Will vs trust: what each costs

An online will costs about $109 to $199. An online living trust costs about $149 to $549. The real difference is probate: a will goes through it, assets in a trust do not.

What you pay up front

What a will costs later

A will does not avoid probate. When the estate goes through probate, it pays a court fee, and in some states attorney and executor fees that the law sets as a percentage of the estate. In other states, the lawyer's fee is agreed case by case.

Small estates can often skip full probate. Each state sets its own limit.

What a trust costs later

A trust avoids probate only for assets you move into it. Moving a home into a trust means recording a new deed, which costs a county recording fee. Anything left outside the trust can still need probate.

Compare for your state

Open the probate cost calculator

Or see the rules for one state: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Florida, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming.

General information, not legal advice. A lawyer can tell you what fits your family and assets.