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The documents your family needs

$12/month

Revocable Living Trust

Create a revocable living trust to avoid probate, protect privacy, and control asset distribution.

Free

Last Will and Testament

Name your heirs, guardians, and final wishes. Free for every state.

Free

Pour-Over Will

Catch anything outside your trust. Pairs with your revocable trust.

Free

Healthcare Power of Attorney

Name someone to make medical decisions if you can't.

Free

Financial Power of Attorney

Name someone to manage your finances if you can't.

Free

Transfer on Death Deed

Transfer real property to a beneficiary upon your death without probate. Available in 33 states and the District of Columbia.

Free

Vehicle Transfer on Death

Name a beneficiary to inherit your vehicle at death without probate. Available in 25 states and the District of Columbia.

Free

EIN Application

Get the tax ID number (EIN) banks require to open an estate account or trust account after someone dies.

Free

Petition for Probate and Letters

Open probate and ask the court to appoint you and issue Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration.

Free

Notice to Creditors

Notify estate creditors and start the claim period — the published notice plus mailed copies for known creditors.

Free

Small Estate Affidavit

Collect a small estate's property without probate — the sworn affidavit presented to banks and other holders, with a presentation letter for each.

Free

Letter of Instruction

Prepare the letter a bank or insurer requests during estate settlement, addressed to its claims department.

Free

Digital Assets Recovery Letter

Prepare a letter requesting a deceased person's online accounts, points, and balances from the program that holds them.

Answers, not guesswork

Run the numbers for your state for free.

How Much Does Probate Cost?

Estimate attorney fees, executor fees, court costs, and timeline for probating an estate in your state. See if the estate qualifies for simplified probate procedures.

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How Much Can an Executor Charge?

Calculate how much an executor (personal representative) can charge for administering an estate. See if your state has statutory fees or uses reasonable compensation.

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Who Inherits Without a Will?

Find out who inherits your estate and how much they get if you die without a will. Based on your state's intestate succession laws.

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What's Fair Trustee Compensation?

Find out what's fair compensation for serving as trustee. Compare family, professional, and corporate trustee rates based on your situation.

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How Much Are Estate & Inheritance Taxes?

Calculate federal estate tax, state estate tax (12 states + DC), and inheritance tax (5 states) for an estate or trust.

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How Many Death Certificates Do I Need?

Calculate how many certified death certificates you need based on the assets and accounts you need to close. See state-specific ordering information.

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Do I Need Probate?

Answer a few questions to find out if an estate needs full probate, qualifies for simplified probate, or can avoid probate entirely with a small estate affidavit.

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What Does Estate Planning Actually Cost?

See the true cost of estate planning. Compare SimplyTrust, Trust & Will, LegalZoom, and attorneys including life events like marriage, divorce, and having children.

Compare Costs

How Much Does a Revocable Living Trust Cost?

Compare the cost of creating a revocable living trust. See how SimplyTrust, Trust & Will, LegalZoom, and attorneys compare over 5 years including life events.

Compare Costs

How Much Does a Will Cost?

Compare the cost of creating a will. See document costs plus probate fees your heirs will pay. Compare SimplyTrust, Trust & Will, LegalZoom, and attorneys.

Compare Costs

How Much Life Insurance Do I Need?

Calculate how much life insurance coverage you need. Accounts for income replacement, debt payoff, college funding, and state-specific factors like cost of living and estate taxes.

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What Taxes Apply to My Inheritance?

See which states charge inheritance tax, what federal tax applies, and how long it takes to receive money, property, or retirement assets from an estate or trust.

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How Does Step-Up in Basis Work?

Estimate the stepped-up basis on inherited stock, real estate, or business interests. Project federal and state capital gains tax with vs. without the step-up to see how much it saves at sale.

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Are My Beneficiary Designations Protected?

See how your state handles beneficiary designations after divorce, inherited IRA creditor protection, and spousal consent requirements for retirement accounts.

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What Are the Estate Laws in My State?

Understand your state's estate planning landscape. See will execution requirements, probate procedures, trust administration rules, and what happens if you die without a plan.

Check Your State

How Does SimplyTrust Compare to LegalZoom, Trust & Will, and Other Services?

