Probate is the court-supervised process of managing and distributing a deceased person's estate. If you die without a will, the court appoints an administrator to handle your assets, including your bank accounts.
Open a case You (the person who starts the case) are called the “petitioner." You must file forms with the court to “open probate.” You file a Petition for Probate (form DE-111) along with other court forms. File the case in the county where the person who died (the decedent) lived.
In the event of death without a will, the surviving spouse or partner typically inherits 50% of the separate property. The remaining 50% is distributed to the deceased's children, parents, siblings, and other relatives, ing to California's intestate succession law.
Given the magnitude of the responsibilities and the intimacy of the role, you may want to name a close friend or relative as executor, someone who fully understands and respects your wishes, as well as those of your beneficiaries, and who might handle your sentimental heirlooms and other property more sensitively than ...
If the person named in the will cannot act or there is no will, then there's an order of priority for who may be appointed a personal representative. The order of priority is any surviving spouse or domestic partner, then a child, then a grandchild, then a parent, and then a sibling.
In California, there's no strict deadline for filing probate after death, but it's advisable to begin the process as soon as possible. Delays in filing can lead to complications, such as the estate's assets becoming unmanageable or creditors taking legal action to collect debts.
Not all estates need to go through formal probate. Depending on how the property is owned, and the type and amount of property, you may not need to go to court or you may be able to use a simpler court process.