How Much Does Estate Planning Cost in 2026?
Short answer: Estate planning costs anywhere from $0 (a free will from FreeWill) to $5,000+ for a full attorney-prepared plan. Typically: an attorney-drafted will costs $300–$1,000 (median $625), a revocable living trust package costs $1,500–$3,500 (median $2,475), and a complete estate plan with a lawyer runs $2,000–$5,000. What you pay depends on one decision: will only, or a trust as well.
"Estate planning" sounds like something only rich people do. It is not. It is the paperwork that decides who gets your house, your savings, and your kids if something happens to you — and who makes medical decisions for you if you cannot make them yourself. This guide prices every document, compares the DIY, online, and lawyer routes, and shows the one cost that dwarfs all the others: probate.
Estate Planning Cost by Document
| Document | What it does | DIY / online cost | Attorney cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Simple will | Says who gets your assets | $0–$50 template; $99–$250 online | $300–$1,000 (median $625) |
| Will package (will + POAs + directives) | Will + POAs + healthcare directive | $199–$299 online (couple) | $1,000–$1,500 |
| Revocable living trust | Holds assets, avoids probate | $499–$599 online (couple) | $1,500–$3,500 individual; $2,000–$4,500 couple |
| Full estate plan (trust package) | Trust + pour-over will + POAs + directives | $599 online (couple, Trust & Will) | $2,000–$5,000+ (median $2,700) |
| Financial power of attorney | Someone manages your money if you cannot | Included in most online plans | ~$300 median per document |
| Healthcare directive / living will | Your medical wishes in writing | Included in most online plans | $300–$1,000 |
| Complex / tax plan | Business, special-needs, or tax trusts | Not available online | $5,000–$15,000+ |
The Three Routes: DIY, Online, or Lawyer
Route 1: DIY — $0 to $50
FreeWill makes a legally valid will, financial power of attorney, and healthcare directive for $0 (funded by nonprofit partnerships). A blank template costs $15–$50. This works only if your situation is simple: one house, one account, adult children, no business, no blended family. The risk is invisible: a template cannot tell you that your will is invalid in your state, that your beneficiary forms override it, or that your minor children need a guardianship clause.
Route 2: Online services — $99 to $599
Prices from their own pricing pages (checked Nov 2, 2026):
| Platform | Will-based plan | Trust-based plan | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| FreeWill | $0 | $0 (living trust in California only) | Free; funded by nonprofits |
| LegalZoom | From $99 | From $499 | Best-known brand; attorney help extra |
| Trust & Will | $199 individual / $299 couple | $499 individual / $599 couple | Optional $49/year membership; attorney support +$299 |
| WillMaker (Nolo) | $109–$219 | $199–$299 | One-time purchase, not a subscription |
Online plans are a sensible middle ground for straightforward estates. They ask guided questions and generate state-specific documents. What they cannot do is spot a complication you did not know you had — a child from a previous marriage, property in another state, a beneficiary with a disability.
Route 3: Attorney — $300 to $5,000+
A 2026 study of 909 law firms (Legal Templates): the median fee for a simple attorney-drafted will is $625 (middle half $450–$1,000). A revocable living trust package has a median of $2,700 (middle half $2,500–$3,500). The National Council on Aging puts a full attorney-prepared plan at $2,000–$5,000+. Complex plans — business succession, special-needs trusts, tax strategy — run $5,000–$15,000+.
Attorneys usually charge a flat fee for a package, or $150–$400 an hour (Nolo's 2026 guidance puts typical hourly rates at $250–$500).
Attorney Rates by State: Where You Live Moves the Price
Clio's 2025 data puts estate-planning lawyer rates at $196 an hour in West Virginia to $492 an hour in Washington, DC — a 2.5x gap for the same work.
| Location | Typical attorney hourly rate | What it means for a will |
|---|---|---|
| Lowest-cost states (e.g. West Virginia) | ~$196/hour | A simple will can cost $300–$500 |
| National typical range | $250–$400/hour | A simple will lands near the $625 median |
| High-cost metros (New York, San Francisco) | $400–$500+/hour | A simple will can reach $1,000–$1,200 |
| Highest (Washington, DC) | ~$492/hour | Trust packages trend toward $4,000–$5,000 |
The Cost Nobody Budgets: Probate
If you die with only a will, your estate usually goes through probate — the court process that validates the will and distributes assets. Probate typically costs 3–8% of the estate's value in attorney fees, court fees, and administration, and takes 6–18 months. A revocable living trust avoids probate entirely, because the trust — not you — owns the assets.
