Settle a parent’s living trust as successor trustee
A trust administered and closed: the statutory notice to heirs and beneficiaries mailed with proof of mailing inside the deadline, an EIN and trust account opened, date-of-death valuations recorded, every asset retitled or distributed, a written accounting delivered, and a signed receipt and release from each beneficiary.
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Who it's for
Adult children in the United States who have been named successor trustee of a parent’s funded revocable living trust and want to administer the estate themselves without hiring a probate attorney. Ideal for straightforward, consensual estates where all beneficiaries get along and the trust owns most of the parent’s assets. Not for contested trusts, insolvent estates, or trustees who need court approval to act.
About this playbook
This guide walks the successor trustee through the exact sequence California law requires to administer and close a parent’s funded revocable living trust without court supervision. You will identify the trust assets, mail the statutory notice to beneficiaries within the 60-day deadline, obtain an EIN, retitle every asset into the trust’s name, value the estate at date of death, file final income tax returns, deliver a written accounting, collect signed receipts and releases, and make final distributions. It covers funded trusts only — it does not cover unfunded trusts, probate, or litigation. Each step names the form, the authority, and the decision rule you need.
What you'll do, step by step
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Phase 1: Locate the trust documents and establish your authority as trustee
0/4Gather the documents you need before you can act: certified death certificates, the original trust and all amendments, proof of your appointment as successor trustee, and a complete picture of the decedent’s finances.
- 30 min
- 1 hour 30 min
- 1 hour
- 45 min
Phase 2: Notify all beneficiaries within the statutory deadline
3 stepsPhase 3: Inventory and value every trust asset at date of death
3 stepsPhase 4: Open the trust estate and retitle assets into the trust’s name
4 stepsPhase 5: Settle debts, file taxes, and handle creditor claims
4 stepsPhase 6: Account to beneficiaries, distribute assets, and close the trust
5 stepsDetails
What you need first
The original trust instrument and all amendments are in your possession. You have a computer, printer, scanner, and access to a notary public. The decedent’s mail is forwarded to you or you can collect it. You know the names and current mailing addresses of every beneficiary and heir. No court proceeding is active and no probate has been opened for this estate.
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