diff --git a/packages/react-router/tests/router.test.tsx b/packages/react-router/tests/router.test.tsx
index 052dafa377..61f5370c03 100644
--- a/packages/react-router/tests/router.test.tsx
+++ b/packages/react-router/tests/router.test.tsx
@@ -2484,6 +2484,255 @@ describe('statusCode', () => {
   )
 })
 
+describe('notFound in beforeLoad with pendingComponent', () => {
+  it('should transition router.state.status to idle when child beforeLoad throws notFound and parent has pendingComponent with pendingMs: 0', async () => {
+    const history = createMemoryHistory({ initialEntries: ['/'] })
+
+    const rootRoute = createRootRoute({
+      component: () => <Outlet />,
+      notFoundComponent: () => (
+        <div data-testid="root-not-found">Root Not Found</div>
+      ),
+    })
+
+    const indexRoute = createRoute({
+      getParentRoute: () => rootRoute,
+      path: '/',
+      component: () => (
+        <div data-testid="home-page">
+          <Link to="/parent/child">Go to child</Link>
+        </div>
+      ),
+    })
+
+    const parentRoute = createRoute({
+      getParentRoute: () => rootRoute,
+      path: '/parent',
+      pendingMs: 0,
+      pendingComponent: () => (
+        <div data-testid="pending-component">Loading...</div>
+      ),
+      component: () => (
+        <div data-testid="parent-component">
+          Parent
+          <Outlet />
+        </div>
+      ),
+      notFoundComponent: () => (
+        <div data-testid="parent-not-found">Parent Not Found</div>
+      ),
+    })
+
+    const childRoute = createRoute({
+      getParentRoute: () => parentRoute,
+      path: '/child',
+      beforeLoad: () => {
+        throw notFound()
+      },
+      component: () => <div data-testid="child-component">Child</div>,
+    })
+
+    const routeTree = rootRoute.addChildren([
+      indexRoute,
+      parentRoute.addChildren([childRoute]),
+    ])
+    const router = createRouter({ routeTree, history })
+
+    render(<RouterProvider router={router} />)
+
+    // Wait for initial load
+    await act(() => router.latestLoadPromise)
+    expect(router.state.status).toBe('idle')
+    expect(screen.getByTestId('home-page')).toBeInTheDocument()
+
+    // Navigate to the child route that throws notFound in beforeLoad
+    await act(() => router.navigate({ to: '/parent/child' }))
+
+    // The router status should eventually become idle
+    await waitFor(() => {
+      expect(router.state.status).toBe('idle')
+    })
+
+    expect(router.state.statusCode).toBe(404)
+  })
+
+  it('should transition router.state.status to idle when child beforeLoad throws notFound and parent has NO pendingComponent', async () => {
+    const history = createMemoryHistory({ initialEntries: ['/'] })
+
+    const rootRoute = createRootRoute({
+      notFoundComponent: () => (
+        <div data-testid="root-not-found">Root Not Found</div>
+      ),
+    })
+
+    const indexRoute = createRoute({
+      getParentRoute: () => rootRoute,
+      path: '/',
+      component: () => <div data-testid="home-page">Home</div>,
+    })
+
+    // Direct child of root (no intermediate parent)
+    const childRoute = createRoute({
+      getParentRoute: () => rootRoute,
+      path: '/child',
+      beforeLoad: () => {
+        throw notFound()
+      },
+      component: () => <div data-testid="child-component">Child</div>,
+      notFoundComponent: () => (
+        <div data-testid="child-not-found">Child Not Found</div>
+      ),
+    })
+
+    const routeTree = rootRoute.addChildren([indexRoute, childRoute])
+    const router = createRouter({ routeTree, history })
+
+    render(<RouterProvider router={router} />)
+
+    await act(() => router.latestLoadPromise)
+    expect(router.state.status).toBe('idle')
+
+    await act(() => router.navigate({ to: '/child' }))
+
+    await waitFor(() => {
+      expect(router.state.status).toBe('idle')
+    })
+
+    expect(router.state.statusCode).toBe(404)
+  })
+
+  it('should transition router.state.status to idle when nested child beforeLoad throws notFound WITHOUT pendingComponent', async () => {
+    const history = createMemoryHistory({ initialEntries: ['/'] })
+
+    const rootRoute = createRootRoute({
