Washington follows the reasonable-compensation standard for trusteesWash. Rev. Code § 11.98.070(26)Verified Sep 18, 2026View source. A court decides what is reasonable case by case, on the trust's size, its complexity and the trustee's actual work. A family-member trustee often waives the fee. A professional trustee (a bank, a trust company, an attorney) typically charges 0.5% to 1.5% of trust assets a year, and a corporate fiduciary applies an annual minimum. The Washington trustee compensation calculator breaks it down by trust situation.
Trust administration in Washington is typically faster than probate because a trust needs no court supervision. The trustee can shorten the creditor-claim window to 4 monthsRCW 11.42.010 (notice agent qualifications — trustee receiving substantially all nonprobate assets is "qualified to give" notice); RCW 11.42.020 ("a notice agent may give nonprobate notice" / "has elected to give"); RCW 11.42.050 (bar: 4 months after first publication, or 24 months after date of death for a reasonably ascertainable creditor not given notice; effective as to both probate and nonprobate assets). WA has no mandatory trust-creditor procedure — the RCW ch. 11.42 nonprobate notice is an elective trustee/notice-agent safe-harbor; if not invoked, claims run to the 24-month outer limit (or otherwise applicable SOL). Verified 2026-06-19.Verified Jul 15, 2026View source by publishing Washington's optional notice; otherwise the general 24 monthsRCW 11.42.010 (notice agent qualifications — trustee receiving substantially all nonprobate assets is "qualified to give" notice); RCW 11.42.020 ("a notice agent may give nonprobate notice" / "has elected to give"); RCW 11.42.050 (bar: 4 months after first publication, or 24 months after date of death for a reasonably ascertainable creditor not given notice; effective as to both probate and nonprobate assets). WA has no mandatory trust-creditor procedure — the RCW ch. 11.42 nonprobate notice is an elective trustee/notice-agent safe-harbor; if not invoked, claims run to the 24-month outer limit (or otherwise applicable SOL). Verified 2026-06-19.Verified Jul 15, 2026View source period governs before final distributions are safe. A simple trust often wraps up in six to nine months; a trust holding a business interest, real property in more than one state, or one that files an estate tax return takes longer. The Washington trust settlement plan carries the full process.
Estate planning attorneys in Washington average $388Clio Legal Trends Report 2025Verified Jul 1, 2026View source an hour for wills and estates work. A flat-fee package runs $1,164Clio Legal Trends Report 2025Verified Jul 1, 2026View source to $2,328Clio Legal Trends Report 2025Verified Jul 1, 2026View source for a simple individual will and $3,400Clio Legal Trends Report 2025Verified Jul 1, 2026View source to $5,100Clio Legal Trends Report 2025Verified Jul 1, 2026View source for a basic revocable trust. An online service prices the same documents in the tens to low hundreds of dollars; the Washington will cost calculator sets the two side by side.
In Washington, estates valued at $100,000RCW 11.62.010Verified Sep 9, 2026View source or less skip probate with the Small Estate AffidavitRCW 11.62.010Verified Sep 9, 2026View source, 40 daysRCW 11.62.010Verified Sep 9, 2026View source after death. That route is a form rather than a court case, and most families handle it without an attorney. Above the line, formal probate generally benefits from counsel for the procedural work, even when nothing is contested. The Washington probate calculator estimates the cost by estate value.
In Washington, the situations where counsel is typically worth the cost are: a blended family with children from a prior relationship (community property rulesRCW § 11.04.015Verified Sep 10, 2026View source can produce a surprising split); a business, rental property or significant investment assets; a dependent with special needs, who needs a special-needs trust to keep benefits; an estate near or above the Washington estate taxRCW 83.100.020(1)(a)(x), 83.100.040(2)(a)(iii); ESB 6347 (Ch. 209, Laws of 2026)Verified Sep 15, 2026View source threshold of $3,000,000RCW 83.100.020(1)(a)(x), 83.100.040(2)(a)(iii); ESB 6347 (Ch. 209, Laws of 2026)Verified Sep 15, 2026View source; substantial property in more than one state. Where none of these apply, an online or self-help document is often enough.
