RESOURCES
Handouts, documents, & more.
The information provided on this website does not, and is not intended to, constitute legal advice. Instead, ALL information, content, and materials available on this site are for general informational purposes only.
State & Local Resources
CA AARP
CAaarp@aarp.org
Website
CA Department of Aging
1-800-510-2020
Website
California Self-Help: Probate, Estates, and Wills
Website
Free State Resource to Answer Questions about Medicare
1-800-434-0222
Website
Law Help California
Website
Long-Term Care Ombudsman CRISISline
1-800-231-4024
AARP – Roseville
CAaarp@aarp.org
Website
Area 4 Agency on Aging
(916) 486-1876
1401 El Camino Avenue, 4th floor
Sacramento, California 95815
Website
Local Police Non-Emergency Line
PCSOWEB@placer.ca.gov
(530) 886-5375
Website
McGeorge Community Legal Services
PCSOWEB@placer.ca.gov
(916) 340-6080
3455 Fifth Ave.
Sacramento, CA 95817
Website
Placer Child Support Services
childsupport@pldcss.ca.gov
(866) 901-3212
Website
Placer County Adult Protective Services
(916) 787-8860
Website
Placer County District Attorney’s Office
infopcda@placer.ca.gov
(916) 543-8000
Website
Placer County Probate Court
(916) 408-6000 Option 4
Website
Sacramento County Law Library
reference@saclaw.org
(916) 874-6012
Website
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FAQs
Call our office at (916) 786 – 7515 or (805) 308-6118 between 9 AM and 5 PM (M – TH) and 9 AM – 2 PM (FR) or email info@seasonslaw.com.
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A living trust can avoid probate, if your assets have been re-titled into the name of the trust. The probate process is used to pass assets from one generation to the next in cases where the person has no documents, or only has a Will covering assets for an estate in excess of $166,250. Probate takes a minimum of six months, and frequently longer. The cost of probate is two-fold—Court costs in California are now about $1,500. The attorney’s fees and executor’s fees are based on the size of the estate.
The current annual exclusion (for 2020) for gifts is $16,000 per person per year, but if you give more than $16,000 in a single year, there is a reporting requirement that you report the gift to the IRS. The gift will not be taxable: it just starts to count against the $12,060,000 lifetime gift exemption for a single adult, or $24,120,000 exemption for a married couple. For 95% of people, the exemption maximums are never reached, so they never have to pay gift taxes.
The answer depends on whether the money has already been taxed. The estate of the person leaving the inheritance may be subject to estate taxes, if the total amount given exceeds $12,060,000, as explained above. For the person receiving the inheritance, the money is usually not considered income. However, if the money that you receive is from an IRA or 401K, and the original owner did not pay tax on the money, you (the beneficiary) will pay tax as you take it out of the account. You should contact a financial planner or a tax professional to learn about ways that you can spread the tax by taking distributions over a longer period of time.
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