How Much Does a Will Cost? A Complete Price Breakdown
8 min read
Key Points
- How much a will costs depends primarily on how you create it. DIY online services cost between $0 and $200, while hiring an estate planning attorney typically runs $300 to $1,500 for a straightforward will — and significantly more for complex estates with trusts, business interests, or blended family situations.
- The complexity of your estate is the single biggest driver of will cost. Factors like owning property in multiple states, having minor children who need a guardian named, running a business, or wanting to establish testamentary trusts all push the price higher — and make professional guidance more valuable.
- Choosing the cheapest option isn't always the best financial decision. A poorly drafted will can cost your heirs far more in probate disputes, legal fees, and tax inefficiencies than you would have spent getting it done right the first time.
How Much Does a Will Cost in 2024?
How much does a will cost? The honest answer is: it depends — but the range is wider than most people expect. You can create a basic will for free using online tools, or spend several thousand dollars with an estate planning attorney on a comprehensive plan. Neither extreme is right for everyone.
The right price point for your will depends on how complex your estate is, how confident you are navigating legal documents on your own, and what’s at stake for your family if something goes wrong. This guide walks through every option so you can make an informed choice.
The Full Cost Spectrum at a Glance
| Method | Typical Cost | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| Free online tools (e.g., FreeWill) | $0 | Very simple estates, young adults with few assets |
| DIY online services (e.g., Nolo, LegalZoom) | $89–$199 | Single people or couples with straightforward situations |
| Online attorney-review service | $200–$500 | Basic estates where you want a lawyer to look it over |
| Solo/small firm estate attorney | $300–$1,000 | Most married couples and parents |
| Larger firm or complex estate | $1,000–$3,000+ | Business owners, blended families, high-net-worth individuals |
These are national averages.1 Rates vary significantly by state — an attorney in Manhattan or San Francisco typically charges more than one in a mid-size Midwestern city.2
Option 1: Free and Low-Cost DIY Tools ($0–$200)
Several legitimate services let you create a legally valid will at no cost or very low cost.
Free tools like FreeWill and similar nonprofit-affiliated platforms walk you through a guided questionnaire and produce a printable will document. These are designed primarily for straightforward situations: a single person or married couple with no minor children, no real estate complications, and assets that go to obvious beneficiaries. The legal language is standard and generally sound, but customization is limited.
Paid DIY services like LegalZoom, Nolo, and Trust & Will charge roughly $89 to $199 for a will.3 LegalZoom’s basic package, for example, starts at $99 for an individual and includes a healthcare directive and financial power of attorney.4 These platforms offer more flexibility than free tools, let you create a complete estate planning package (will, healthcare directive, power of attorney), and walk you through the process step by step. They’re legitimate services used by millions of Americans.
The limitation of all DIY options is the same: the software can only ask you so many questions. If your situation involves anything unusual — a child from a previous relationship, a disabled beneficiary who receives government benefits, property in multiple states, or a family business — a questionnaire is unlikely to surface those issues and help you address them correctly.
One thing all DIY tools require: you still have to print, sign, and have your will witnessed correctly. An unexecuted will (one you filled out online but never signed in front of witnesses) has no legal effect.5 This is a common and entirely avoidable mistake.
Option 2: Attorney-Drafted Will ($300–$1,500+)
Hiring an estate planning attorney to draft your will is the most thorough option. Costs vary based on the attorney’s location, experience, and the complexity of your situation.
Simple will (single person): $300–$600 in most markets.1 An attorney meeting with you, drafting the document, and walking you through execution.
Couple’s will package: $600–$1,200. Most attorneys offer a package deal for two mirror wills — documents that largely reflect each other, leaving everything to the spouse and then to the children.
Will with testamentary trust: $1,000–$2,500+. If you want your will to create a trust for minor children (so they don’t receive a large inheritance outright at 18), or if you have a beneficiary with special needs, the document becomes considerably more complex.
Full estate plan: $2,000–$5,000+. A complete package including will, revocable living trust, powers of attorney, and healthcare directives. For people with larger estates or more complicated family situations, this is often the right investment.
Attorney fees are typically billed one of two ways: a flat fee for a defined scope of work, or an hourly rate ($200–$500 per hour depending on the market).2 Ask upfront which model applies. Most estate planning attorneys work on flat fees for standard will packages because the scope is predictable.
What Drives the Cost Up
Understanding what makes a will more expensive helps you assess what you actually need.
Minor children. Naming a guardian in your will is simple enough, but if you want to ensure your children’s inheritance is managed thoughtfully — rather than handed over in a lump sum when they turn 18 — you need a testamentary trust written into the will. That requires more drafting and more planning conversation.
Blended families. If you have children from a prior relationship alongside a current spouse, the default legal rules may not produce the outcome you want. Getting it right requires careful drafting.
