Home | Our Attorneys | About Us | Contact Us | Useful Links | News  

Cost of Probate

When talk turns to taxes, most people think of income taxes. Yet for many, estate taxes will be the largest single tax expense they'll ever face. With estate tax rates currently running as high as 55%, the value of your estate left for your heirs could be worth less than half of what you think. To put it another way, without proper planning, you could lose more than half of what you've spent a lifetime building to estate taxes. And with the recent tax law changes, there are some new wrinkles in those planning strategies. Question: What Does Probate cost? Answer: The AARP did a national survey some years ago and determined that probate costs run on average 2 to 10% of a person’s estate.   But on a $300,000 estate, that can still cost $6,000 to $12,000. And in some cases, the costs can go much higher. Question: So two to four percent; Is that the real cost of probate? Answer: That’s the monetary costs, but that’s not the only costs. Probate generally takes at least 9 months to a year. There can be lots of hassles, lots of disappointments, lots of worry and difficulty, lots of energy. These non-monetary costs can be high. When you combine the monetary and personal costs, that’s the real cost of probate.

WHAT IS PROBATE? HOW LONG DOES PROBATE TAKE?

Confused?

• GLOSSARY OF TERMS
• WANT TO INVEST IN PROBATE REAL PROPERTY?
• If you have total assets under $100K, you should still visit our SMALL ESTATES page.
• FREE ADVANCED HEALTHCARE DIRECTIVE
• WHAT IS PROBATE?

We serve the following cities and communities in Southern California:

Los Angeles County:
Agoura Hills, Alhambra, Arcadia, Artesia, Azusa, Baldwin Park, Bellflower, Beverly Hills, Big Pines, Burbank, Carson, Century City, Cerritos, Chatsworth, China Town, City of Industry, Claremont, Commerce, Compton, Covina, Culver City, Downtown LA, Downey, Eagle Rock, El Monte, El Segundo, Encino, Gardena, Glendale, Glendora, Granada Hills, Hawaiian Gardens, Hawthorne, Hermosa Beach, Hidden Hills, Highland Park, Hollywood, Inglewood, Irwindale, Japan Town, Korea Town, La Canada/Flintridge, La Crescenta, La Habra, La Mirada, La Puente, La Verne, Lakewood, Lancaster, Lenox, Lomita, Long Beach, Los Angeles, Los Nietos, Lynwood, Manhattan Beach, Marina Del Rey, Monterey Park, Montrose, Northridge, Norwalk, Palmdale, Palos Verdes Estates, Paramount, Pasadena, Pico Rivera, Pomona, Rancho Palos Verdes, Redondo Beach, Reseda, Rolling Hills Estates, San Fernando Valley, San Gabriel, San Marino, Santa Clarita, Santa Fe Springs, Santa Monica, Signal Hill, South Pasadena, Temple City, Torrance, Valinda, Van Nuys, Ventura County, Verdugo City, Walnut, West Covina, West Hollywood, Westlake Village, Westwood, Whittier and all other cities and communities of Los Angeles County.

Orange County:
Aliso Viejo, Anaheim, Balboa Island, Brea, Buena Park, Capistrano Beach, Corona Del Mar, Costa Mesa, Coto de Caza, Cowan Heights, Cypress, Dana Point, El Modena, El Toro, Foothill Ranch, Fountain Valley, Fullerton, Garden Grove, Huntington Beach, Irvine, La Habra, Laguna Beach, Laguna Hills, Laguna Niguel, Lake Forest, Leisure World, Lemon Heights, Los Alamitos, Mission Viejo, Modjeska Canyon, Newport Beach, Orange, Orange Park Acres, Placentia, Rancho San Margarita, Rossmoor, San Clemente, Santa Ana, Seal Beach, Silverado Canyon, Stanton, Sunset Beach, Surfside, Tustin, Villa Park, Westminster, Yorba Linda and all other cities and communities of Orange County.

San Bernardino County:
Adelanto, Apple Valley, Argus, Baker, Barstow, Big Bear, Bloomington, Chino, Chino Hills, Cima, Colton, Daggett, Devore, Earp, El Mirage, Etiwanda, Essex, Fawnskin, Fontana, Forest Falls, Grand Terrace, Harvard, Helendale, Hesperia, Highland, Hinkley, Hodge, Ivanpaw, Joshua Tree, Kelso, Landers, Lenwood, Loma Linda, Lucerne Valley, Ludlow, Montclair, Morongo Valley, Muscoy, Needles, Ontario, Oro Grande, Phelan, Pinon Hills, Rancho Cucamonga, Redlands, Rialto, Running Springs, San Bernardino, Twenty Nine Palms, Upland, Victorville, Wrightwood, Yucaipa, Yucca Valley and all other cities and communities of San Bernardino County.

Riverside County:
Anza, Arlington, Banning, Beaumont, Blythe, Cabazon, Calimesa, Canyon Lake, Cathedral City, Cherry Valley, Coachella, Corona, Desert Hot Springs, Edgemont, El Cerrito, Gilman, Glen Avon, Glenn Valley, Hemet, High Grove, Home Gardens, Homeland, Hot Springs, Idyllwild, Indian Wells, Indio, La Sierra, Lake Elsinore, Lakeview, La Quinta, Mecca, Mead Valley, Meadow Brook, Mira Loma, Moreno Valley, Murrieta, Murrieta Hot Springs, Norco, Nuevo, Palm Desert, Palm Springs, Perris, Quail Valley, Riverside, Rancho Mirage, Ripley, Rubidoux, Sage, San Jacinto, Sun City, Temecula, Temescal Canyon, Thousand Palms, Valle Vista, White Water, Winchester and all other cities and communities of Riverside County.

Imperial County:
Brawley, Calexico, Calipatria, El Centro, Holtville, Imperial, Westmorland and all other cities and communities of Imperial County.

Ventura County:
Camarillo, Fillmore, Moorpark, Ojai, Oxnard, Port Hueneme, San Buenaventura, Santa Paula, Simi Valley, Thousand Oaks and all other cities and communities of Ventura County.