Probate in New Hampshire runs about $26,585 on a $500,000 estate — attorney feesNH Circuit Court Probate Division Rule 88 (reasonable compensation for work, responsibility, and risk; no statutory percentage)Verified Sep 8, 2026, court filing fees, executor compensation, publication costs, and any required surety bond. Attorney fees in New Hampshire are negotiated, so the actual cost depends on the firm and complexity. The New Hampshire probate calculator gives a detailed estimate based on estate value.
New Hampshire allows "independent administration" (sometimes called unsupervised or informal probate), which lets the executor handle most estate decisions without ongoing court approval. The executor still files the will, inventories assets, and reports to the court, but doesn't need a hearing for routine actions like paying bills or selling assets. Independent administration typically saves both time and attorney fees compared to supervised probate.
Estate planning attorneys in New Hampshire average $360 per hourClio Legal Trends Report 2025Verified Jan 1, 2025 for wills and estates work. Flat-fee packages run roughly $1,080–$2,160 for a simple individual will and $3,360–$5,040 for a basic revocable trust. Online and DIY services cost $30–$300 for the same documents — see the will cost calculator for a side-by-side comparison.
New Hampshire requires nearly all estates to go through formal probate. Most families retain an attorney for this — the procedural overhead is what counsel is there to absorb. Living trusts are the most common workaround for families that want to skip the process entirely.
In New Hampshire, the situations where retaining counsel is typically worth the cost are: blended families with children from prior relationships; ownership of a business, rental property, or significant investment assets; special-needs dependents who need a special-needs trust to preserve benefits; substantial property held in multiple states. If none of these describe your situation, the simpler online and DIY tools are often enough.
49 probate firms in New Hampshire, 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.
Loading firms...
49 firms
FirmPortsmouth, NH
Two-attorney firm in Portsmouth serving Rockingham and Strafford Counties for over 20 years. Provides estate planning, probate administration, trust administration, guardianship, and real estate legal services.
PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateGuardianshipand 2 more
Solo PracticeHampton, NH
Estate planning firm serving the Seacoast and southern New Hampshire with offices in Hampton, Windham, Concord, and New London. Candice O'Neil brings nearly 20 years of estate planning experience and formerly served as a NH State Representative.
PracticesEstate PlanningProbateBusiness SuccessionPowers Of Attorneyand 2 more
Solo PracticeClaremont, NH
Solo general-practice firm in Claremont handling probate for Sullivan County families through the New Hampshire probate court. Administers decedents' estates and guardianships, preparing and filing court forms, securing surety bonds, and handling asset valuation and creditor identification, and also drafts wills, trusts, and advance directives. Offers a free probate administration consultation.
PracticesEstate PlanningProbateWills
Solo PracticeNashua, NH
Nashua firm on Main Street representing families in the Hillsborough County probate court. Attorney Mike Demers, a 30-plus-year practitioner, handles probate administration and probate litigation, settling estates and resolving contested matters, alongside wills and trusts.
PracticesEstate PlanningProbateProbate LitigationTrustsWills
Solo PracticeBerlin, NH
Solo practitioner serving the North Country from Berlin, NH with over 30 years of experience. Provides estate planning, probate, business law, and real estate services to clients in Coos and Merrimack Counties.
PracticesEstate PlanningProbateTrusts
Solo PracticeWolfeboro, NH
Wolfeboro firm focused on elder law and estate planning for older residents of Carroll and Belknap Counties in the Lakes Region. Centers on Medicaid eligibility and long-term-care planning, trust administration, and special-needs planning, building trust-based plans that avoid probate.
PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateElder Lawand 2 more
Solo PracticeSalem, NH
Comprehensive elder law and estate planning firm serving southern New Hampshire and northern Massachusetts. Daniel DeBruyckere has practiced in NH and MA since 1998 and is a past president of the Greater Salem Bar Association.
PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateElder Lawand 5 more
Solo PracticeLittleton, NH
Founded in 1990, recognizing that northern New Hampshire needed a law firm offering services in commercial transactions, real estate, and estate planning and administration. Located about a half-hour drive from both the Grafton and Coos county seats.
PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbate
FirmWolfeboro, NH
Provides professional legal services to individuals and businesses in Carroll, Belknap, and Strafford Counties. Phillip Marbury's practice focus has been in tax law, business planning, real estate, and estate planning.
