California Probate Law Changes in 2025 – What You Should Know

Beginning April 1, 2025, expedited procedures are available for probate estates valued up to $750,000. These procedures have been available before, but were limited to $184,500 for personal property and even less for real estate. Now, the decedent’s primary residence and personal property up to the $750,000 limit are eligible for an expedited transfer or, in some cases, transfer by affidavit. The expansion of these expedited procedures is significant and welcomed.

Filing a full probate proceeding is much more involved, costly and time-consuming. This new procedure will be speed up the transfer and should save on legal costs. Additionally, the fees in these expedited procedures are negotiable between the client and attorney. In a full probate proceeding, the fees are set by statute and calculated based on the value of the estate. With larger estates, the fees available to the attorneys are larger. With estates under $750,000, clients may have had a hard time finding firms prepared to engage for the limited fees available.

A full probate proceeding typically takes over a year. These expedited property transfers can be accomplished in a matter of months, or for some personal property assets by simple affidavit without going to court. To learn more about the procedures available in your particular situation, or for estate planning in advance, reach out to our experienced probate attorneys today. We look forward to serving you.