Free Wisconsin forms for planning an estate or settling one: a will, trust, powers of attorney, TOD deed, and the probate forms an executor files.
Create a revocable living trust to avoid probate, protect privacy, and control asset distribution.
Wisconsin requires 2Wis. Stat. § 155.30Verified Jul 15, 2026View source witnesses for a healthcare power of attorney; notarization is not requiredWis. Stat. § 155.30Verified Jul 15, 2026View source.
Wisconsin treats a power of attorney as durable by defaultWis. Stat. § 244.05Verified Sep 20, 2026View source, and it is signed with no witness or notary requirementWis. Stat. § 244.05Verified Sep 20, 2026View source.
In Wisconsin, a will is signed before 2Wis. Stat. § 853.03Verified Oct 19, 2026View source witnesses, and a self-proving affidavit signed with it lets the court admit it without witness testimonyWis. Stat. § 853.03Verified Oct 19, 2026View source.
Free calculators and checklists for planning or settling an estate in Wisconsin: will and trust costs, probate, executor pay, and inheritance taxes.
An attorney-prepared revocable trust in Wisconsin runs $3,320Estimate: 10 hours at $332, Clio's Wisconsin Trusts rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source to $4,980Estimate: 15 hours at $332, Clio's Wisconsin Trusts rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source and a simple will $981Estimate: 3 hours at $327, Clio's Wisconsin Wills and Estates rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source to $1,962Estimate: 6 hours at $327, Clio's Wisconsin 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.
In Wisconsin, four years at a public university cost about $73,752NCES 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 6% below the U.S. averageBEA Regional Price Parities, all items, by state, 2024Verified Oct 17, 2026View source; no state estate or inheritance tax appliesWis. Stat. § 72.36 (Sunset; 2013 Wis. Act 20) — the ch. 72 estate tax "does not apply to deaths occurring after December 31, 2012, unless the federal estate tax law is modified to provide a federal estate tax credit for state death taxes." Ch. 72 remains on the books as a dormant federal-credit (pickup) tax that computes to $0, not a repealed one. Wisconsin has no inheritance tax for decedents dying on or after January 1, 1992 and no gift tax for gifts made on or after January 1, 1992 (WI DOR, Estates, Trusts, and Fiduciaries common questions).Verified Sep 15, 2026View source.
Probate on a $500,000 estate in Wisconsin costs an estimated $22,090Wis. Stat. § 851.40(1) (just and reasonable compensation for services under chs. 851-879, incl. ch. 865 informal administration; no statutory percentage for attorneys — estate value may not be the controlling factor)Verified Sep 9, 2026View source and takes 6 months to 9 months for a simple estate, with attorney fees of typically 1.8%Wis. Stat. § 851.40(1) (just and reasonable compensation for services under chs. 851-879, incl. ch. 865 informal administration; no statutory percentage for attorneys — estate value may not be the controlling factor)Verified Sep 9, 2026View source to 2.9%Wis. Stat. § 851.40(1) (just and reasonable compensation for services under chs. 851-879, incl. ch. 865 informal administration; no statutory percentage for attorneys — estate value may not be the controlling factor)Verified Sep 9, 2026View source of the estate. Estates under $50,000small estate: § 867.03Verified Sep 9, 2026View source can use a small-estate procedure instead.
Probate in Wisconsin takes 6 months to 9 months for a simple estate and charges attorney fees of typically 1.8%Wis. Stat. § 851.40(1) (just and reasonable compensation for services under chs. 851-879, incl. ch. 865 informal administration; no statutory percentage for attorneys — estate value may not be the controlling factor)Verified Sep 9, 2026View source to 2.9%Wis. Stat. § 851.40(1) (just and reasonable compensation for services under chs. 851-879, incl. ch. 865 informal administration; no statutory percentage for attorneys — estate value may not be the controlling factor)Verified Sep 9, 2026View source of the estate; assets held in a revocable trust skip both.
Wisconsin automatically revokes an ex-spouse as beneficiary at divorceWis. Stat. § 854.15Verified Sep 15, 2026View source; employer plans under ERISA follow federal rules either way, so a 401(k) beneficiary changes only by a new designation.
39 elder law firms in Wisconsin, by county and firm type.
Firm listings are for informational purposes only. SimplyTrust does not endorse or recommend any specific firm or attorney. Contact firms directly to discuss your situation and verify their current practice areas and availability.
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39 firms
FirmSuperior, WI
Family-owned general practice in Superior serving Douglas County and the Twin Ports, in operation since 1987. Its wills and trusts practice handles probate proceedings and estates alongside wills, revocable and irrevocable trusts, powers of attorney, and elder law. Offers same-day, emergency, and live video consultations.
PracticesEstate PlanningProbateElder Law
FirmHurley, WI
Estate planning and elder law office based in Hurley, with satellite offices in Ashland and Woodruff serving Northern Wisconsin and Upper Michigan. Handles probate and trust administration (court forms, inventories, accountings, and distributions), guardianships with their inventories and annual accountings, special needs trusts, and Medicaid and nursing home planning.
PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateElder Lawand 4 more
FirmWausau, WI
Estate planning and elder law firm opened in Wausau in 2013, with offices in Rhinelander and Plover, serving all of Wisconsin. Guides administrators through supervised and unsupervised probate, helps successor trustees administer trusts the firm did not draft, and handles guardianship and crisis Medicaid planning. New estate planning clients start with a two-hour complimentary consultation.
PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateElder Lawand 6 more
FirmStevens Point, WI
Serves Portage, Wood, Marathon, Waushara, Adams, and Waupaca counties from Main Street in Stevens Point, in practice since 1886. Handles informal and formal probate, summary settlements, special administrations, settlement of revocable and irrevocable trusts, and estate and fiduciary tax returns, plus guardianships and conservatorships.
PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateElder Lawand 5 more
FirmSheboygan, WI
Serves Sheboygan from North 8th Street, in practice since 1898 under a succession of firm names. Its estate planning, probate and trusts team handles probate and trust administration after a death, probate avoidance, guardianships, and Medicaid planning including irrevocable Medicaid trusts and estate recovery.
PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateElder Lawand 2 more
FirmSturgeon Bay, WI
Serves Door, Kewaunee, and Brown counties from Sturgeon Bay, with a second office in Green Bay. Handles trust administration and probate for families after a death, with a settlement coordinator on staff, alongside asset protection, Medicaid, special needs, and business succession planning. Founding partner Robert A. Ross is board certified as an Estate Planning Law Specialist.
PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateElder Lawand 5 more
Solo PracticeOshkosh, WI
Solo practice on State Street in downtown Oshkosh, founded in 2018 by attorney Joe McCleer, who practices exclusively in elder law and estate planning. Handles long-term care and Medicaid planning, asset protection from nursing home costs, special needs planning for beneficiaries on SSI or Medicaid, and will- and trust-based plans, almost always on flat fees.
PracticesEstate PlanningElder LawSpecial Needs PlanningAsset ProtectionMedicaid Planning
FirmBaraboo, WI
Serves Baraboo, Reedsburg, and Sauk County from offices on Third Avenue in Baraboo and North Walnut Street in Reedsburg, in practice since 1889. Handles formal and informal probate, small estate transfers by affidavit, trust administration and termination, and guardianships for adults and minors. Attorneys Robert Ginther and Laura Colt lead the estate planning and probate work.
PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateElder Lawand 6 more
FirmKenosha, WI
Serves Kenosha County and Racine County from Green Bay Road in Kenosha, in practice since 1958, with probate experience in four county courts. Administers estates and trusts for personal representatives, including inventories, final accountings, 1041 returns and distributions, and takes on will contests and disputes. Offers a free initial consultation on trust planning.
PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateProbate Litigationand 4 more
FirmRiver Falls, WI
A Pierce County firm headquartered on Main Street in River Falls. Advises personal representatives through formal and informal probate, from inventory and valuation to paying debts and taxes and distributing the estate, and handles guardianships of adults and of disabled children turning eighteen. Probate work is led by attorneys Leo Beskar and Max Neuhaus.
PracticesEstate PlanningProbateElder LawGuardianship
Solo PracticeKenosha, WI
Serves Kenosha and Racine counties from Green Bay Road in Kenosha, reaching Pleasant Prairie and Twin Lakes. Attorney Angela Frozena helps personal representatives and successor trustees administer probate estates and trusts, files fiduciary income and estate tax returns, and handles ancillary Wisconsin probate for out-of-state owners. She previously worked as a trust officer and tax associate.
PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateElder Lawand 5 more
FirmBeaver Dam, WI
Serves Dodge County from Park Avenue in Beaver Dam and North Main Street in Mayville, in practice since 1902. Guides families through probate, trust administration, and other post-death procedures, and handles guardianships and elder law including Title 19. Offers appointments at home, living facilities, and hospitals throughout Dodge County.
PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateElder Lawand 2 more
Solo PracticeSheboygan, WI
Practices from Michigan Avenue in Sheboygan, where the firm was established in 1925. Helps executors and families through probate and estate administration (court filings, debts and taxes, distribution) and handles guardianships, conservatorships, Medicaid and long-term care planning, and estate tax planning. Offers a complimentary initial consultation.
PracticesEstate PlanningProbateElder LawTax Planningand 4 more
FirmManitowoc, WI
Serves the Lakeshore from offices in Manitowoc, its base since the firm began in 2009, and Sheboygan. Handles probate and trust administration, from informal administration filings and inventories to creditor claims, estate tax returns and estate bank accounts, plus guardianship filings and Title XIX planning. Also does business and farm succession planning.
PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateElder Lawand 4 more
FirmMequon, WI
Serves Ozaukee, Milwaukee, Washington, Sheboygan, and Waukesha counties from Mequon, with a Sheboygan office by appointment. Handles probate, trust administration fiduciary litigation when an estate or trust ends up in court, and guardianships, including challenges to a guardian. The firm concentrates on elder and special needs law; the first meeting is billed hourly.
PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateProbate Litigationand 6 more
Solo PracticeChippewa Falls, WI
Practices from Bay Street in Chippewa Falls, Chippewa County. Takes estates through probate whether or not the decedent left a will, and administers trusts: contacting beneficiaries, paying debts, notifying creditors, filing taxes and distributing assets. Attorney Anthony J. Schmoldt also handles estate planning and elder law planning.
PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateElder LawBusiness Succession
Solo PracticeFort Atkinson, WI
Attorney Vincent Hein practices from South Main Street in downtown Fort Atkinson, in Jefferson County, with a second office in Richland Center. He handles probate and estate and trust administration, and litigates probate and trust disputes and will contests, alongside Medicaid, long-term care and special needs trust planning. He serves on the board of the Wisconsin Chapter of NAELA.
PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateProbate Litigationand 7 more
Solo PracticeThorp, WI
Solo practice in Thorp serving Clark and Taylor counties. Attorney Johanna R. Kirk probates estates, mostly on a flat fee, and has handled estates in litigation between family members or creditors, represented beneficiaries against personal representatives, and handles guardianships of elderly or disabled adults. She practiced in Superior from 2006 to 2024 before moving the office to Thorp.
PracticesEstate PlanningProbateProbate LitigationElder Lawand 3 more
FirmFort Atkinson, WI
Offices in Fort Atkinson and Jefferson, in Jefferson County, among a dozen across southern Wisconsin. Its probate practice files and serves probate documents, handles intestacy proceedings, coordinates personal representatives, trustees and beneficiaries, and mediates and litigates disputes, alongside guardianship and conservatorship. Nathan Russell founded the firm in 2009.
PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateProbate Litigationand 4 more