Change your living trust without redoing it
Life changed — a marriage, a divorce, a new grandchild, or a change of heart about who gets what — and now your living trust needs to match. We prepare the amendment that updates your existing trust correctly, so the change actually holds. Flat fee from $300.
About Quinnie Do
Quinnie Do founded TruPoint Legal LLC and holds three California credentials: Registered Legal Document Assistant, Registered IRS Tax Preparer, and Commissioned Notary Public. A native Vietnamese speaker, she leads a trilingual team serving English, Vietnamese, and Spanish-speaking clients across all 58 California counties.
On trust amendments: Quinnie has prepared thousands of California estate and property documents, and because she is a commissioned notary she can notarize your amendment right in the San Jose office.
What a living trust amendment actually does
A living trust amendment is a separate document that changes specific terms of an existing revocable living trust without redoing the whole plan. It’s how you add or remove a beneficiary, change a successor trustee, update how assets are divided, or adjust a specific gift — while the original trust stays in place. Because the trust is revocable, you can change it as many times as life requires.
To hold up, an amendment has to identify the original trust correctly, state the change clearly, and be signed and notarized with the same care as the trust itself. A handwritten note in the margin or a do-it-yourself edit is exactly what a disappointed heir later challenges. TruPoint Legal prepares the amendment to match your trust and your wishes for a flat fee from $300 — a fraction of the $1,000–$2,000 a California attorney typically charges to amend or restate a trust.
Prepared and reviewed by Quinnie Do, Registered Legal Document Assistant #268, Santa Clara County (verify ↗).
Life changed — your trust should too
Recognize your situation below. You tell us what changed; we prepare the amendment that reflects it.
If you’re adding or removing a beneficiary
A new child or grandchild to include, or someone you no longer wish to leave a share to.
If your successor trustee has changed
The person you named to manage the trust has moved, passed away, or is no longer the right choice.
If your wishes on the split have shifted
Change the shares, add conditions or ages, or redirect a specific gift as your wishes evolve.
If you’ve married or divorced
A new spouse to include, or an ex-spouse and their family to remove from the plan.
If there’s been a death in the family
A named beneficiary or trustee has passed, and the trust needs to name who now takes their place.
If your property or address changed
You sold, bought, or moved, and the details named in the trust need to be brought current.
Why a handwritten edit can undo the whole plan
It’s tempting to cross out a name, write in a new one, and initial it. But a marked-up trust, a loose note, or a do-it-yourself amendment that doesn’t reference the original correctly is exactly what a disappointed heir points to when contesting the plan — arguing it was never validly changed, or that it’s ambiguous which version controls.
An amendment has to name the trust, state the change clearly, and be executed with the trust’s formalities. We prepare it so the change is unmistakable and holds up — you decide what the change is; we put it in the form that lasts.
A small change, or a fresh rewrite?
Both keep your original trust — and its date — in force, so you never have to re-fund it. We prepare whichever fits the change you’re making.
Trust amendment
- Best for one or a handful of clean changes
- Adds a document that references and modifies the original
- Signed and notarized to match the trust’s formalities
- Keeps the trust and its funding intact
Trust restatement
- Best when the changes are many or run throughout the trust
- Rewrites the terms while keeping the original trust and its date
- Cleaner than a stack of separate amendments over the years
- Still avoids re-funding, because the trust itself continues
Know the price before we begin
A California attorney typically charges $1,000–$2,000 to amend or restate a trust, often by the hour. We do it flat, with no hourly billing and no surprise fees — your exact fee is confirmed before any work starts.
Trust amendment — one or a few clean changes to an existing revocable living trust.
- Amendment drafted to reference your original trust
- Your change stated clearly and unambiguously
- Prepared for signing and notarization in our office
- Notary $15 per signature, itemized separately
Trust restatement — for many or substantial changes, rewritten while keeping your original trust and its date.
- Flat quote confirmed in writing before we begin
- Cleaner than years of stacked amendments
- No re-funding — the trust itself continues
If your change involves adding or moving real property, a separate trust funding deed may be needed — a flat $325 per property, itemized and never bundled into the amendment. See every deed we prepare and e-record on our deed transfer and recording hub.
Why a template edit often fails in court
A downloaded amendment form looks simple. The risk is in the details that make it valid — and in what an heir can later contest.
A DIY or template amendment
- May not reference the original trust’s exact name and date
- Can conflict with terms you meant to keep
- Ambiguity over which version controls invites a contest
- Handwritten edits can be argued to be invalid
TruPoint prepares it
- Drafted to reference your original trust correctly
- Your change stated clearly, without conflicting terms
- Signed and notarized in our office to match formalities
- Reviewed by a human Registered Legal Document Assistant
Your amendment prepared in four steps
You start the intake
You tell us your trust’s exact name and date and the change you want on our online intake form.
We review the trust
We read your existing trust so the amendment references it correctly and doesn’t conflict with terms you’re keeping.
We prepare it
We draft the amendment stating your change clearly, and confirm whether an amendment or a restatement fits before you sign.
Sign & notarize
You sign before our in-office notary and keep the executed amendment with your original trust documents.
Verify who prepares your amendment
TruPoint Legal is operated by Quinnie Do, a Registered Legal Document Assistant bonded in Santa Clara County and an active member of the California Association of Legal Document Assistants. Both registrations are public — verify them directly before you commit.
Trusted by California families
“Quinnie was extremely helpful and professional. She made sure everything had been done correctly and in a timely manner. The fee was very reasonable. Highly recommend.”
“Great experience working with TruPoint Legal. Fast turnaround, fair pricing, and the documents were prepared correctly the first time. Would use again.”
“Professional, knowledgeable, and responsive. They handled our property paperwork smoothly and explained every step. Excellent service at a fair price.”
Your amendment has to be notarized
An amendment should be signed and notarized so its validity isn’t left open to question. Our sister office, Fingerscan Digital, provides in-office and mobile notary service at the same San Jose address — so your amendment can be prepared, signed, and notarized in one visit.
Amending your trust, answered plainly
What is a living trust amendment?
How much does it cost to amend a living trust in California?
Can I just cross out a name and write in a new one?
What’s the difference between an amendment and a restatement?
Do I need to re-fund my trust after an amendment?
Can I change my successor trustee with an amendment?
How many times can I amend my living trust?
Does an amendment need to be notarized?
Can a Legal Document Assistant prepare a trust amendment?
Do you help clients outside San Jose?
Also available in Tiếng Việt · Español · We speak English
Keep your whole plan current
Update your trust the right way
Tell us your trust’s name and the change you want. We confirm your flat fee up front, prepare the amendment to match your trust, and have it ready to sign and notarize in our San Jose office.
Amend your trustFlat fee from $300
Start My Amendment