PracticesEstate PlanningProbateElder LawTax PlanningBusiness Succession
FirmManchester, NH
New Hampshire's largest firm, anchored in Manchester with Concord and Portsmouth offices, serving estates and trusts statewide. The Trusts and Estates group handles probate of estates, trust administration, will and trust contests, guardianships and conservatorships, and fiduciary-duty claims, alongside estate and gift tax planning.
PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateProbate Litigationand 4 more
FirmKeene, NH
Keene estate and elder law firm serving Cheshire County and the Monadnock Region. Represents executors and successor trustees through probate and trust administration, and handles guardianships, special-needs trusts, and Medicaid and long-term-care planning.
PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateElder Lawand 4 more
FirmLaconia, NH
Committed to achieving outstanding results since 1914. Estate Planning and Probate Practice Group provides full range of legal services for residents and businesses throughout Belknap, Carroll, Grafton, and Merrimack counties.
PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateTax Planningand 4 more
FirmConcord, NH
Concord firm handling trusts and estates for individuals and fiduciaries across New Hampshire, in practice since 1946. Work spans estate and trust administration, administration of irrevocable trusts, and probate litigation, including disputes among beneficiaries and fiduciaries.
PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateProbate Litigationand 4 more
FirmConcord, NH
Concord firm, with a Rochester office, advising executors, trustees, families, and institutions on trust and estate administration and related estate-tax issues. Represents fiduciaries in probate and trust disputes, including litigation and mediation. In estate practice since 1979.
PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateTax Planning
FirmPortsmouth, NH
Portsmouth boutique firm concentrating on probate and trust administration for New Hampshire estates. Handles probate and trust administration, special-needs trusts, estate and gift tax planning, guardianship, and probate litigation, coordinating with clients' financial advisors and accountants.
PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateElder Lawand 3 more
Solo PracticePortsmouth, NH
Portsmouth boutique firm on the Seacoast working exclusively in estate planning, trusts, probate, and elder law. Handles probate and trust administration, uncontested guardianships, and long-term-care planning, with tax-driven planning for simple and complex estates.
PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateElder Lawand 3 more
FirmLittleton, NH
One of the oldest continuously operating law firms in New Hampshire, tracing its roots to 1846. Blends modern technology with more than 165 years of respected legal services throughout the North Country, serving Grafton and Coos Counties.
PracticesEstate PlanningProbateBusiness SuccessionTrustsWills
FirmPlymouth, NH
Plymouth practice serving Grafton, Coos, Carroll, and Belknap County families since 1985. Attorneys Ora Schwartzberg and Christopher M. West build trust-based plans that keep a home out of probate and out of a court-supervised guardianship, plus durable powers of attorney and health care proxies. Meets by video conference for clients across northern New Hampshire.
PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateMediationand 3 more
FirmLondonderry, NH
Londonderry firm serving the Salem, Derry, Manchester, and Nashua corridor of southern New Hampshire. Handles wills and trusts, probate-avoidance planning, powers of attorney, special-needs and insurance trusts, and estate-tax planning for beneficiaries. Offers a free initial consultation.
PracticesEstate PlanningProbateElder LawTax Planningand 5 more
Solo PracticeFranklin, NH
Solo practice in Franklin, in central New Hampshire near the Merrimack County probate court, working statewide from that one office. Handles estate planning and probate administration, and travels to the county registries of deeds and probate for clients elsewhere in the state. Attorney James N. Sessler has practiced since 1977.
PracticesEstate PlanningProbateElder LawGuardianshipWills
Free New Hampshire forms and tools to get started.
Create a revocable living trust to avoid probate, protect privacy, and control asset distribution.
Create a free, state-specific will with witness and notarization requirements included.
Estimate attorney fees, executor fees, court costs, and timeline for probating an estate in your state. See if the estate qualifies for simplified probate procedures.
Get a personalized plan for settling an estate after someone passes away. Covers trust administration, probate, and intestate estates.
Calculate how much an executor (personal representative) can charge for administering an estate. See if your state has statutory fees or uses reasonable compensation.
Answer a few questions to find out if an estate needs full probate, qualifies for simplified probate, or can avoid probate entirely with a small estate affidavit.
See when creditors must file claims, what notice you must publish, whether direct notice is required, and the statutory priority for paying debts. Enter dates to calculate specific deadlines.