| Estate size | Probate cost (3–8%) | Trust plan cost (attorney) | Saving with a trust |
|---|---|---|---|
| $250,000 | $7,500–$20,000 | $1,500–$3,500 | $4,000–$18,500 |
| $500,000 | $15,000–$40,000 | $2,000–$5,000 | $10,000–$38,000 |
| $1,000,000 | $30,000–$80,000 | $2,000–$5,000 | $25,000–$78,000 |
Read that table once and the trust's price tag looks different: a $2,700 trust package that saves $15,000–$40,000 in probate on a $500,000 estate is not an expense, it is a discount.
Two Worked Examples
Example 1: Young family, simple estate — $299 total
A couple in their 30s with a house, two young kids, and retirement accounts. They use Trust & Will's couple will plan ($299): wills for both, guardianship clauses for the kids, financial powers of attorney, and healthcare directives. They update beneficiary forms on their retirement accounts (free). Total: $299.
Example 2: Homeowner couple, $600,000 estate — $2,700 total
A couple in their 50s with a paid-off house and savings hire a local attorney for a trust package: revocable living trust, pour-over wills, financial and healthcare powers of attorney, and help retitling the house into the trust (the step people most often forget). Cost: $2,700 (the national median for a trust package). Probate avoided: roughly $18,000–$48,000.
What Else to Budget For
- Trust funding: the paperwork to retitle accounts and property into the trust. Some attorneys include it; some charge separately. Ask.
- Updates: a will or trust is not "done forever". Review it after every big life event — marriage, divorce, a child, a move, a large inheritance. A trust amendment runs $300–$500; a full restatement $2,000+.
- Federal estate tax: for 2026, the federal estate-tax exclusion is $15 million per person, so almost nobody owes it. Above that level, tax planning ($5,000–$15,000+) needs a specialist.
FAQ
How much does estate planning cost on average?
A comprehensive attorney-prepared plan typically costs $2,000–$5,000. A simple will averages $300–$1,000 (median $625), and a revocable living trust package $1,500–$3,500 (median $2,700 for a full package). DIY options start at $0.
Do I need a will or a trust?
A will is enough if your estate is small and simple. A trust is worth it if you own a home, have minor children, own property in more than one state, or want your family to skip probate — typically 3–8% of the estate's value.
How much does it cost to make a will with a lawyer?
A simple attorney-drafted will costs $300–$1,000, with a median of $625 across 909 firms surveyed in 2026 (middle half: $450–$1,000). A will package with powers of attorney and a healthcare directive runs $1,000–$1,500.
How much does a living trust cost?
A revocable living trust costs $1,500–$3,500 for an individual ($2,475 median) or $2,000–$4,500 for a couple through an attorney. Online trust plans cost $499–$599. A full trust-based plan with a lawyer has a median price of $2,700.
How much does probate cost?
Probate typically costs 3–8% of the estate's value — $15,000–$40,000 on a $500,000 estate. That is the main reason to set up a revocable living trust, which avoids probate entirely.
All prices checked Nov 2, 2026. Sources: Legal Templates 2026 study of 909 law firms (will median $625; trust package median $2,700); National Council on Aging (full attorney plan $2,000–$5,000+); Trust & Will, LegalZoom, FreeWill, and WillMaker pricing pages; Clio 2025 attorney rates ($196 West Virginia to $492 Washington, DC); Nolo 2026 hourly guidance ($250–$500); ClearMoneyGuide July 2026 price check (probate 3–8%; estate-tax exclusion $15 million for 2026). Difficulty note: this article targets the broader "how much does estate planning cost" keyword, NOT the exact "how much does it cost to make a will" keyword (single-site saturation on that variant). Winnability is a SERP-only assessment, Nov 2, 2026 — no big legal brand ranked in the top 3 for the broader keyword; no KD scores or search volumes claimed, and difficulty was never backlink-verified.