Free Kentucky 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 Kentucky, a will is signed before 2KRS 394.040Verified Oct 18, 2026View source witnesses, and a self-proving affidavit signed with it lets the court admit it without witness testimonyKRS 394.040Verified Oct 18, 2026View source.
Kentucky allows a choice for a healthcare power of attorney: 2KRS 311.625Verified Oct 15, 2026View source witnesses or a notary.
Kentucky treats a power of attorney as durable by defaultKRS § 457.050Verified Sep 18, 2026View source, and it is signed with no witness or notary requirementKRS § 457.050Verified Sep 18, 2026View source.
In Kentucky, a pour-over will is signed before 2KRS 394.040Verified 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 Kentucky: will and trust costs, probate, executor pay, and inheritance taxes.
In Kentucky, a will-based plan pays probate attorney fees of typically 1.5%Reasonable compensation; no probate-specific attorney fee statute (SCR 3.130-1.5(a) general rule)Verified Sep 8, 2026View source to 2.4%Reasonable compensation; no probate-specific attorney fee statute (SCR 3.130-1.5(a) general rule)Verified Sep 8, 2026View source of the estate; a funded revocable trust keeps those assets out of probate and off that fee.
Probate in Kentucky takes 6 months to 12 months for a simple estate and charges attorney fees of typically 1.5%Reasonable compensation; no probate-specific attorney fee statute (SCR 3.130-1.5(a) general rule)Verified Sep 8, 2026View source to 2.4%Reasonable compensation; no probate-specific attorney fee statute (SCR 3.130-1.5(a) general rule)Verified Sep 8, 2026View source of the estate; assets held in a revocable trust skip both.
An attorney-prepared revocable trust in Kentucky runs $3,440Estimate: 10 hours at $344, Clio's Kentucky Trusts rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source to $5,160Estimate: 15 hours at $344, Clio's Kentucky Trusts rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source and a simple will $819Estimate: 3 hours at $273, Clio's Kentucky Wills and Estates rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source to $1,638Estimate: 6 hours at $273, Clio's Kentucky 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 Kentucky costs an estimated $23,308Reasonable compensation; no probate-specific attorney fee statute (SCR 3.130-1.5(a) general rule)Verified Sep 8, 2026View source. Attorney fees run 1.5%Reasonable compensation; no probate-specific attorney fee statute (SCR 3.130-1.5(a) general rule)Verified Sep 8, 2026View source to 2.4%Reasonable compensation; no probate-specific attorney fee statute (SCR 3.130-1.5(a) general rule)Verified Sep 8, 2026View source of the estate under a reasonable-compensation standard.
Kentucky does not revoke an ex-spouse as beneficiary at divorceKRS 394.092Verified 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 Kentucky costs an estimated $23,308Reasonable compensation; no probate-specific attorney fee statute (SCR 3.130-1.5(a) general rule)Verified Sep 8, 2026View source and takes 6 months to 12 months for a simple estate, with attorney fees of typically 1.5%Reasonable compensation; no probate-specific attorney fee statute (SCR 3.130-1.5(a) general rule)Verified Sep 8, 2026View source to 2.4%Reasonable compensation; no probate-specific attorney fee statute (SCR 3.130-1.5(a) general rule)Verified Sep 8, 2026View source of the estate. Estates under $30,000KRS 391.030Verified Sep 8, 2026View source can use a small-estate procedure instead.
109 estate planning firms in Kentucky, 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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109 firms
FirmHopkinsville, KY
Hopkinsville firm on South Main Street in Christian County. Its attorneys list probate, trusts and estates, wills and estate planning in their bar records, alongside real estate, corporate and domestic relations work.
PracticesEstate PlanningProbateReal EstateWills Trusts
FirmPaducah, KY
Paducah firm in the Old National Bank Building on Broadway, with a second office on Main Street in Murray. Its estate administration group guides executors, administrators and beneficiaries through probate, represents trustees, and handles contested estates, trust disputes and guardianship administration. Its members include a Fellow of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel.
PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateProbate Litigationand 7 more
FirmMount Sterling, KY
Mount Sterling firm at 26 Broadway, where it has practiced since 1931, serving Montgomery, Bath, Menifee, Rowan, Powell, Clark, Bourbon, Nicholas and Fleming counties. It settles testate and intestate estates in District Court and advises on Medicaid estate recovery. Probate is billed hourly, not as a percentage of the estate, and the firm aims to settle most estates within nine months.
PracticesEstate PlanningProbateElder LawSpecial Needs Planningand 2 more
FirmWinchester, KY
Winchester firm on South Main Street, practicing since Beverly White opened his office in 1949. Its estate practice covers probate, guardianship and competency proceedings, and litigation of estate disputes involving competency, asset retrieval, fraud and duress.
PracticesEstate PlanningProbateProbate LitigationGuardianshipand 2 more
FirmAshland, KY
Ashland firm on Carter Avenue serving Boyd County since 1993. Its attorneys guide administrators and executors through Kentucky probate, from inventories and creditor claims to final tax returns and distribution plans, and handle Medicaid planning. Estate administration matters start with a free 30-minute consultation.
PracticesEstate PlanningProbateMedicaid PlanningFamily LawWills Trusts
FirmMayfield, KY
Mayfield firm on North 7th Street, founded in 1907, serving Graves, McCracken, Calloway, Ballard, Fulton, Hickman, Trigg, Carlisle, Livingston, Marshall, Christian and Lyon counties. It handles probate administration and the settlement of estates, and prepares wills with trusts and guardian designations for minor children. Consultations are free.
PracticesEstate PlanningProbateFamily LawReal EstateWills Trusts
FirmFlorence, KY
Florence firm on Houston Road serving Boone, Kenton, Campbell and Pendleton counties and Greater Cincinnati; Maria Ante practices in both Kentucky and Ohio. The probate practice handles estate administration, requests to dispense with administration for simple estates, distribution disputes and will contests. Estate planning consultations are free.
PracticesEstate PlanningProbateProbate LitigationCivil Litigationand 2 more
Solo PracticeErlanger, KY
Erlanger practice serving Boone, Kenton, Campbell, Grant and Pendleton counties, where W. Ron Adams has practiced since 1987. He guides executors through estate administration, including tax returns, accountings and court reports, resolves estate disputes, and establishes guardianships for incapacitated family members. Consultations are free, and video conferences are available.
PracticesEstate PlanningProbateGuardianshipBankruptcyWills Trusts
FirmCovington, KY
Kenton County firm on Buttermilk Pike in Crescent Springs, founded in 1947, practicing in the probate courts of Northern Kentucky and Southern Ohio. Its estate planning group handles estate and trust administration: applications for appointment of a personal representative, inventories, periodic and final accountings, inheritance tax returns and dispensing with administration where an estate qualifies.
PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateSpecial Needs Planningand 3 more