Do I need probate in California? A plain guide for 2026
After a death, the first question most families ask is whether they have to go to court. In California the honest answer is: it depends on how each piece of property was held, not on whether there was a will. A will alone does not avoid probate. Here is the order in which to think it through.
Start with what passes automatically
Some property never becomes part of the probate estate. It goes straight to the person named or to the co-owner:
- Anything held in a living trust. The successor trustee handles it.
- Bank and brokerage accounts with a payable on death or transfer on death beneficiary.
- Retirement accounts and life insurance with a living beneficiary.
- Property held in joint tenancy with someone who survived.
- A home with a recorded revocable transfer on death deed.
Make a list of everything the person owned and mark which items fall into these groups. What is left over is the probate estate.
Then compare what is left to the small estate limits
For deaths on or after April 1, 2025, if the gross value of the remaining California property is $208,850 or less, the heirs can usually collect personal property such as bank accounts and vehicles with a small estate affidavit, without any court case. They must wait at least 40 days after the death.
Note the word gross. The limit uses the full value of property, not the value after a loan is paid off.
If the main asset is the home
This is where California law changed recently. A decedent's primary residence in California worth $750,000 or less can now be transferred through a single court petition and hearing, rather than a full probate, for deaths on or after April 1, 2025. The value is set by a probate referee. For many Orange County families who never set up a trust, this one change can save a great deal of time and expense. Here is how that petition works.
Surviving spouses have their own route
Property passing to a surviving spouse or registered domestic partner can often be confirmed with a spousal property petition, with no dollar limit.
When a full probate is still needed
A full probate is usually required when the leftover estate is over the small estate limit and either there is no qualifying home, the home is worth more than $750,000, or there is other real estate. It is also the right path when there are significant debts to resolve, a contested will, or no one the family trusts to handle things informally.
A practical tip
Before anyone signs an affidavit or files a petition, gather recent statements and the deed to every property. Mistakes in how property is classified are the most common reason a short procedure fails and a family ends up in probate anyway. A short review at the start costs much less than fixing it later.