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.
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.
Free calculators and checklists for planning or settling an estate in Iowa: will and trust costs, probate, executor pay, and inheritance taxes.
In Iowa, four years at a public university cost about $82,188NCES 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 12% below the U.S. averageBEA Regional Price Parities, all items, by state, 2024Verified Oct 17, 2026View source; no state estate or inheritance tax appliesNo state estate or inheritance tax. Iowa's inheritance tax is repealed for deaths on or after January 1, 2025 (Iowa Code § 450.98, 2021 Acts ch 177 / SF 619), as is the qualified use inheritance tax (§ 450B.8). Iowa's estate tax (Iowa Code ch. 451) and generation skipping transfer tax (ch. 450A) were repealed outright by 2014 Acts ch 1076 §25. The Iowa Department of Revenue confirms: "Iowa inheritance tax is not applicable for deaths occurring on or after 1/1/25."Verified Sep 15, 2026View source.
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.
Without a will in Iowa, a surviving spouse takes the entire estateIowa Code § 633.211Verified Sep 10, 2026View source when every child of either spouse is a child of both, and descendants divide what passes to them per stirpesIowa Code § 633.219(1)Verified Sep 10, 2026View source.
27 guardianship 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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27 firms
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
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
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
FirmWest Des Moines, IA
Serves the greater Des Moines area and clients across Iowa from West Des Moines. Handles probate and estate and trust administration, from collecting assets and paying liabilities to distribution, along with guardianships and conservatorships. Five attorneys; hospital, home and care-facility visits available by appointment.
PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateConservatorshipand 2 more