A side-by-side look at online trust services: what you pay to explore and build, what it costs to make it official, when your documents are actually signed and notarized, and how life-event changes are handled. For one grantor or two.

Compare Services

How Do I Name a Guardian for My Minor Children?

Look up your state’s rules for naming a guardian for minor children: the document to use, what it takes to sign it, whether a standalone declaration works without a will, temporary non-court caregiver options, whether your child’s preference is weighed, and who is barred from serving.

Check Your State

What Are the Burial and Cremation Laws in My State?

Look up your state's rules for who controls disposition of remains, cremation waiting periods, home burial, embalming, green burial, and whether human composting or water cremation are allowed.

Check Your State

How Do I Sign Estate Documents?

Understand what you need to execute your estate planning documents. Check witness requirements, notarization rules, and whether you can sign remotely via video call (RON).

Check Requirements

Will My Estate Documents Transfer?

Moving states? Find out if your will, trust, healthcare proxy, or power of attorney will be recognized in your new state. See the legal basis for interstate recognition and any potential issues.

Check Portability

Do I Need a Revocable Trust?

Answer questions about your estate size, real estate ownership, marital status, and family situation to see how a revocable trust compares to a will alone. Includes estimated probate costs for your state.

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Do I Need a TOD Deed?

Answer questions about your property type, ownership structure, and estate plan to see if a TOD deed is the right approach. Includes state-specific availability, signing requirements, and recording fees.

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Do I Need a Vehicle TOD?

Answer a few questions about how your vehicle is titled to see whether your state offers a transfer-on-death designation, what vehicles qualify, how it is filed, and the beneficiary rules.

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Can I Self-File Probate?

Get a score-based recommendation on whether self-filing probate is right for your situation. See estimated savings vs. hiring an attorney and get a step-by-step checklist.

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How Do I Get Appointed as Executor?

See how a personal representative is appointed in your state: the appointing court, the petition that opens the estate, what supporting documents to file, and bond rules.

See the Steps

What Are the Creditor Claim Deadlines?

See when creditors must file claims, what notice you must publish, whether direct notice is required, and the statutory priority for paying debts. Enter dates to calculate specific deadlines.

Check Deadlines

How Do I Open an Estate Account When Someone Dies?

Compare estate-account opening procedures bank by bank — where the account can be opened, the documents required, whether the estate's EIN comes first, and the steps each bank follows.

See Bank Requirements

Do I Have to File Tax Returns for Someone Who Died?

See which federal and state tax returns need to be filed after a death. Check income tax, estate tax, and fiduciary return requirements with deadlines, form links, and tax clearance rules.

Check Requirements

What Is the Estate's Personal Property Worth for Probate?

Estimate the fair market value of furniture, electronics, clothing, appliances, and more. See how reporting accurate values instead of purchase prices can reduce probate fees in your state.

Estimate Value

Trust or Will: Which Costs Less?

Compare trusts vs wills for your specific situation. See probate costs, trust administration expenses, and whether your estate qualifies for simplified procedures based on your state and estate value.

Compare Options

How Do I Settle an Estate?

Get a personalized plan for settling an estate after someone passes away. Covers trust administration, probate, and intestate estates.

Get Plan

How Do I Settle a Trust?

Get a personalized plan for settling a trust after the grantor passes away. Covers beneficiary notification, asset transfers, creditor handling, taxes, and distributions.

Get Plan

Estate Settlement

Reimbursable Trustee Expenses: A Clear Overview

Which trustee expenses does a trust reimburse?

Every state has different rules

Select yours to see the laws, costs, and tools that apply to you.

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As life happens, SimplyTrust

Major life events trigger the need for estate planning. Select a life event to learn what you need to know.

New Baby or Adoption

Your family is growing. Your protection should too. Guardian nominations, trusts for minors, beneficiary updates, and the documents new parents need in place.

Learn more

Marriage

What married couples need in place: one joint trust or two, wills, beneficiary updates, and the spousal rights your state grants you automatically.

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Divorce

What divorce does and does not undo: beneficiary designations, your will, powers of attorney, and the one account your ex stays on until you change it.

Learn more