Probate Forms (CA)
There are a number of state-specific forms you may need when going through the probate process.
General CA Forms
In CA, the local Superior Court has jurisdiction over probate cases. If you are using EstateExec and you set the county of legal residence on the Decedent tab, a direct link to the appropriate court will appear here.
You can check with your local court for the forms they might prefer, and below you will find some of the more common CA forms:
- Petition for Probate (Form DE-111) - Get the probate process started
- Proof of Will (Form DE-131) - Attach to petition if will is not notarized
- Duties and Liabilities (Form DE-147) - Attach to petition
- Waiver of Bond (Form DE-111 (A-3e)) - Attach to petition if desired and not addressed by will
- Notice of Petition (Form DE-121) - Notify anyone named in the will, anyone who would normally inherit, creditors, and publish
- Notice of Hearing (Form DE-120) - Notify interested parties of any other court hearings, and publish
- Proof of Hearing Notices (Form DE-120p) - Tell the court you made the required notifications
- Form BOE-502-D - Notify counties with real property of death
- Estate Inventory and Appraisal (Form DE-160) - Report estate contents to the court
- Creditor Notice (Form DE-157) - Send notice to creditors
- Accounting (No CA Form) - Check local court for preferences (EstateExec can generate an Accounting Report for you in CA format)
- Petition for Final Distribution (No CA Form) - Check local court for preferences (usually includes a final Accounting Report)
- Petition for Final Discharge (Form DE-295) - Tell the court the estate has been settled and you are finished with your duties
See CA Probate Forms for a more complete list of forms that may be required in certain situations.
Small CA Estate Forms
Small estates sometimes need only 1 specialized form or affidavit: see Small CA Estates.
Using CA Probate Forms
If you are using a licensed EstateExec estate, information about finding your court will appear here.
For information on using CA probate forms, see
How to Become Executor for
Note: If you are using EstateExec, the Tasks Tab will list a series of steps that help you understand which form to use when.
Additional Information
In case you're interested, probate forms for other states can be found here: