A basic revocable living trust in Delaware costs $4,390Estimate: 10 hours at $439, Clio's Delaware Trusts rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source to $6,585Estimate: 15 hours at $439, Clio's Delaware Trusts rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source when drafted by an attorney, ten to fifteen hours of work at $439Clio Compare Lawyer Rates, Delaware: Trusts rate (2025 data)Verified Oct 15, 2026View source an hour. An online service prices a trust package in the low hundreds of dollars without attorney advice on your situation. The Delaware trust cost calculator carries the breakdown.

Even with a revocable trust in Delaware, you still need a will, most commonly a pour-over will that catches any asset never retitled into the trust. Delaware also allows a transfer-on-death deed for real estate25 Del. C. Ch. 2, 201-221Verified Jul 15, 2026, which moves property out of probate without a trust. Whether a trust adds enough over a will-only plan turns on the situation: real property, a blended family and out-of-state assets are the common reasons. The Delaware trust-or-will tool walks through the decision.

Estate planning attorneys in Delaware average $475Clio Compare Lawyer Rates, Delaware: average lawyer hourly rate (2025 data)Verified Oct 15, 2026View source an hour for wills and estates work. A flat-fee package runs $1,425Estimate: 3 hours at $475, Clio's Delaware average lawyer hourly rate (no Wills and Estates rate published); Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source to $2,850Estimate: 6 hours at $475, Clio's Delaware average lawyer hourly rate (no Wills and Estates rate published); Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source for a simple individual will and $4,390Estimate: 10 hours at $439, Clio's Delaware Trusts rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source to $6,585Estimate: 15 hours at $439, Clio's Delaware Trusts rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source for a basic revocable trust. An online service prices the same documents in the tens to low hundreds of dollars; the Delaware will cost calculator sets the two side by side.

In Delaware, estates with personal property of $50,000delcode.delaware.gov: 12 Del. C. § 2306Verified Sep 8, 2026View source or less skip probate with the Distribution Without Lettersdelcode.delaware.gov: 12 Del. C. § 2306Verified Sep 8, 2026View source, 30 daysdelcode.delaware.gov: 12 Del. C. § 2306Verified Sep 8, 2026View source after death. That route is a form rather than a court case, and most families handle it without an attorney. Above the line, formal probate generally benefits from counsel for the procedural work, even when nothing is contested. The Delaware probate calculator estimates the cost by estate value.

In Delaware, the situations where counsel is typically worth the cost are: a blended family with children from a prior relationship; a business, rental property or significant investment assets; a dependent with special needs, who needs a special-needs trust to keep benefits; substantial property in more than one state. Where none of these apply, an online or self-help document is often enough.

Forms for Planning and Settling an Estate in Delaware

Free Delaware forms for planning an estate or settling one: a will, trust, powers of attorney, TOD deed, and the probate forms an executor files.

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Revocable Living Trust

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

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Last Will and Testament

In Delaware, a will is signed before 212 Del. C. § 202Verified Sep 15, 2026View source witnesses, and a self-proving affidavit signed with it lets the court admit it without witness testimony12 Del. C. § 202Verified Sep 15, 2026View source.

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Healthcare Power of Attorney

Delaware requires 116 Del. C. § 2511Verified Oct 15, 2026View source witness for a healthcare power of attorney; notarization is not required16 Del. C. § 2511Verified Oct 15, 2026View source.

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Financial Power of Attorney

Delaware requires explicit durability language for a power of attorney to survive incapacity12 Del.C. §§ 49A-104, 49A-105, 49A-106, 49A-109, 49A-113, 49A-114, 49A-119, 49A-120, 49A-201, 49A-204 through 49A-217, 49A-301; 25 Del.C. §§ 151, 155Verified Sep 18, 2026View source, and it is signed before 112 Del.C. §§ 49A-104, 49A-105, 49A-106, 49A-109, 49A-113, 49A-114, 49A-119, 49A-120, 49A-201, 49A-204 through 49A-217, 49A-301; 25 Del.C. §§ 151, 155Verified Sep 18, 2026View source witness and a notary.

