SACRAMENTO – State Controller John Chiang announced that his office will be conducting qualifying examinations for Probate Referee appointments in Northern and Southern California on Oct. 18.

The probate referee is a state-appointed official whose job is to appraise most assets in a probate estate.

The probate referee appraises all property and assets except cash. There is a minimum of one probate referee in each county, while larger counties have more than one.

“I want to make this public service opportunity available to as many financial professionals as possible. We are looking for candidates with diverse backgrounds who want to help their communities by providing this important service,” said Chiang. “Please encourage your friends and colleagues who are interested in becoming a Probate Referee to apply and take the exam.”

Probate referees have been proudly assisting the courts, attorneys and the public for more than 68 years.

A probate referee is appointed to a panel in the county of his or her residence by the state controller for a term of four years.

Applicants must possess threshold academic and/or relevant professional experience in order to take the examination and be considered for appointment.

Applicants must meet at least one of the following:

– Bachelor’s degree plus at least 30 class hours in appraisal/valuation classes; or
– 2,000 hours of experience within the last four years appraising real and/or personal property; or
– Certified as an appraiser by the California Office of Real Estate Appraisers, the Appraisal Institute or the American Society of Appraisers; or
– Attorney with a minimum of three years as a member of the California State Bar, or
– Certified Public Accountant with a minimum of three years as a licensed CPA in California.

There are about 114 Probate Referee positions on county panels statewide; currently, approximately 25 of these positions will be available for re-appointment.

All applications must be received by Oct. 10.

Applicants must also submit five letters of recommendation from references listed on their applications. Those letters must be received no later than Oct. 24.

Individuals interested in becoming probate referees may obtain an application by emailing This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call (916) 263-3624 and select option No. 7 and then No. 5.

The application and testing information is available at www.cpshr.us or www.sco.ca.gov .

Please return completed applications, along with a nonrefundable check or money order for $75 made payable to the State Controller’s Office, to CPS HR Consulting, Attention: Probate Referee Program, 241 Lathrop Way, Sacramento, CA 95815.

The five letters of recommendation must be received by the State Controller’s Office by Oct. 24. Please send the letters to State Controller’s Office, Probate Referee Program, Attn: Amber Camarena, 300 Capitol Mall, Suite 1850, Sacramento, CA 95814.