Free Iowa 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.
In Iowa, a will is signed before 2Iowa Code § 633.279Verified Oct 18, 2026View source witnesses, and a self-proving affidavit signed with it lets the court admit it without witness testimonyIowa Code § 633.279Verified Oct 18, 2026View source.
Iowa allows a choice for a healthcare power of attorney: 2Iowa Code § 144B.5Verified Jul 15, 2026View source witnesses or a notary.
Iowa treats a power of attorney as durable by defaultIowa Code § 633B.105Verified Sep 18, 2026View source, and it is signed before a notaryIowa Code § 633B.105Verified Sep 18, 2026View source.
In Iowa, a pour-over will is signed before 2Iowa Code § 633.279Verified Oct 18, 2026View source witnesses and moves anything left outside the trust into it through probate.
Free calculators and checklists for planning or settling an estate in Iowa: will and trust costs, probate, executor pay, and inheritance taxes.
In Iowa, a will-based plan pays probate attorney fees set by the court and capped at a statutory scheduleIowa Code § 633.198 ("such reasonable fee as may be determined by the court...but not in excess of the schedule of fees provided in this part for personal representatives" — § 633.197 ceiling: 6% first $1K, 4% next $4K, 2% over $5K)Verified Sep 8, 2026View source; a funded revocable trust keeps those assets out of probate and off that fee.
Probate in Iowa takes 6 months to 9 months for a simple estate and charges attorney fees set by the court and capped at a statutory scheduleIowa Code § 633.198 ("such reasonable fee as may be determined by the court...but not in excess of the schedule of fees provided in this part for personal representatives" — § 633.197 ceiling: 6% first $1K, 4% next $4K, 2% over $5K)Verified Sep 8, 2026View source; assets held in a revocable trust skip both.
An attorney-prepared revocable trust in Iowa runs $3,140Estimate: 10 hours at $314, Clio's Iowa Trusts rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source to $4,710Estimate: 15 hours at $314, Clio's Iowa Trusts rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source and a simple will $864Estimate: 3 hours at $288, Clio's Iowa Wills and Estates rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source to $1,728Estimate: 6 hours at $288, Clio's Iowa 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.
Probate on a $500,000 estate in Iowa costs an estimated $21,555Iowa Code § 633.198 ("such reasonable fee as may be determined by the court...but not in excess of the schedule of fees provided in this part for personal representatives" — § 633.197 ceiling: 6% first $1K, 4% next $4K, 2% over $5K)Verified Sep 8, 2026View source. Attorney fees set by the court and capped at a statutory scheduleIowa Code § 633.198 ("such reasonable fee as may be determined by the court...but not in excess of the schedule of fees provided in this part for personal representatives" — § 633.197 ceiling: 6% first $1K, 4% next $4K, 2% over $5K)Verified Sep 8, 2026View source.
Iowa automatically revokes an ex-spouse as beneficiary at divorceIowa Code § 598.20A; § 598.20B; § 633A.3107Verified Sep 15, 2026View source; employer plans under ERISA follow federal rules either way, so a 401(k) beneficiary changes only by a new designation.
Probate on a $500,000 estate in Iowa costs an estimated $21,555Iowa Code § 633.198 ("such reasonable fee as may be determined by the court...but not in excess of the schedule of fees provided in this part for personal representatives" — § 633.197 ceiling: 6% first $1K, 4% next $4K, 2% over $5K)Verified Sep 8, 2026View source and takes 6 months to 9 months for a simple estate, with attorney fees set by the court and capped at a statutory scheduleIowa Code § 633.198 ("such reasonable fee as may be determined by the court...but not in excess of the schedule of fees provided in this part for personal representatives" — § 633.197 ceiling: 6% first $1K, 4% next $4K, 2% over $5K)Verified Sep 8, 2026View source. Estates under $100,000Iowa Code § 633.356Verified Sep 8, 2026View source can use a small-estate procedure instead.
62 estate planning firms in Iowa, 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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62 firms
Solo PracticeAtlantic, IA
Serves southwest Iowa's Cass, Adair, Montgomery, and Shelby counties from Atlantic, midway between the Omaha and Des Moines metros. Handles estate planning, wills and trusts, probate, trust administration, guardianships, and conservatorships for area families. Practicing since 1879.
PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateTax Planningand 4 more
FirmMason City, IA
Serves Cerro Gordo, Floyd, Franklin, Winnebago, and Worth counties and clients throughout Iowa from Mason City. Handles wills and probate, estate administration, trusts and estates, and elder law, with two CPA attorneys practicing taxation. Began in its current form in 1960.
PracticesEstate PlanningProbateElder LawTax PlanningWills Trusts
FirmWest Des Moines, IA
Serves clients throughout Iowa from offices in West Des Moines, Cedar Rapids, Dubuque, Bettendorf, and Milford. Guides personal representatives and successor trustees through probate and trust administration, represents families in will and trust disputes, and handles elder law and Medicaid planning. Also serves clients in Kansas, Missouri, and Illinois.
PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateProbate Litigationand 4 more
FirmIowa City, IA
Serves the greater Iowa City area, including Cedar Rapids, Davenport, Mt. Pleasant, and Des Moines, from Iowa City. Handles estate and trust administration, estate and inheritance tax filings, disputed wills and elective-share litigation, and guardianships and conservatorships. In practice in Iowa City since 1906.
PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateProbate Litigationand 5 more
FirmClinton, IA
Serves Clinton, DeWitt, and the surrounding area from offices in both towns. Handles probate and trust administration, wills, trusts, powers of attorney, and healthcare directives, along with asset protection, business succession, and real estate work.
PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateAsset ProtectionWills Trusts
FirmCoralville, IA
Serves Johnson and Linn counties from Coralville in the Iowa City-Cedar Rapids Corridor. Attorneys handle probate and trust administration for estates, along with wills, revocable and special needs trusts, and business succession. A boutique firm established in 2014; consultations are billed at the attorney's hourly rate.
PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateSpecial Needs Planningand 2 more
FirmDenison, IA
Serves Crawford County from Denison, the county seat. Handles estate, trust, and other probate administration, estate planning, guardianships and conservatorships, and taxation for individuals, farmers, small businesses, and banks. The firm has practiced in Denison for more than 100 years.
PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateTax Planningand 3 more
FirmOsceola, IA
Serves south central Iowa from the square in Osceola. Guides executors through probate with or without a will, and handles wills, trusts, powers of attorney, real estate, and income tax work. Founded in 1948; Ward Reynoldson practiced at the firm before serving as Chief Justice of the Iowa Supreme Court.
PracticesEstate PlanningProbateTax PlanningWills Trusts
FirmStorm Lake, IA
Serves Storm Lake and northwest Iowa from Storm Lake. Handles probate and estate administration, including resolving claims against the estate and distributing property, and prepares wills, trusts, powers of attorney, and living wills within a general practice.
PracticesEstate PlanningProbate
FirmCedar Falls, IA
Serves Black Hawk County and Northeast Iowa from Cedar Falls. Advises individual and corporate fiduciaries through trust and estate administration, prepares fiduciary income, estate and Iowa inheritance tax returns, assists guardians and conservators with annual reports, and handles will contests. In general practice since 1898.
PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateProbate Litigationand 6 more
FirmDubuque, IA
Serves Dubuque and clients across Iowa, including Cedar Rapids, Des Moines, and West Union, from downtown Dubuque. Helps executors, beneficiaries, and families with wills, trusts, guardianships, conservatorships, and the administration of decedents' estates. Founded in 1890; offers free initial consultations to estate planning and probate clients.
PracticesEstate PlanningProbateElder LawConservatorshipand 3 more
FirmMarshalltown, IA
Serves central Iowa from Marshalltown. Handles probate and formal estate administration, trust administration, guardianships and conservatorships, and estate planning including revocable, special needs, and Miller trusts. Both attorneys also practice agricultural and tax law.
PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateTax Planningand 6 more
FirmRed Oak, IA
Serves Montgomery, Page, Mills, Fremont and neighboring southwest Iowa counties from Red Oak. Drafts wills, trusts and powers of attorney, and guides families through probate so a decedent's estate is administered under Iowa law. Established in 1884, the firm's three partners are Mark, Bruce and Drew Swanson.
PracticesEstate PlanningProbateReal EstateWills Trusts
FirmDavenport, IA
Serves Scott, Muscatine, and Clinton county communities from Davenport. Handles probate of estates, letters of administration and creditors' claims, guardianships and conservatorships, and Title XIX (Medicaid) planning for elderly clients. Attorneys Thomas Schebler and Thomas Wine have more than 50 years of combined experience.
PracticesEstate PlanningProbateElder LawConservatorshipand 4 more
Solo PracticeCedar Rapids, IA
Serves Linn, Johnson, and Black Hawk counties from Cedar Rapids, with remote consultations elsewhere in Iowa. Handles uncontested probate and uncontested adult guardianships, and prepares wills, revocable and irrevocable trusts, powers of attorney, and special needs trusts for flat fees. A solo practice where Scott Shoemaker handles every file personally.
PracticesEstate PlanningProbateConservatorshipGuardianshipand 2 more
FirmDavenport, IA
Serves the greater Quad City area from Davenport. Works with executors through probate (inventorying assets, paying debts and taxes, distributing to beneficiaries) and guides trustees through trust administration; also prepares wills, trusts, and special needs trusts. All attorneys are licensed in Iowa and Illinois.
PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateConservatorshipand 3 more
FirmWaverly, IA
Serves clients throughout Iowa from offices in Waverly and Denver, minutes from Waterloo and Cedar Falls. Guides families through probate and prepares wills, trusts, living wills, powers of attorney, and Miller Trusts, with Medicaid planning and income tax work. Formed in 2017 from the merger of two firms with a combined 130 years of practice.
PracticesEstate PlanningProbateTax PlanningMedicaid PlanningWills Trusts
FirmCouncil Bluffs, IA
Serves Pottawattamie County and the Omaha-Council Bluffs area from Council Bluffs, with attorneys practicing in Iowa and Nebraska courts. Guides executors and personal representatives through probate and estate administration and handles estate disputes and will and trust contests. Established in 1861 through predecessor partnerships.
PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateProbate Litigationand 2 more
FirmCouncil Bluffs, IA
Serves Pottawattamie County from Council Bluffs, a few blocks from the county courthouse, and also handles probate and estate matters in Nebraska. Guides personal representatives through probate, from the petition to admit the will through creditor notices, court reports, and the final accounting, and helps trustees administer trusts. Opened in 1952 by Maynard Telpner.
PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateElder Lawand 4 more
Solo PracticeFort Dodge, IA
Serves Webster, Calhoun, Humboldt, Greene, Hamilton, and Boone counties from Fort Dodge. Handles probate and estate administration, guardianships and conservatorships, and estate tax matters, along with wills, trusts, and powers of attorney. Founded by attorney Charles A. Walker in 1984.
PracticesEstate PlanningProbateTax PlanningConservatorshipand 2 more