bar Association probate law committee. Complimentary initial consultation for new estate planning clients.
PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbate
Solo PracticeBeverly Hills, CA
Beverly Hills firm with a Palm Springs office, serving Los Angeles and Riverside Counties with probate, ancillary probate, probate litigation, and trust administration alongside estate planning. Scott Fisher has practiced for more than 35 years and handles estates from initiation through distribution. Free consultation; se habla espanol.
PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateProbate LitigationReal Estate
FirmVisalia, CA
Visalia firm serving Tulare County and the Central Valley with probate administration, trust administration, and Medi-Cal planning alongside estate planning. Peter Sherwood is a past president of the Tulare County Bar Association and has contracted as the county's Deputy Public Administrator since 2007.
PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateElder Lawand 2 more
FirmCampbell, CA
Campbell boutique serving Santa Clara County and the broader Bay Area with probate and estate administration, trust administration, and trust and probate litigation alongside estate planning. Represents successor trustees and beneficiaries in trust contests, breach-of-fiduciary-duty claims, and trustee removal petitions. Free telephone consultation for new matters.
PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateProbate Litigationand 4 more
FirmModesto, CA
Modesto firm with a Turlock office serving Stanislaus County and the Central Valley with probate, trust administration, and conservatorships alongside estate planning. Managing attorney Alan Eighmey and associate Manjinder Kaur work with heirs, executors, and trustees on decedent estates and court-supervised administration.
PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateConservatorship
Solo PracticeSouth Lake Tahoe, CA
South Lake Tahoe office serving El Dorado County and the Bay Area with trust and probate administration, trust and probate litigation, and wealth succession planning alongside estate planning. Attorney Jean-Claude Mallein is a dual Certified Specialist in Taxation Law and in Estate Planning, Trust and Probate Law, certified by the California Board of Legal Specialization.
PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateProbate Litigationand 4 more
Solo PracticeSan Mateo, CA
San Mateo firm serving San Mateo and Alameda Counties across the Bay Area with probate, trust administration, and trust and estate litigation alongside estate planning. Pamela Bobowski founded the firm in 2015 after going through probate herself and is licensed in California, New York, and Massachusetts. Free consultation, with online and contactless meetings.
PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateProbate LitigationTrust Litigation
Solo PracticeBakersfield, CA
Bakersfield solo practice serving Kern County and the San Joaquin Valley, focused on trust and estate administration, trust and estate litigation, and conservatorships. Kurt Van Sciver opens probate proceedings, identifies creditors, and litigates will and trust contests over undue influence, capacity, and breach of fiduciary duty. President of the Kern County Bar Association Probate Section.
PracticesTrust AdministrationProbateProbate LitigationTrust LitigationConservatorship
FirmSan Francisco, CA
San Francisco firm on West Portal Avenue serving San Francisco County and the Bay Area with trust administration and probate alongside estate planning, business, and real estate. President and managing attorney Deidre Von Rock leads a team guiding successor trustees and personal representatives through administration, with published flat-fee estate planning options.
PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateBusiness LawReal Estate
FirmLos Gatos, CA
Los Gatos firm with Santa Clara, Oakland, and Los Angeles offices, serving Santa Clara, Alameda, and Los Angeles Counties. Handles probate and estate administration, trust administration, and trust and estate litigation including trustee accountings and removal, plus guardianships and conservatorships. The whole process can be completed virtually.
PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateProbate Litigationand 3 more
Solo PracticeTemecula, CA
Temecula solo practice with Carlsbad and Ridgecrest offices, serving Riverside, San Diego, and Kern Counties. Handles probate for executors and personal representatives, from identifying heirs and paying valid creditor claims through distributing assets, plus trust administration consulting and estate planning. Free consultation.
PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbate
FirmOntario, CA
Ontario firm serving San Bernardino County and the western Inland Empire with probate, trust administration, and the wills and trusts that precede them. It brings more than 45 years of combined legal experience to executors and successor trustees settling the estate or trust of a loved one. Free consultation.
PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbate
Solo PracticeLong Beach, CA
Long Beach office on Bellflower Boulevard serving Los Angeles County, established more than 50 years ago. Robert M. Stone handles probate administration for executors moving a will through the court, estate administration, guardianships, and living-trust work for families after a death.
PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateGuardianshipBusiness Formation
Solo PracticePalm Desert, CA
Palm Desert boutique serving Coachella Valley families, business owners, and fiduciaries with trust and estate administration and probate court proceedings involving trusts, estates, and conservatorships. Jeremy Ofseyer is a State Bar of California Board-Certified Specialist in Estate Planning, Trust and Probate Law who represents professional trustees and beneficiaries.
PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateConservatorship
Solo PracticeSherman Oaks, CA
Sherman Oaks solo practice serving Los Angeles County plus Ventura and San Bernardino, including the San Fernando, San Gabriel, and Pomona Valleys. Sara Polinsky has practiced exclusively in estate planning and elder law since 1998, handling trust administration, probate, planning for incapacity, and Medi-Cal long-term-care eligibility.
PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateElder Law
Solo PracticeStockton, CA
Stockton estate and tax attorney serving San Joaquin County since 1988. Jeffrey E. Prag guides executors through probate, from filing the will to valuing and liquidating estate assets and paying the decedent's taxes and debts, and administers living trusts, stepping into mediation or litigation when disputes arise between beneficiaries.
PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateProbate Litigationand 3 more
FirmBakersfield, CA
Bakersfield firm serving all of Kern County from a downtown office on 20th Street, with roots in the city dating back to 1951. Attorney John Wall works with trustees, heirs, and executors to settle estates, paying the estate's debts, guiding probate, and distributing assets to heirs. The firm also drafts estate plans.
PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateBusiness LawReal Estate