DE-300 is the Judicial Council of California form that lists the maximum dollar values a decedent's estate, or specific property in it, may have to qualify for a small estate set-aside or for disposition without full administration. It is used with the affidavits and petition that rely on those limits, and it must be attached to them when the decedent died on or after April 1, 2022. On this page you can fill out the form online on FillingPDF and download or print the completed PDF; the original is published by the Judicial Council at courts.ca.gov.
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What is DE-300?
Form DE-300 is the Judicial Council of California form that lists the maximum dollar values of a decedent's estate, or of specific property in it, at the date of death, for deciding eligibility for a small estate set-aside or disposition without administration.
The form is a table with two columns of values. The left column applies to property of a decedent who died between April 1, 2022, and March 31, 2025. The right column applies to a decedent who died on or after April 1, 2025. For a death before April 1, 2022, the form sends you to the Self-Help Guide to the California Courts at https://selfhelp.courts.ca.gov/.
It covers two groups of limits:
- Line 1: the small estate set-aside for the surviving spouse and minor children, under Probate Code sections 6600–6613.
- Line 2: disposition of the estate without administration, under sections 13000–13606, with limits for lines 2a through 2e (excluded compensation, the affidavit for personal property, the petition on a primary residence, the affidavit for real property of small value, and compensation owed to a deceased spouse).
The values are adjusted under Prob. Code, § 890(b), using the change in the United States city average of the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers over the three years ending December 31, 2024, rounded to the nearest $25. Unless a statute provides otherwise, the next adjustment is April 1, 2028. The Judicial Council marks the form as adopted for mandatory use. The California courts' Self-Help site also offers it in Chinese Simplified, Korean, Spanish and Vietnamese.
Who needs to file DE-300?
People who rely on one of the California small-estate procedures listed on the form use DE-300 to check the value limits and, when the decedent died on or after April 1, 2022, to attach it to their paperwork.
The form states that it must be attached to:
- an affidavit or declaration furnished under Probate Code section 13101;
- a Petition to Determine Succession to Primary Residence (form DE-310) filed under Probate Code section 13151;
- an Affidavit re: Real Property of Small Value (form DE-305) filed under Probate Code section 13200; or
- an affidavit or declaration furnished under Probate Code section 13601.
It also serves anyone asking for an order setting the estate aside for the decedent's surviving spouse and minor children (line 1).
Exclusions and conditions: for a decedent who died before April 1, 2022, the values on this form do not apply, and the form points to the Self-Help Guide instead. The limit on line 2e does not apply if the decedent was a firefighter or peace officer described in Government Code section 22820(a). The form does not say who may sign the affidavits or petition it accompanies.
When to file DE-300
DE-300 has no due date of its own: you attach it whenever you furnish or file one of the documents named in its NOTICE, if the decedent died on or after April 1, 2022. Those documents are an affidavit or declaration under Probate Code section 13101, Form DE-310, Form DE-305, or an affidavit or declaration under section 13601.
The date that matters for the values is the decedent's date of death, not the filing date. Deaths between April 1, 2022, and March 31, 2025 use the left column; deaths on or after April 1, 2025 use the right column. The form says the values will next be adjusted April 1, 2028, unless a statute provides otherwise after April 1, 2025, so check for a newer revision before relying on it after that date.
How to fill out DE-300
Confirm the decedent's date of death
Everything on DE-300 depends on the date of death. Values for deaths before April 1, 2022 are not on this form; the Self-Help Guide at https://selfhelp.courts.ca.gov/ has them.
Pick the correct value column
Use the left column for a death between April 1, 2022, and March 31, 2025, and the right column for a death on or after April 1, 2025.
Check the line 1 set-aside limit
Line 1 (Probate Code §§ 6602, 6609) caps the net value of the estate for an order setting it aside for the surviving spouse and minor children. The net value excludes liens, encumbrances and any probate homestead set apart under section 6520.
Check the line 2 limits that apply
Line 2 covers disposition without administration: 2a excluded compensation, 2b the affidavit for personal property, 2c the petition on a primary residence, 2d real property of small value and 2e compensation owed to a deceased spouse.
Apply the exclusions on each line
Lines 2b and 2d leave out property described in Probate Code section 13050; line 2b also leaves out property in a section 13151 petition. Line 2e does not apply to a firefighter or peace officer described in Government Code section 22820(a).
