Trust Administration

When someone you love passes away and leaves a revocable living trust, you may find yourself named as successor trustee — responsible for carrying out the trust’s terms, often while grieving and with no road map for what comes next.

We help successor trustees in Santa Clara County navigate this process with clarity and care.

What Trust Administration Involves

Even though a trust avoids probate, it still requires careful administration. As successor trustee, you are legally responsible for:

  • Notifying beneficiaries and creditors as required by California law

  • Gathering and valuing all trust assets — real property, financial accounts, personal property

  • Paying valid debts, expenses, and final taxes

  • Filing the decedent’s final income tax return and any trust tax returns

  • Preparing and recording deeds to transfer real property out of the trust

  • Distributing the remaining estate to beneficiaries according to the trust’s terms

  • Preparing a final accounting if required or requested by beneficiaries

How Long It Takes

A straightforward trust administration — one property, a few financial accounts, cooperating beneficiaries — typically takes 6 to 12 months. More complex estates, or those involving real property sales, tax complications, or family disagreements, can take longer. We set expectations clearly at the outset and keep you informed at every step.

When Probate May Also Be Required

Sometimes assets that should have been in the trust were never properly transferred — a common issue with real property, brokerage accounts, or vehicles. These ‘unfunded’ assets may need to pass through probate even though a trust exists. We can identify this early and advise on the most efficient path forward. See our Probate page for more on the probate process.

What We Help With

  • Step-by-step successor trustee guidance from day one

  • Asset inventory, valuation, and transfer

  • Trustee certifications and affidavits of death of trustee

  • Deed preparation for real property transfers

  • Creditor notification and debt resolution

  • Coordination with CPAs on final tax returns and trust tax filings

  • Final accounting and distribution to beneficiaries

  • Guidance on Proposition 19 implications for inherited real property

Serving Santa Clara County

We work with families throughout San Jose, Willow Glen, Campbell, Los Gatos, Saratoga, Santa Clara, Sunnyvale, Cupertino, and the surrounding communities. If you’ve recently lost a loved one and aren’t sure where to start, contact us for a consultation.