Estimate revocable living trust setup costs, including drafting, funding, and amendment expenses.
A revocable living trust is an estate-planning document that can hold assets during your lifetime and direct how they pass at death. The upfront cost often includes drafting, funding the trust, and any future amendments, but the actual quote depends on the attorney, online service, or DIY package you use.
This calculator estimates the paperwork side of a revocable living trust. It is a budgeting worksheet, not a quote, and it does not tell you whether a trust is the right structure for your estate.
A living trust can be a useful estate-planning option, but the paperwork cost is only one part of the decision. This worksheet helps separate drafting cost from funding and amendment cost so you can compare scenarios more realistically.
Total Trust Cost = Attorney Drafting Fee + Funding Costs (deed prep, account retitling) + Pour-Over Will + Future Amendments
Result: $4,300
Attorney drafting $3,000 + funding costs $800 (deed preparation, account retitling) + amendments $500 = $4,300 total. The pour-over will is usually included in the attorney's trust preparation fee.
A will costs $300–$1,200 but subjects the estate to probate ($15,000–$35,000 for a $500K estate). A living trust costs $1,500–$5,000 but avoids probate entirely. For estates over $200K, the trust typically saves money over the long term.
Common provisions include: successor trustee designation, distribution schedules (outright or staggered), special needs trusts for disabled beneficiaries, spendthrift clauses for beneficiary protection, and tax planning provisions for larger estates.
Update your trust after marriage, divorce, birth of children, death of a beneficiary, significant asset changes, moving to a different state, changes in tax law, or when your selected trustees or beneficiaries no longer fit your wishes.
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This page is a budgeting worksheet, not a legal or tax opinion. It totals user-entered drafting, funding, pour-over will, and amendment costs for a revocable living trust. The result is intended for planning and comparison only, and it does not estimate whether probate would actually be avoided or how much a specific estate would save.
A simple individual living trust costs $1,000–$2,500 through an attorney. Joint trusts for couples run $1,500–$4,000. Complex trusts with tax planning provisions, special needs trusts, or business interests can cost $3,000–$7,000+.
For estates over $100,000–$200,000, a living trust often pays for itself by avoiding probate costs (3–7% of estate). It also provides privacy, faster distribution, and incapacity planning. For very small estates, a will may suffice.
Trust funding means retitling assets in the name of the trust. This includes recording new deeds for real property, changing account titles for bank and investment accounts, and assigning titles for vehicles and other property. Unfunded trusts don't avoid probate.
Online services and DIY kits ($200–$800) can create basic trusts. However, they may not address state-specific requirements, complex tax situations, or unusual family dynamics. Attorney review of any self-prepared trust is recommended.
The trust document itself can be drafted in 1–3 weeks. Funding (retitling assets) may take 2–8 weeks depending on the number and types of assets. The entire process typically takes 1–3 months from start to finish.
A will goes through probate, is public record, and only takes effect at death. A living trust avoids probate, remains private, takes effect immediately, and provides for incapacity management. Both can direct asset distribution.