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Pour-Over Will

In Delaware, a pour-over will is signed before 212 Del. C. § 202Verified Sep 15, 2026View source witnesses and moves anything left outside the trust into it through probate.

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Transfer on Death Deed

In Delaware, a transfer on death deed is signed before a notary25 Del. C. Ch. 2, 201-221Verified Aug 24, 2026 and 225 Del. C. Ch. 2, 201-221Verified Aug 24, 2026 witnesses, then recorded with the county before the owner's death25 Del. C. Ch. 2, 201-221Verified Aug 24, 2026.

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Tools for Planning and Settling an Estate in Delaware

Free calculators and checklists for planning or settling an estate in Delaware: will and trust costs, probate, executor pay, and inheritance taxes.

Trust or Will: Which Costs Less?

In Delaware, a will-based plan pays probate attorney fees of typically 2.7%12 Del. C. § 2305 (fees "as provided by rule of the Court of Chancery"; no statutory percentage)Verified Sep 8, 2026View source to 4.3%12 Del. C. § 2305 (fees "as provided by rule of the Court of Chancery"; no statutory percentage)Verified Sep 8, 2026View source of the estate; a funded revocable trust keeps those assets out of probate and off that fee.

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Do I Need a Revocable Trust?

Probate in Delaware takes 9 months to 12 months for a simple estate and charges attorney fees of typically 2.7%12 Del. C. § 2305 (fees "as provided by rule of the Court of Chancery"; no statutory percentage)Verified Sep 8, 2026View source to 4.3%12 Del. C. § 2305 (fees "as provided by rule of the Court of Chancery"; no statutory percentage)Verified Sep 8, 2026View source of the estate; assets held in a revocable trust skip both.

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What Does Estate Planning Actually Cost?

An attorney-prepared revocable trust in Delaware runs $4,390Estimate: 10 hours at $439, Clio's Delaware Trusts rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source to $6,585Estimate: 15 hours at $439, Clio's Delaware Trusts rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source and a simple will $1,425Estimate: 3 hours at $475, Clio's Delaware average lawyer hourly rate (no Wills and Estates rate published); Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source to $2,850Estimate: 6 hours at $475, Clio's Delaware average lawyer hourly rate (no Wills and Estates rate published); Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source, against $0 to $549 up front plus a subscription with an online service.

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How Much Does Probate Cost?

Probate on a $500,000 estate in Delaware costs an estimated $35,22912 Del. C. § 2305 (fees "as provided by rule of the Court of Chancery"; no statutory percentage)Verified Sep 8, 2026View source. Attorney fees run 2.7%12 Del. C. § 2305 (fees "as provided by rule of the Court of Chancery"; no statutory percentage)Verified Sep 8, 2026View source to 4.3%12 Del. C. § 2305 (fees "as provided by rule of the Court of Chancery"; no statutory percentage)Verified Sep 8, 2026View source of the estate under a reasonable-compensation standard.

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Are My Beneficiary Designations Protected?

Delaware does not revoke an ex-spouse as beneficiary at divorce12 Del. C. § 209Verified 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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What Are the Estate Laws in My State?

Probate on a $500,000 estate in Delaware costs an estimated $35,22912 Del. C. § 2305 (fees "as provided by rule of the Court of Chancery"; no statutory percentage)Verified Sep 8, 2026View source and takes 9 months to 12 months for a simple estate, with attorney fees of typically 2.7%12 Del. C. § 2305 (fees "as provided by rule of the Court of Chancery"; no statutory percentage)Verified Sep 8, 2026View source to 4.3%12 Del. C. § 2305 (fees "as provided by rule of the Court of Chancery"; no statutory percentage)Verified Sep 8, 2026View source of the estate. Estates under $50,000delcode.delaware.gov: 12 Del. C. § 2306Verified Sep 8, 2026View source can use a small-estate procedure instead.

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