+      component: () => <Outlet />,
+      notFoundComponent: () => (
+        <div data-testid="root-not-found">Root Not Found</div>
+      ),
+    })
+
+    const indexRoute = createRoute({
+      getParentRoute: () => rootRoute,
+      path: '/',
+      component: () => <div data-testid="home-page">Home</div>,
+    })
+
+    const parentRoute = createRoute({
+      getParentRoute: () => rootRoute,
+      path: '/parent',
+      component: () => (
+        <div data-testid="parent-component">
+          Parent
+          <Outlet />
+        </div>
+      ),
+      notFoundComponent: () => (
+        <div data-testid="parent-not-found">Parent Not Found</div>
+      ),
+    })
+
+    const childRoute = createRoute({
+      getParentRoute: () => parentRoute,
+      path: '/child',
+      beforeLoad: () => {
+        throw notFound()
+      },
+      component: () => <div data-testid="child-component">Child</div>,
+    })
+
+    const routeTree = rootRoute.addChildren([
+      indexRoute,
+      parentRoute.addChildren([childRoute]),
+    ])
+    const router = createRouter({ routeTree, history })
+
+    render(<RouterProvider router={router} />)
+
+    await act(() => router.latestLoadPromise)
+    expect(router.state.status).toBe('idle')
+
+    await act(() => router.navigate({ to: '/parent/child' }))
+
+    await waitFor(() => {
+      expect(router.state.status).toBe('idle')
+    })
+
+    expect(router.state.statusCode).toBe(404)
+  })
+
+  it('should transition router.state.status to idle when child async beforeLoad throws notFound and parent has pendingComponent with pendingMs: 0', async () => {
+    const history = createMemoryHistory({ initialEntries: ['/'] })
+
+    const rootRoute = createRootRoute({
+      component: () => <Outlet />,
+      notFoundComponent: () => (
+        <div data-testid="root-not-found">Root Not Found</div>
+      ),
+    })
+
+    const indexRoute = createRoute({
+      getParentRoute: () => rootRoute,
+      path: '/',
+      component: () => (
+        <div data-testid="home-page">
+          <Link to="/parent/child">Go to child</Link>
+        </div>
+      ),
+    })
+
+    const parentRoute = createRoute({
+      getParentRoute: () => rootRoute,
+      path: '/parent',
+      pendingMs: 0,
+      pendingComponent: () => (
+        <div data-testid="pending-component">Loading...</div>
+      ),
+      component: () => (
+        <div data-testid="parent-component">
+          Parent
+          <Outlet />
+        </div>
+      ),
+      notFoundComponent: () => (
+        <div data-testid="parent-not-found">Parent Not Found</div>
+      ),
+    })
+
+    const childRoute = createRoute({
+      getParentRoute: () => parentRoute,
+      path: '/child',
+      beforeLoad: async () => {
+        await new Promise((resolve) => setTimeout(resolve, 10))
+        throw notFound()
+      },
+      component: () => <div data-testid="child-component">Child</div>,
+    })
+
+    const routeTree = rootRoute.addChildren([
+      indexRoute,
+      parentRoute.addChildren([childRoute]),
+    ])
+    const router = createRouter({ routeTree, history })
+
+    render(<RouterProvider router={router} />)
+
+    // Wait for initial load
+    await act(() => router.latestLoadPromise)
+    expect(router.state.status).toBe('idle')
+    expect(screen.getByTestId('home-page')).toBeInTheDocument()
+
+    // Navigate to the child route that throws notFound in beforeLoad
+    await act(() => router.navigate({ to: '/parent/child' }))
+
+    // The router status should eventually become idle
+    await waitFor(() => {
+      expect(router.state.status).toBe('idle')
+    })
+
+    expect(router.state.statusCode).toBe(404)
+  })
+})
+
 describe('Router rewrite functionality', () => {
   it('should rewrite URLs using input before router interprets them', async () => {
     const rootRoute = createRootRoute({
diff --git a/packages/router-core/src/load-matches.ts b/packages/router-core/src/load-matches.ts
index 4523276d6a..838d77e9d3 100644
--- a/packages/router-core/src/load-matches.ts
+++ b/packages/router-core/src/load-matches.ts
@@ -74,7 +74,11 @@ const buildMatchContext = (
   return context
 }
 
