California Trust Administration Pricing

Trust Administration Cost, Explained in Plain English So Clients Know What to Expect (No Surprises)

Most trust administration websites won't quote you a price. We will.

Our trust administration pricing is built around two things you actually need when you're sitting in our chair: a flat fee you can plan around, and an honest conversation with our attorney before you commit to anything.

This page walks through how that works, what's included in the flat fee, and when (and why) the cost can go up for more complex trusts.

How our trust administration pricing works

It starts with a free 15-minute phone call with our team to confirm that trust administration is what you need. The call is a needs evaluation, not legal advice. From there, we handle trust administration in two steps. The first step protects you from getting a blind quote. The second step is the actual administration work.

What's included in the $2,500 core flat fee

The eight core steps below are typically required in nearly every California trust administration. They're the starting point for our flat-fee work.

1. Review of the Trust and Initial Assessment

   We review the trust and any related documents, such as the decedent's will, and learn about the decedent's family, the beneficiaries, and the trust assets. This gives our attorney a high-level understanding of the trust administration as a whole, which guides the steps that follow.

2. Trust Notification under Probate Code section 16061.7

   We prepare and mail the statutory notice to the trust beneficiaries and to the decedent's legal heirs. This notice is required by California law. It identifies the trustee, advises recipients of their right to request a copy of the trust, and starts the 120-day period during which the trust can be contested.

3. Affidavit of Death of Trustee

   We prepare a signed and notarized affidavit and record it with the county recorder. This document confirms the death of the prior trustee and establishes the successor trustee's authority to act with respect to real property held in the trust.

4. Change in Ownership Statement, Death of Real Property Owner

   We prepare and file the required change in ownership statement with the county assessor. This filing reports the transfer caused by the prior owner's death and is also used to claim any available reassessment exclusions, such as a parent-to-child transfer exclusion under Proposition 19.

5. Certification of Trust

   We prepare a short summary of the trust that proves the successor trustee's authority. The certification lets the trustee work with banks, brokerages, and title companies without having to share the entire trust document.

6. Application for Federal Taxpayer Identification Number (EIN)

   We apply online with the IRS for a federal tax identification number for the trust. After the settlor's death, the trust becomes a separate taxpayer and needs its own number to open accounts and to file tax returns.

7. IRS Form 56 and Form 8822

   We prepare and file these forms with the IRS and the California Franchise Tax Board. They notify the taxing authorities that the successor trustee is the fiduciary now responsible for the decedent's tax matters and update the address of record.

8. Lodging the Original Will with the Superior Court

   We file the decedent's original Last Will and Testament with the Superior Court in the county where the decedent lived. California law requires the original will to be lodged with the court even when the estate is being administered through a trust rather than through probate.

Costs Are Separate From The Flat Fee

The $2,500 flat fee covers our legal work on the eight core steps. Out-of-pocket costs we pay on your behalf are billed separately and itemized on your invoice. Common examples include the county recording fee for the Affidavit of Death of Trustee, certified mail for the trust notification and the IRS and Franchise Tax Board filings, notary fees, and court filing fees if a petition is needed.

When trust administration costs more than $2,500

Some trusts require more work than the eight core steps. When that happens, the additional steps are billed at $400 per hour on top of the $2,500 core flat fee.

Our attorney will identify likely additional work during your Strategy Session, so you have the full picture before you decide whether to move forward. If something new comes up later, services outside the flat fee are billed at our hourly rate, at your request.

Common situations that add complexity to trust administration:

• A-B trusts (also called credit shelter or bypass trusts). Allocating assets between the survivor's trust and the bypass trust requires a funding analysis, separate tax identification numbers, and careful documentation of the allocation.
• Trusts with subtrusts that need to be funded. Common with multi-beneficiary trusts, generation-skipping trusts, or trusts that create separate shares for each child.
• Trusts with tax issues beyond the routine. Federal estate tax returns (IRS Form 706), portability elections, generation-skipping transfer tax allocations, or trusts approaching the federal exemption amount.
• Creditor claims. When the decedent had outstanding debts that need to be reviewed, negotiated, or formally addressed before distribution.
• Real property in multiple counties or states. Each parcel may require its own affidavit of death, change-in-ownership filing, and ancillary procedure.
• Business interests, closely-held LLCs, or partnership interests. These usually require buy-sell agreement review, valuation coordination, and entity-level filings.
• Accounts left outside the trust. Bank, brokerage, or credit union accounts that were never moved into the trust and have no named beneficiary may each need a small estate affidavit under Probate Code section 13100, or a court petition if the total is larger.
• Trust funding gaps. When real property or accounts were never actually retitled into the trust during the settlor's lifetime, a Heggstad petition under Probate Code section 850 may be needed to move the asset into the trust without a full probate.

If your trust involves any of these, Owen will say so during the Strategy Session. Services outside the flat fee are billed at our hourly rate, at your request.

Why we don't quote a price for the entire trust administration over the phone

Every trust is different. The eight core steps are required almost everywhere, but the rest depends entirely on what the trust says and what assets it holds. Without reading the document, even an experienced California trust attorney is guessing.

The free phone call is for confirming what you need, not for pricing a specific trust. The $400 Strategy Session is how we make sure the quote you receive is accurate for your specific trust. It's also how we make sure you understand the scope of the core administration before you commit.

If you read the trust together with Owen and decide Opelon isn't the right fit, you still walk out with a clear, attorney-level understanding of what the trust says and what will need to be done to administer it. That's a useful thing to have, even if you take it to a different firm or handle pieces of the work yourself.

Frequently Asked Questions: Trust Administration Cost in California

Related reading

Disclaimer: Fees shown are flat fees for the specific scope described: $400 for the one-hour attorney Strategy Session (credited in full toward fees if you retain the firm) and $2,500 for the eight core California trust administration steps listed above. Trusts requiring additional work (for example, A-B trust allocation, subtrust funding, creditor claims, or out-of-state real property) are billed at $400 per hour beyond the core flat fee, at the client's request. Out-of-pocket costs (such as recording fees, postage, notary fees, and court filing fees) are billed separately from the flat fee. Opelon LLP limits its practice to non-contested trust administration. Pricing and scope are confirmed at the Strategy Session; this page does not create an attorney-client relationship.