Match the form to your document
Decide which document DE-300 goes with: a section 13101 affidavit or declaration, Form DE-310, Form DE-305, or a section 13601 affidavit or declaration.
Review, fill out and download the PDF
Check the revision (Rev. April 28, 2025) and that the correct column was used. Fill out any part of the PDF you need online on FillingPDF, then download or print it and attach it to your document as described under How to submit.
How to submit DE-300
DE-300 is not submitted on its own. The form names no filing channel, address or portal of its own: it is attached to the affidavit, declaration or petition it supports.
- Attach it to the supporting document: place the completed DE-300 with the section 13101 affidavit or declaration, Form DE-310, Form DE-305, or the section 13601 affidavit or declaration, whichever you are using.
- Submit the package as that document requires: the delivery rules belong to the affidavit or petition, so follow the instructions for that document.
- Get the form itself: the Judicial Council publishes the PDF at https://www.courts.ca.gov/documents/de300.pdf, and the PDF includes Print this form and Save this form buttons.
FillingPDF lets you fill out and download the PDF; submission follows the channels of the document you attach it to.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Reading the wrong column: the left column is for deaths between April 1, 2022, and March 31, 2025, and the right column is for deaths on or after April 1, 2025.
- Using DE-300 values for a decedent who died before April 1, 2022; the form directs you to the Self-Help Guide to the California Courts for those values.
- Leaving DE-300 off the package when the decedent died on or after April 1, 2022 and you file a section 13101 affidavit, Form DE-310, Form DE-305 or a section 13601 affidavit.
- Counting liens and encumbrances, or a probate homestead set apart under Probate Code section 6520, in the net value for the line 1 set-aside; the form excludes them.
- Including property described in Probate Code section 13050 when testing the gross-value limits on lines 2b and 2d; the form excludes it.
- Counting property in a section 13151 petition toward the line 2b personal property limit; the form excludes it.
- Applying the line 2e limit to the compensation of a deceased firefighter or peace officer described in Government Code section 22820(a); the limit does not apply to them.
- Relying on these values after April 1, 2028 without checking for a newer revision; the form states that is the next scheduled adjustment.
Frequently asked questions
What is the DE-300 form used for?
DE-300 lists the maximum dollar values of a decedent's estate or specific property, as of the date of death, that decide eligibility for a small estate set-aside for a surviving spouse and minor children, or for disposition of the estate without full administration. It is issued by the Judicial Council of California.
Which column of DE-300 applies to my case?
It depends on the date of death. The left column applies to a decedent who died between April 1, 2022, and March 31, 2025. The right column applies to a decedent who died on or after April 1, 2025. Earlier deaths are not covered; see the Self-Help Guide to the California Courts.
Do I have to attach DE-300 to other probate forms?
Yes, if the decedent died on or after April 1, 2022. The form says to attach it to a section 13101 affidavit or declaration, a petition on Form DE-310, an affidavit on Form DE-305, or a section 13601 affidavit or declaration.
When will the DE-300 values change next?
The form states the values will next be adjusted April 1, 2028, unless a statute provides otherwise after April 1, 2025. The adjustments follow the Consumer Price Index change under Probate Code section 890(b), rounded to the nearest $25.
Where do I find the values for a death before April 1, 2022?
Not on this revision of DE-300. The form directs you to the Self-Help Guide to the California Courts at https://selfhelp.courts.ca.gov/ for the values that apply to property of a decedent who died before April 1, 2022.
Is DE-300 available in Spanish or other languages?
Yes. The California courts' Self-Help page for DE-300 offers it in Chinese Simplified, Korean, Spanish and Vietnamese. The English form is the one published at courts.ca.gov/documents/de300.pdf.
Does the line 2e limit apply to firefighters and peace officers?
No. The form says the line 2e limit on compensation owed to a deceased spouse does not apply if the decedent was a firefighter or peace officer described in Government Code section 22820(a).
Can I fill out DE-300 online on FillingPDF?
Yes, you can fill out the PDF online on FillingPDF and download or print it. FillingPDF is an independent service and does not file anything with a court; you attach DE-300 to your affidavit or petition and submit that document as it requires.
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