CONSERVATORSHIP ACCOUNTING

Conservatorship accounting — GC-400 filings prepared to California statute.

Annual, biennial, and final conservatorship accountings on Judicial Council form GC-400. California Probate Code §2620. Filed on time. Defensible under objection.

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What we do

A conservator of the estate has a statutory duty under California Probate Code §2620 to file a court accounting of the conservatee's finances — an initial accounting one year after appointment, then biennial (every two years) or on the schedule the court orders, then a final accounting when the conservatorship terminates.

The accounting is filed on Judicial Council form GC-400 (with schedules on GC-400A, GC-400B, GC-400C, etc.) and must include everything §1060-1064 requires: Summary of Account, Schedule of Receipts, Schedule of Disbursements, Schedule of Assets on Hand, gains, losses, and distributions. Rules of Court 7.575-7.577 govern format. LPS conservatorships of the estate follow the same accounting framework with additional public-agency reporting layered on.

We prepare conservatorship accountings for court-appointed conservators — professional (PFAC, NGA), family, and public-agency — and coordinate with counsel for filing at LA Superior Court and other California probate departments.

Who this is for

Professional conservators (PFAC / NGA) filing multiple annual or biennial accountings a year.
Family conservators appointed for an aging parent, adult sibling, or dependent adult.
LPS conservators of the estate with additional reporting duties.
Conservatorship attorneys who need a CPA firm to prepare the accounting while counsel manages the petition and hearing.

Deliverables

GC-400 Summary of Account — statutorily-formatted top sheet.
GC-400A / B / C schedules — receipts, disbursements, assets on hand, gains and losses.
Conservator's compensation calculation — statutory or as ordered by the court.
Bond premium and professional fee disclosures.
Supporting workpaper packet — bank statements, brokerage statements, receipts, and Social Security / pension income records.
Filing-ready evidentiary packet delivered to counsel via encrypted Egnyte.

Frequently asked

Q: When is the first conservatorship accounting due?

A: Under Probate Code §2620, the first accounting is due one year after the conservator's appointment. After that, accountings are due biennially — every two years — unless the court orders a different interval. A final accounting is required on termination (death of the conservatee, restoration of capacity, or resignation of the conservator).

Q: What forms are required?

A: The Summary of Account is filed on GC-400 with schedules on the GC-400A / B / C series. A cover petition (GC-405 for periodic, or the applicable termination form for final) accompanies it. We prepare the accounting and schedules; counsel prepares the petition.

Q: How is conservator compensation calculated?

A: Conservator compensation is set by the court and typically follows a reasonable-fee standard based on services rendered, disclosed on the accounting. Professional conservators generally bill hourly with the court's approval; family conservators may take modest compensation or waive it. We disclose the compensation claimed and support it with time records where applicable.

Q: How do LPS conservatorships differ?

A: LPS (Lanterman-Petris-Short) conservatorships of the person are for individuals with grave disabilities from mental illness; LPS conservatorships of the estate handle finances for those individuals. The accounting duty under Probate Code §2620 still applies — with additional reporting requirements to the public conservator or investigator's office depending on county practice.

Q: What happens if an accounting is objected to?

A: Beneficiaries, family members, and the court investigator can raise objections. As preparer of record we appear to answer questions and, if necessary, testify at hearing. Our workpapers are built to defend the schedule-line-by-line — every entry sourced, every reconciliation preserved.

Q: How much does a conservatorship accounting cost?

A: Fixed-fee, quoted per engagement. Simple annual accountings start around $2,500. Multi-year, complex-asset, or contested accountings scale with volume. Fixed quote before work begins.

The conservatee is counting on the numbers. So is the court.

GC-400 conservatorship accountings prepared to California Probate Code §2620. Annual, biennial, and final. Fixed-fee quote in one call.