Middlebury firm at 64 Court Street serving clients throughout Vermont, including Rutland, Addison and Chittenden Counties. Its attorneys handle estate planning and estate administration alongside real estate, municipal and business work, and Kathleen M. Boe represents individuals in estate and tax planning matters.
Probate in Washington County
Probate Court Record
Washington County Superior Court - Probate Division
Washington County
Phone
Hours
Monday-Friday 8:00 AM-4:30 PM
Office
65 State Street, Montpelier, VT 05602
Website
E-filing
Filing in person
Walk-ins accepted
Self-represented filing
Allowed
Self-help forms
How to file probate in Washington County →
Verified October 16, 2026 · Source
Do I need a lawyer for probate in Washington County? →Settling an estate in Washington County →
Tax Planning Firms Serving Washington County
Bennington solo practice serving all of Vermont, mainly Bennington, Windham, Rutland and Windsor Counties, with offices in Albany, New York and Athol, Massachusetts. Advises executors or serves as personal representative from opening the estate through the inventory, estate tax returns and closing, and litigates will and trust contests. Free 30-minute strategy session in person or by phone.
Burlington firm with a White River Junction office whose attorneys handle matters in all fourteen Vermont counties. Its estates and trusts attorneys represent trustees in trust administration and fiduciaries and families in probate court estate and guardianship proceedings. Principal Mark Melendy served on the bar committees that drafted Vermont's trust-decanting and directed-trust acts.
Middlebury solo practice serving clients throughout Vermont, begun by Jennifer Wagner in 2023 after Marsh & Wagner, P.C. dissolved. It guides executors through probating a will in Vermont probate court, from filing the will through paying creditors and taxes and locating beneficiaries, and handles will challenges and probate disputes. The first office visit is half-price.
Rutland practice Nicole McPhee opened in 1996, serving all 14 Vermont counties; she has appeared before probate courts in every county. Her work includes Vermont probate administration and guardianship matters as well as wills, trusts, special needs trusts and estate tax planning, for a flat fee in three meetings held in person, by Zoom or through an online portal.
All 7 Vermont tax planning firms serving Washington County →
Forms for Planning and Settling an Estate in Vermont
Free Vermont forms to plan or settle an estate: a will, trust, powers of attorney, TOD deed and the probate forms. Prepare each form for Vermont.
$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 Vermont, a will is signed before 214 V.S.A. § 5Verified Oct 19, 2026View source witnesses, and a self-proving affidavit signed with it lets the court admit it without witness testimony14 V.S.A. § 5Verified Oct 19, 2026View source.
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Free
Pour-Over Will
In Vermont, a pour-over will is signed before 214 V.S.A. § 5Verified Oct 19, 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 Vermont
Free calculators and checklists to plan or settle an estate in Vermont: will and trust costs, probate, executor pay and taxes. Run each tool for Vermont.
How Much Are Estate & Inheritance Taxes?
Vermont levies an estate tax32 V.S.A. § 7442aVerified Sep 15, 2026View source above $5,000,00032 V.S.A. § 7442aVerified Sep 15, 2026View source (top rate 16%32 V.S.A. § 7442aVerified Sep 15, 2026View source) and no inheritance tax; the federal estate tax applies above $15,000,00026 USC 2001(c), 2010; P.L. 119-21 §70106Verified Sep 15, 2026View source.
Calculate the Tax
What Taxes Apply to My Inheritance?
In Vermont, beneficiaries owe no inheritance tax and the estate pays any estate tax32 V.S.A. § 7442aVerified Sep 15, 2026View source above $5,000,00032 V.S.A. § 7442aVerified Sep 15, 2026View source; probate assets arrive when the estate closes, 6 months to 9 months for a simple estate.
Calculate the Tax
How Does Step-Up in Basis Work?
Inherited assets in Vermont take a basis reset to fair market value on the date of death26 USC § 1014Verified Sep 15, 2026View source, and the gain on a later sale faces ordinary income tax at the state's regular rates, after the first $5,000 of gain is excluded32 V.S.A. § 5811(21)(B)(ii) (capital gains exclusion — individuals) and § 5811(28)(B)(ii) (the SAME exclusion, verbatim, for an estate or a trust)Verified Sep 15, 2026View source.
Calculate the Tax
When Do I Have to Withdraw an Inherited IRA?
See which federal withdrawal rules apply to an inherited IRA, Roth IRA, or employer plan, the deadline year, and the missed-withdrawal tax.
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What Does Estate Planning Actually Cost?
An attorney-prepared revocable trust in Vermont runs $2,400Estimate: 10 hours at $240, Clio's Vermont Trusts rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source to $3,600Estimate: 15 hours at $240, Clio's Vermont Trusts rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source and a simple will $891Estimate: 3 hours at $297, Clio's Vermont Wills and Estates rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source to $1,782Estimate: 6 hours at $297, Clio's Vermont 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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