Serves Linn, Benton, Johnson, Cedar, Black Hawk, Jones, and Buchanan counties from Cedar Rapids. Handles probate and intestate estates and prepares wills, trusts, powers of attorney, and living wills, including trust and probate litigation matters.
Probate in Buchanan County
Probate Court Record
Buchanan County District Court
Buchanan County · 1st Judicial District
Phone
Hours
Monday-Friday 8:00 AM-4:30 PM
Office
210 5th Avenue Northeast, Suite B, Independence, IA 50644
Website
E-filing
Self-represented filing
Allowed
Self-help forms
How to file probate in Buchanan County →
Verified October 15, 2026 · Source
Do I need a lawyer for probate in Buchanan County? →Settling an estate in Buchanan County →
Estate Law Firms Serving Buchanan County
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.
Serves clients across Iowa from offices in Waterloo and North Liberty. Guides families through the Iowa probate process and drafts wills, trusts, powers of attorney, healthcare directives, and beneficiary designations, including estate plans for family farms and small businesses. A litigation-focused firm practicing since 1958.
Serves Jasper, Polk, Marion, and Poweshiek counties from Newton. Handles probate and trust law matters, estate planning, wills and trusts, and elder law. Randal B. Caldwell is a Fellow of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel.
Serves Chickasaw County from New Hampton, with offices in Cresco, Charles City and West Union. Its attorneys list probate and estate planning among their main practice areas, alongside real estate, income tax and agricultural law. Formed in 1993 by the merger of the Elwood firm of Cresco and the O'Donohoe firm of New Hampton, founded in 1948.
Serves families throughout Iowa, Nebraska, and South Dakota from its Sioux City office, with offices in Omaha and Sioux Falls. Guides executors, trustees, and personal representatives through probate filings, creditor notices, and trust administration, and mediates estate disputes. A women-owned firm founded in 2009.
Forms for Planning and Settling an Estate in Iowa
Free Iowa forms to plan or settle an estate: a will, trust, powers of attorney, TOD deed and the probate forms. Prepare each form for Iowa and download the PDF.
$12/month
Revocable Living Trust
Create a revocable living trust to avoid probate, protect privacy, and control asset distribution.
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Free
Last Will and Testament
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.
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Free
Healthcare Power of Attorney
Iowa allows a choice for a healthcare power of attorney: 2Iowa Code § 144B.5Verified Jul 15, 2026View source witnesses or a notary.
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Free
Financial Power of Attorney
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.
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Free
Pour-Over Will
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.
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Tools for Planning and Settling an Estate in Iowa
Free calculators and checklists to plan or settle an estate in Iowa: will and trust costs, probate, executor pay and taxes. Run each tool for Iowa.
Trust or Will: Which Costs Less?
In Iowa, a will-based plan pays probate attorney fees set by the court and capped at a statutory scheduleIowa Code § 633.198 (reasonable fee determined by the court, not in excess of the personal representative schedule); § 633.197 (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.
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Do I Need a Revocable Trust?
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 (reasonable fee determined by the court, not in excess of the personal representative schedule); § 633.197 (6% first $1K, 4% next $4K, 2% over $5K)Verified Sep 8, 2026View source; assets held in a revocable trust skip both.
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How Much Does Probate Cost?
Probate on a $500,000 estate in Iowa costs an estimated $21,555Iowa Code § 633.198 (reasonable fee determined by the court, not in excess of the personal representative schedule); § 633.197 (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 (reasonable fee determined by the court, not in excess of the personal representative schedule); § 633.197 (6% first $1K, 4% next $4K, 2% over $5K)Verified Sep 8, 2026View source.
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What Are the Estate Laws in My State?
Probate on a $500,000 estate in Iowa costs an estimated $21,555Iowa Code § 633.198 (reasonable fee determined by the court, not in excess of the personal representative schedule); § 633.197 (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 (reasonable fee determined by the court, not in excess of the personal representative schedule); § 633.197 (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.
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How Do I Settle an Estate?
Settling an estate in Iowa: the personal representative files the estate inventory within 120 daysIowa Code §§ 633.361, 633.364, 633.365 (§ 633.361 as amended by 2026 Acts, HF 2532, § 4)Verified Sep 15, 2026View source of appointment; creditors have 4 monthsIowa Code §§ 633.230, 633.304, 633.410, 633.413, 633.425, 633.442Verified Oct 18, 2026View source to present claims; a simple estate closes in 6 months to 9 months.
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What Does Estate Planning Actually Cost?
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.
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