Real estate in multiple states. Property is governed by the law of the state where it sits. Owning a vacation home in a different state than your primary residence can create complications that a standard will doesn’t address on its own.6
Business interests. If you own part or all of a business, your will needs to address what happens to that ownership. Who takes over? Is there a buy-sell agreement in place? These are not DIY-friendly questions.
Disabled beneficiaries. Leaving assets directly to someone who receives Medicaid or SSI can inadvertently disqualify them from those benefits.7 A special needs trust, drafted correctly, preserves their eligibility. This requires professional help.
Large estates. Federal estate tax applies to estates above $13.61 million per person (as of 2024), but state estate taxes kick in at much lower thresholds in some states.8 If your estate is approaching those levels, tax planning is part of the conversation.
Why Cheap Can Be Expensive
A will that costs you $99 online can cost your heirs $50,000 in probate litigation if it’s ambiguous, improperly executed, or doesn’t account for your actual situation.
Here are the failure modes that come up repeatedly:
Improper execution. Every state has specific requirements for how a will must be signed and witnessed. Two adult witnesses who aren’t beneficiaries, signing in the presence of the testator — the details matter.5 A will that wasn’t executed correctly may be rejected by the probate court.
Ambiguous language. “I leave my estate equally to my children” sounds clear. But what happens if one of your children dies before you? Does their share go to their children (your grandchildren), back into the estate, or to your surviving children? A well-drafted will answers this. A questionnaire-generated document may not.
Missing assets. Online tools help you address what you know about. People sometimes forget bank accounts, retirement accounts (which actually pass outside the will anyway), digital assets, or property acquired after the will was drafted.
No update after life changes. A will drafted before a divorce, a new child, or a major change in assets may distribute your estate in ways you no longer intend. Wills need to be reviewed — and often updated — after major life events.
The cost of getting a will done properly is small relative to the assets it protects. Think of it less as a legal expense and more as an insurance premium on everything you’ve built.
How to Get the Most Value from an Attorney
If you decide to work with an attorney, a few practices will help you get more value from the engagement.
Come prepared. Before your meeting, list all your assets (real estate, bank accounts, retirement accounts, business interests, life insurance), identify who you want as beneficiaries, and think about who you’d name as executor and, if you have minor children, as guardian. The more prepared you are, the shorter your meetings and the lower your bill.
Ask for a flat-fee quote. Most estate planning attorneys can give you a fixed price for a defined scope. This removes billing anxiety and lets you focus on the conversation.
Ask what’s included. A comprehensive will package should include the will itself, a financial power of attorney, and a healthcare directive (also called a living will or advance directive). These documents work together, and it’s worth having all three done at the same time.
The Bottom Line
How much does a will cost? For most Americans, the right answer lands somewhere between $400 and $1,200 — enough to get professional guidance, but not a prohibitive expense.1 If your estate is genuinely straightforward (you’re young, unmarried, have no dependents, and your assets are simple), a quality DIY service in the $100–$200 range is a reasonable starting point.
But if you have a spouse, children, significant assets, or any complexity at all, the cost of a properly drafted will done by an attorney is almost always worth it. The money you spend now protects far more than you spend — and more importantly, it protects the people you care about from avoidable legal headaches at the worst possible time.
References
- How Much Will a Lawyer Charge to Write Your Will? - Nolo, accessed June 2026, https://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/how-much-will-lawyer-charge-write-your-will.html
- How Much Does a Will Cost? - LegalZoom, accessed June 2026, https://www.legalzoom.com/articles/how-much-does-a-will-cost
- How Much Does a Will Cost? - MetLife, accessed June 2026, https://www.metlife.com/stories/legal/how-much-does-a-will-cost/
- LegalZoom Last Will & Testament - LegalZoom, accessed June 2026, https://www.legalzoom.com/personal/estate-planning/last-will-and-testament-overview.html
- Will Execution Ceremony - Cornell Law School Legal Information Institute (LII), accessed June 2026, https://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/will_execution_ceremony
- Ancillary Probate: How to Avoid Probate in Another State - Nolo, accessed June 2026, https://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/ancillary-probate-probate-another-state.html
- SSI Spotlight on Trusts - Social Security Administration, accessed June 2026, https://www.ssa.gov/ssi/spotlights/spot-trusts.htm
- Estate Tax - Internal Revenue Service, accessed June 2026, https://www.irs.gov/businesses/small-businesses-self-employed/estate-tax
- Estate Planning Information & FAQs - American Bar Association, accessed June 2026, https://www.americanbar.org/groups/real_property_trust_estate/resources/estate-planning/
- Cost Comparison of Online Will Maker Platforms - BetterEstate, accessed June 2026, https://betterestate.co/learn/cost-comparison-of-online-will-maker-platforms
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