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In order to close a probate estate in California, the appointed personal representative must file a petition with the probate court which reports everything he/she has done in regards to the estate. The personal representative must file a Petition for Final Distribution within one year after Letters are issued.

The probate final accounting is the last step to close the estate and distribute assets to the estate heirs and pay the creditors who have filed legitimate claims. The process for the final accounting varies somewhat among the states so the required forms vary as well.

An accounting is part of the overall probate process. The probate of an estate is a court-supervised process to gather the assets of the person who died, identify and pay any debts, and make a distribution of the remaining assets.

Independent probate cases still require executors to provide accountings to beneficiaries and courts. However, the accounting does not require a judge to sign off on the executor's activities. An informal probate accounting may require beneficiaries sign off on the accounting.

Probate is the court-supervised process of authenticating a last will and testament if the deceased made one. It includes locating and determining the value of the decedent's assets, paying his final bills and taxes, and, finally, distributing the remainder of the estate to his rightful beneficiaries.

It is a legal requirement of an Executor to keep track and produce evidence by way of accounts of all estate transactions. Estates usually take longer to administer than expected. Beneficiaries sometimes do not understand delays but by keeping them informed keeps beneficiaries happy.

Probate in California takes place in the Superior Court of the county where the person died. Many, but not all, estates are subject to probate. A personal representative, also called the executor, must petition the court for probate within 30 days after learning of the decedent's death.

Unfortunately, there are numerous steps for filing probate in California, and the process can take between 5 to 7 months. First, if there is a will, it must be filed with the court within 30 days of the deceased's death.

Filing the will for probate soon after death will help prevent drawing out the entire process. Some states require that a will be filed with the probate court within 30 days of death.

California law provides that any interested person may contest the admission of a will to probate as long as they petition the court within 120 days after the will has been admitted to probate. The petition must state the basis for the objections.

California law says the personal representative must complete probate within one year from the date of appointment, unless s/he files a federal estate tax. In this case, the personal representative can have 18 months to complete probate.

The California Probate Code provides that probate estates of $150,000 or less do not need to be probated. If the estate consists of assets in excess of $150,000 a probate is necessary.

The general procedure required to settle an estate via probate in California is the following: The Will must be filed in the county where the decedent lived. A Petition for Probate must be filed as well.

Avoiding the probate process is possible. The most simple way to avoid probate is to make sure you plan for the future and create a living trust before you die. A living trust will place your assets and property in trust which will be managed by a trustee for the benefit of beneficiaries.

In most cases, if the deceased owned property that had no other names attached, an estate must go through probate in order to transfer the property into the name(s) of any beneficiaries. When there are no beneficiaries named or they have predeceased the decedent, probate is necessary.