Bennington solo practice serving all of Vermont, mainly Bennington, Windham, Rutland and Windsor Counties, with offices in Albany, New York and Athol, Massachusetts. Advises executors or serves as personal representative from opening the estate through the inventory, estate tax returns and closing, and litigates will and trust contests. Free 30-minute strategy session in person or by phone.
Probate in Washington County
Probate Court Record
Washington County Superior Court - Probate Division
Washington County
Phone
Hours
Monday-Friday 8:00 AM-4:30 PM
Office
65 State Street, Montpelier, VT 05602
Website
E-filing
Filing in person
Walk-ins accepted
Self-represented filing
Allowed
Self-help forms
How to file probate in Washington County →
Verified October 16, 2026 · Source
Do I need a lawyer for probate in Washington County? →Settling an estate in Washington County →
Elder Law Firms Serving Washington County
Burlington firm with a White River Junction office whose attorneys handle matters in all fourteen Vermont counties. Its estates and trusts attorneys represent trustees in trust administration and fiduciaries and families in probate court estate and guardianship proceedings. Principal Mark Melendy served on the bar committees that drafted Vermont's trust-decanting and directed-trust acts.
Essex Junction estate planning and elder law firm handling trust administration for clients throughout Vermont, from Burlington to St. Johnsbury and Newport. After a death it guides successor trustees through transferring trust assets, and it prepares long-term care Medicaid applications and special needs plans. Ellen LaPlante is licensed in Vermont and New York.
Middlebury firm formed in 2020 that practices in all of Vermont's civil, probate and environmental courts. Attorney Amy Menard focuses her litigation practice on trust and estate matters, handles probate and trust administration, and commonly serves as an estate administrator or trustee. Planning work includes wills, trusts, special needs trusts and Medicaid long-term care planning.
Forms for Planning and Settling an Estate in Vermont
Free Vermont forms to plan or settle an estate: a will, trust, powers of attorney, TOD deed and the probate forms. Prepare each form for Vermont.
$12/month
Revocable Living Trust
Create a revocable living trust to avoid probate, protect privacy, and control asset distribution.
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Free
Healthcare Power of Attorney
Vermont requires 218 V.S.A. § 9719Verified Oct 15, 2026View source witnesses for a healthcare power of attorney; notarization is not required18 V.S.A. § 9719Verified Oct 15, 2026View source.
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Free
Financial Power of Attorney
Vermont treats a power of attorney as durable by default14 V.S.A. §§ 4004, 4005, 4006, 4007, 4009, 4013, 4019, 4020, 4031, 4047, 4051, 4052Verified Oct 21, 2026View source, and it is signed with no witness or notary requirement14 V.S.A. §§ 4004, 4005, 4006, 4007, 4009, 4013, 4019, 4020, 4031, 4047, 4051, 4052Verified Oct 21, 2026View source.
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Free
Last Will and Testament
In Vermont, a will is signed before 214 V.S.A. § 5Verified Oct 19, 2026View source witnesses, and a self-proving affidavit signed with it lets the court admit it without witness testimony14 V.S.A. § 5Verified Oct 19, 2026View source.
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Tools for Planning and Settling an Estate in Vermont
Free calculators and checklists to plan or settle an estate in Vermont: will and trust costs, probate, executor pay and taxes. Run each tool for Vermont.
What Does Estate Planning Actually Cost?
An attorney-prepared revocable trust in Vermont runs $2,400Estimate: 10 hours at $240, Clio's Vermont Trusts rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source to $3,600Estimate: 15 hours at $240, Clio's Vermont Trusts rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source and a simple will $891Estimate: 3 hours at $297, Clio's Vermont Wills and Estates rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source to $1,782Estimate: 6 hours at $297, Clio's Vermont Wills and Estates rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source, against $0 to $549 up front plus a subscription with an online service.
Calculate Costs
How Much Life Insurance Do I Need?
In Vermont, four years at a public university cost about $123,548NCES Digest of Education Statistics 2023, Table 330.20, public 4-year in-state tuition, fees, room and board, academic year 2022-23Verified Oct 17, 2026View source and the cost of living is near the U.S. averageBEA Regional Price Parities, all items, by state, 2024Verified Oct 17, 2026View source; the state levies an estate tax32 V.S.A. § 7442aVerified Sep 15, 2026View source above $5,000,00032 V.S.A. § 7442aVerified Sep 15, 2026View source.
Calculate the Amount
What Are the Estate Laws in My State?
Probate on a $500,000 estate in Vermont costs an estimated $24,56114 V.S.A. § 1065 (reasonable compensation; no statutory percentage)Verified Sep 9, 2026View source and takes 6 months to 9 months for a simple estate, with attorney fees of typically 1.7%Modeled estimate under 14 V.S.A. § 1065 (reasonable compensation; no statutory percentage): the hours the statutory fee schedules imply, at the state's surveyed hourly rateVerified Sep 9, 2026View source to 2.7%Modeled estimate under 14 V.S.A. § 1065 (reasonable compensation; no statutory percentage): the hours the statutory fee schedules imply, at the state's surveyed hourly rateVerified Sep 9, 2026View source of the estate. Estates under $45,00014 V.S.A. § 1901Verified Sep 9, 2026View source can use a small-estate procedure instead.
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Do I Need a Revocable Trust?
Probate in Vermont takes 6 months to 9 months for a simple estate and charges attorney fees of typically 1.7%Modeled estimate under 14 V.S.A. § 1065 (reasonable compensation; no statutory percentage): the hours the statutory fee schedules imply, at the state's surveyed hourly rateVerified Sep 9, 2026View source to 2.7%Modeled estimate under 14 V.S.A. § 1065 (reasonable compensation; no statutory percentage): the hours the statutory fee schedules imply, at the state's surveyed hourly rateVerified Sep 9, 2026View source of the estate; assets held in a revocable trust skip both.
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Are My Beneficiary Designations Protected?
Vermont does not revoke an ex-spouse as beneficiary at divorce14 V.S.A. § 320Verified Sep 15, 2026View source; employer plans under ERISA follow federal rules either way, so a 401(k) beneficiary changes only by a new designation.
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