-const _handleNotFound = (inner: InnerLoadContext, err: NotFoundError) => {
+const _handleNotFound = (
+  inner: InnerLoadContext,
+  err: NotFoundError,
+  routerCode?: string,
+) => {
   // Find the route that should handle the not found error
   // First check if a specific route is requested to show the error
   const routeCursor =
@@ -90,11 +94,19 @@ const _handleNotFound = (inner: InnerLoadContext, err: NotFoundError) => {
     ).defaultNotFoundComponent
   }
 
-  // Ensure we have a notFoundComponent
-  invariant(
-    routeCursor.options.notFoundComponent,
-    'No notFoundComponent found. Please set a notFoundComponent on your route or provide a defaultNotFoundComponent to the router.',
-  )
+  // For BEFORE_LOAD errors that will walk up to a parent route,
+  // don't require notFoundComponent on the current (child) route —
+  // an ancestor will handle it. Only enforce the invariant when
+  // we've reached a route that won't walk up further.
+  const willWalkUp = routerCode === 'BEFORE_LOAD' && routeCursor.parentRoute
+
+  if (!willWalkUp) {
+    // Ensure we have a notFoundComponent
+    invariant(
+      routeCursor.options.notFoundComponent,
+      'No notFoundComponent found. Please set a notFoundComponent on your route or provide a defaultNotFoundComponent to the router.',
+    )
+  }
 
   // Find the match for this route
   const matchForRoute = inner.matches.find((m) => m.routeId === routeCursor.id)
@@ -109,9 +121,9 @@ const _handleNotFound = (inner: InnerLoadContext, err: NotFoundError) => {
     isFetching: false,
   }))
 
-  if ((err as any).routerCode === 'BEFORE_LOAD' && routeCursor.parentRoute) {
-    err.routeId = routeCursor.parentRoute.id
-    _handleNotFound(inner, err)
+  if (willWalkUp) {
+    err.routeId = routeCursor.parentRoute!.id
+    _handleNotFound(inner, err, routerCode)
   }
 }
 
@@ -119,6 +131,7 @@ const handleRedirectAndNotFound = (
   inner: InnerLoadContext,
   match: AnyRouteMatch | undefined,
   err: unknown,
+  routerCode?: string,
 ): void => {
   if (!isRedirect(err) && !isNotFound(err)) return
 
@@ -159,7 +172,7 @@ const handleRedirectAndNotFound = (
     err = inner.router.resolveRedirect(err)
     throw err
   } else {
-    _handleNotFound(inner, err)
+    _handleNotFound(inner, err, routerCode)
     throw err
   }
 }
@@ -199,13 +212,23 @@ const handleSerialError = (
 
   err.routerCode = routerCode
   inner.firstBadMatchIndex ??= index
-  handleRedirectAndNotFound(inner, inner.router.getMatch(matchId), err)
+  handleRedirectAndNotFound(
+    inner,
+    inner.router.getMatch(matchId),
+    err,
+    routerCode,
+  )
 
   try {
     route.options.onError?.(err)
   } catch (errorHandlerErr) {
     err = errorHandlerErr
-    handleRedirectAndNotFound(inner, inner.router.getMatch(matchId), err)
+    handleRedirectAndNotFound(
+      inner,
+      inner.router.getMatch(matchId),
+      err,
+      routerCode,
+    )
   }
 
   inner.updateMatch(matchId, (prev) => {