California Trust Administration Pricing

T. Owen Rassman, Esq., LL.M.
Last Updated: June 5, 2026

Trust Administration Cost, explained in plain English So Clients Know What to Expect (No Surpises)

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 (in two steps)

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.

Step 1: Initial consultation with Owen Rassman, Esq., LL.M., flat fee $400

Before we quote you anything, you’ll meet with our attorney, Owen Rassman, for a one-hour consultation. The flat fee for that meeting is $400.

During the consultation, Owen will:

Review the trust document and any amendments
Explain exactly what the administration will involve, given how the trust is structured
Identify any complexity (more on that below)
Give you a specific, written quote for the full administration

If you decide to retain our firm after the consultation, the $400 is credited toward your administration fees. If you decide not to move forward, you still leave with a clear, attorney-level understanding of what the trust says and what will need to be done to administer it.

Step 2: The trust administration itself, flat fee $2,500 for the core steps

Every California trust administration includes a core set of required steps that we handle on a flat-fee basis of $2,500. The seven core steps are listed in the next section so you can see exactly what that fee covers.

If the trust is more complex (for example, an A-B trust or a trust with subtrusts that need to be funded), additional steps will be required. Those additional steps are billed at $400 per hour in addition to the $2,500 core flat fee. Owen will identify the scope during your consultation, so you’ll know what to expect before any additional work begins.

We don’t start additional work without telling you first.

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.

When trust administration costs more than $2,500

Some trusts require more work than the seven 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 the scope during your consultation, so you have the full picture (and the estimated additional cost) before you decide whether to move forward.

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.
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 consultation and quote the additional work before it begins.

Why we don’t quote a flat administration price over the phone

Every trust is different. The seven 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 $400 consultation is how we make sure the quote you receive is accurate for your specific trust. It’s also how we protect you from finding out, halfway through, that the scope is twice what we estimated.

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

Can you just quote me the full price now?

Every trust is different, so until our attorney has reviewed the document, we can’t give you a responsible quote. The $400 consultation is how we make sure the quote you receive is accurate for your specific trust.

What does the $2,500 base fee cover?

It covers the seven core steps listed above that every California trust administration requires. Owen will walk you through exactly what those are during your consultation.

What makes a trust “more complex”?

Common examples are A-B trusts, trusts with subtrusts that need to be funded, trusts with tax issues beyond the routine, creditor claims, real property in multiple counties or states, and trusts with business or LLC interests. Owen will identify any of those during the consultation and explain how they affect the scope.

Ready to schedule your consultation?

Owen will review the trust with you, walk you through what the administration will involve, and give you a specific written quote before you decide whether to move forward.

Schedule Your Trust Administration Consultation

Or call us directly: (760) 278-1116