What is an inventory and appraisal in California probate?

A single document, filed with the court, listing property to be administered in the estate together with its date-of-death value. The personal representative prepares the list and appraises the property section 8901 assigns to them; the probate referee appraises other property except where another statute permits an independent expert.

Who is the probate referee?

An appraiser designated by the court, not chosen by the family. Under Probate Code section 8902 the representative delivers the inventory to the designated referee with the supporting data, and the referee appraises all property the representative does not appraise personally.

What does a probate referee charge?

Section 8961 sets a commission of one-tenth of one percent of the value the referee appraises, excluding property valued by the representative or an independent expert, plus actual and necessary expenses. Section 8963 ordinarily sets a $75 minimum and $10,000 maximum, though a court may allow more on the referee's application.

What has to be listed in the inventory?

All property to be administered, with money owed to the decedent specified debtor by debtor, any partnership interest appraised as a single item, and all cash items. The inventory must also show, so far as ascertainable, which portions are community, quasi-community and separate property.

Why does the appraised value matter so much?

Because the statutory fee is calculated on it. Attorney and representative compensation runs on the gross inventory value before any mortgage is deducted, so the appraisal decides what the estate pays as well as what the beneficiaries are told the estate is worth.

What if I disagree with the referee's valuation?

Raise it with the referee first, with evidence — a comparable sale, a competing appraisal, a defect the referee could not see. The valuation can be challenged in court, but a documented conversation resolves most disputes at far lower cost.

Inventory and Appraisal in California Probate

The inventory and appraisal lists property administered in a California estate and gives it a date-of-death value. The personal representative appraises the items section 8901 assigns to them; a court-designated probate referee generally appraises the rest, subject to statutory exceptions. The filing is ordinarily due within four months after letters.

An open ledger with handwritten entries in columns, a pen resting in the gutter. — The inventory fixes the starting values used for administration, reporting and the ordinary-compensation calculation.

This is the step most first-time representatives underestimate. It reads like an administrative formality — make a list, file it — and it is in fact the document that fixes the number every later figure is calculated from. It is also the step where an outside appraiser you did not choose values the family home.

What has to be on it

Probate Code section 8850 governs the contents. The inventory, including any partial or supplemental inventory, must include all property to be administered in the decedent’s estate, and must particularly specify three things: money owed to the decedent, including debts, bonds and notes, with the name of each debtor and the relevant dates; the decedent’s interest in any partnership, appraised as a single item; and all money and other cash items. The inventory must also show, to the extent the personal representative can ascertain it, which portions of the property are community, quasi-community and separate property. Section 8800 supplies the filing rule: a combined inventory and appraisal is due within four months after letters are first issued to a general personal representative, although the court may allow reasonable additional time. Partial filings are permitted, but all inventories and appraisals must be filed within the time the court has allowed; later-discovered property may require a supplemental filing under the code.

Sources: Probate Code s.8850 - What the inventory must contain · Probate Code s.8800 - Inventory and appraisal, four-month deadline · Verified 2026-09-01.

Who values what

Section 8900 provides that appraisal is made by the personal representative, probate referee, or an independent expert as the chapter directs. Section 8901 assigns the representative money and other cash items, financial accounts, cash deposits and money-market funds, and certain lump-sum insurance, retirement and annuity proceeds, unless the representative believes face value differs from fair market value. Under section 8902, the representative delivers the inventory and supporting data to the probate referee designated by the court, and the referee appraises the other property except where another statute provides otherwise, including the independent-expert procedure in section 8904.

Sources: Probate Code s.8900 - Who appraises the property in the inventory · Probate Code s.8902 - Delivering the inventory to the probate referee · Probate Code s.8904 - Independent expert appraisal · Verified 2026-09-01.

The forms, and what the referee costs

The filing is made on Judicial Council form DE-160, Inventory and Appraisal, with itemized property on DE-161 attachments. Attachment 1 carries property the personal representative appraises; Attachment 2 carries property for the probate referee. Download the current forms from California Courts rather than reusing an old copy. Section 8961 gives the referee a commission of one-tenth of one percent of the value of property the referee appraises, excluding property appraised by the representative under section 8901 or an independent expert under section 8904, plus actual and necessary expenses shown in a verified account. Section 8963 ordinarily sets a $75 minimum and $10,000 maximum; the court may approve more on the referee’s application if the reasonable value of the services exceeds the cap.

Sources: Form DE-160 - Inventory and Appraisal · Probate Code s.8961 - What the probate referee is paid · Probate Code s.8963 - The floor and ceiling on the referee’s commission · Verified 2026-09-01.

A separate change in ownership statement goes to the county assessor wherever the decedent owned California real property. Section 8800 requires the inventory to certify that this has been done, or that there was no California real property to report.

Why the number matters more than it looks

Ordinary statutory compensation for the personal representative and, separately, the estate’s attorney is calculated from the value of the estate accounted for. The inventory supplies the starting values, but later receipts, gains and losses can affect the final account. Encumbrances are not deducted when valuing the property for the statutory formula: a house appraised at $900,000 with $600,000 owing begins with a $900,000 value, not $300,000 of equity. The fee schedule explains the statutory base, and the calculator shows the ordinary fee against equity.

Where this sits in the administration

The inventory is the third of the early obligations, after being appointed and giving notice. It runs in parallel with the creditor period rather than after it: see the probate timeline for how the two four-month clocks overlap, and executor duties for the obligations either side of this one. If the estate is going to sell the property, the appraised value also becomes the reference point for court confirmation and the ninety percent rule.

If the inventory never arrives

A representative who does not file within the allowed time should be asked whether the court granted an extension and whether a partial inventory is on file. The inventory is a court filing, so its status can be checked. An omitted asset may call for a supplemental inventory; where another person claims title or holds property the estate claims, a section 850 petition may be the appropriate title proceeding. An unexplained delay, omission or valuation can become a contested probate issue, but the remedy depends on why the item is missing.

The Probate Code sections behind this page

Each section links to its official text at the California Legislature’s own site. The full index of sections covers the rest of the Code.

Probate Code section 8850: What the inventory must contain. Read section 8850
Probate Code section 8900: Who appraises the property in the inventory. Read section 8900
Probate Code section 8902: Delivering the inventory to the probate referee. Read section 8902
Probate Code section 8904: Independent expert appraisal. Read section 8904
Probate Code section 8961: What the probate referee is paid. Read section 8961
Probate Code section 8963: The floor and ceiling on the referee’s commission. Read section 8963

Also cited above, explained elsewhere on this site

Probate Code section 8800: Inventory and appraisal, four-month deadline. Where section 8800 is explained