California court costs

California probate filing cost: $435

The court’s Statewide Civil Fee Schedule effective January 1, 2026, item 124, lists $435 as the total due for the first petition for letters of administration or letters testamentary, including Government Code §§ 70650(a), 70602.5 and 70602.6. The appendix retains the standard charge for San Bernardino and specifies a higher collected charge in Riverside and San Francisco. This calculator uses the standard $435 and excludes the higher Riverside and San Francisco charges. Publication, certified copies, later petitions and other administration expenses are extra.

$435 is the amount the statute states. Sources reviewed August 9, 2026. Sources rechecked October 17, 2026. This page last revised October 17, 2026.

What California statutes set in probate fees at a $100,000 estate

Court filing: $435 (2026 Statewide Civil Fee Schedule, item 124 and appendix (pages 8 and 15)).
Personal representative: $4,000 on a base of $100,000 (value of the estate accounted for, Cal. Prob. Code § 10800), for ordinary services, subject to the rest of Part 7 of the Probate Code.

Worked example: California estate of $100,000
Court filing	$435
Commission at 4%	$4,000
Both fees	$4,435

Statute text checked October 17, 2026: 2026 Statewide Civil Fee Schedule, item 124 and appendix (pages 8 and 15).

Statute text checked October 3, 2026: Cal. Prob. Code § 10800.

What the statute charges

California states one statewide amount rather than a schedule of components, so there is no line-by-line breakdown to compute. The figure above is that amount. It is a court charge only, and it is not an estimate of the total cost of settling an estate.

California publishes no component breakdown for this cost.

The statute states one statewide amount rather than a schedule of parts, so there is nothing to itemise. The figure shown above is that amount, and the linked source is the text that sets it.

What the $435 is made of

California’s $435 figure is a single statutory charge, not a total assembled from parts. It is shown here with its own provision named, and with the neighbouring charges the California schedule prices separately — the ones a filer is most likely to add to it by mistake, or to be quoted alongside it.

$435Collected first-petition total, 2026 court schedule item 124 (GC 70650(a), 70602.5, 70602.6)

Added together, these come to $435 — the figure this page headlines. If any component changed in the source, the sum would no longer match, and the build withholds the total rather than publishing a number whose parts no longer add up.

What the California figure leaves out

The California caveats are listed once, on the California overview.

Other costs: probate cost lines.

Filing-cost source

Court fee schedule

2026 Statewide Civil Fee Schedule, item 124 and appendix (pages 8 and 15)

Superior Court of California Statewide Civil Fee Schedule, effective January 1, 2026

The section’s own words

124 First-filed petition for letters of administration or letters testamentary, first-filed petition for special letters of administration with powers of general representative under Prob.C 8545 GC 70650(a), 70602.5, 70602.6 $ 435*

What this means: Item 124 gives the total fee due, including the charges under Government Code §§ 70650(a), 70602.5 and 70602.6. The appendix gives $450 for Riverside, $435 for San Bernardino and $450 for San Francisco. Government Code § 70650(a)’s $355 is a base component, not the collected total.

Judicial Council of California, published by Humboldt Superior Court · Effective January 1, 2026 · Rechecked October 17, 2026

Sources rechecked October 17, 2026: California source list · how sources are checked · report a correction