In addition to attorney fees, Probate costs (cost assistance IS available and most costs, along with probate legal fees are NOT due up front and NOT until funds from the estate are available) include the following:

1. Initial Court Filing Fee $465 (unless you qualify for a court fee waiver due to financial hardship).
2. Newspaper Publication Cost $500 (this can be as high as $1200 depending on which newspaper we must use but is $500 about 90% of the time).
3. Court Appointed Probate Referee (Appraiser) Fee is calculated at 1/10^th of 1% of the gross value of the estate plus $50-$75 for costs (for example $500k estate would be $550-$575)
4. Bond premium (not always required): If the court requires you to get bonded (insured) which we always try to avoid, the bond will be approximately .5% (1/2 of a percent) of the gross value for the estate or an annual premium. (for example a $500k estate would be approximately $2500).
5. Final Petition Court Filing Fee: $465 (again, unless you qualify for a fee waiver due to financial hardship)
6. Creditor’s Claims: if a creditor or the Department of Health Services (DHS) or Franchise Tax Board (FTB) are owed money those claims will need to be paid prior to the final distribution of the estate.
   • Note: creditors MUST file their claims within the 4-month creditor’s period, and our office is VERY often successful in reducing almost all creditor’s claims.