42 trust administration firms in Washington, 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...
42 firms
FirmEverett, WA
Serves Snohomish County and north King County from the historic Edwards House on Colby Avenue in Everett, where the firm has practiced for over forty years. Handles probate and trust administration alongside estate litigation, including TEDRA will contests and accounting disputes.
PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateProbate Litigation
Solo PracticeSequim, WA
Sequim solo general civil practice in Clallam County, in operation since 1981, that handles probate, administration of decedents' estates and trusts, and collection of assets through small estate procedures. The practice also prepares wills, trusts, durable powers of attorney, community property agreements, and health care directives, alongside estate tax planning, real estate, and business law.
PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateTax Planningand 2 more
FirmWalla Walla, WA
Walla Walla firm, formerly Burkhart and Burkhart, representing families, farms, and businesses. Handles probate and trust administration, including supporting successor trustees who distribute a deceased person's assets, and litigates estate and trust disputes, including will contests. Accepts clients throughout Washington State.
PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateProbate Litigationand 3 more
FirmWenatchee, WA
Wenatchee firm, doing business as Northwest Estate Plans, that handles Washington probate and trust administration for families after a death, starting with a free Executor Guidance Meeting to review the options. Also prepares wills and revocable living trusts. Meetings, signings, and notarization can be completed over Zoom for clients anywhere in Washington, or in person at the Wenatchee office.
PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbate
Solo PracticeBellingham, WA
Bellingham estate planning practice serving Whatcom County, handling probate and trust administration for families settling an estate. Planning work includes wills, revocable living trusts, bypass trusts, special needs trusts, community property agreements, powers of attorney, and health care directives. Attorney Erin Mae Glass also practices elder law.
PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateElder LawSpecial Needs Planning
FirmTacoma, WA
Serves Pierce, King, and Thurston counties from offices in Tacoma, Seattle, and Olympia. Represents personal representatives in formal and summary probate and in estate and trust administration, and represents beneficiaries in will contests, undue influence claims, and trust litigation, including challenges to the actions of an executor or trustee. Also handles guardianships.
PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateProbate Litigationand 2 more
FirmOlympia, WA
Olympia firm that assists personal representatives and trustees with their duties after a death, from addressing creditors and defending the validity of a will to valuing assets and distributing property. Also prepares wills, revocable living trusts, and special needs trusts, and handles elder law matters including Medicaid eligibility.
PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateProbate Litigationand 5 more
FirmSpokane, WA
Spokane firm, formerly Moulton Law Offices, with offices in Spokane, Spokane Valley, Kennewick, and Yakima and virtual meetings for clients across Washington. Guides personal representatives, executors, heirs, and trustees through probate and trust administration, and also handles guardianships, Medicaid planning, and revocable living trusts.
PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateElder Lawand 5 more
FirmSeattle, WA
Estate planning and elder law firm with offices in Seattle, Spokane, and Kennewick, serving clients across Washington and North Idaho. Handles probate and trust administration for personal representatives and successor trustees, along with Medicaid and long-term care planning, wills, trusts, and powers of attorney. The practice is limited to estate planning and elder law.
PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateElder Lawand 2 more
FirmSpokane Valley, WA
Spokane Valley elder law and estate planning firm formed in 2026 when Danielle Palm and Kendel Froese combined their Liberty Lake and downtown Spokane practices. Handles probate, trust administration, and estate administration, plus adult guardianship and conservatorship petitions. The first consultation is free and meetings can be held by phone or Zoom.
PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateElder Lawand 2 more
FirmPort Townsend, WA
Port Townsend firm with a satellite location in Port Angeles, serving Jefferson, Clallam, and Kitsap counties since 2014. Handles probate and non-probate administration and trust administration for families after a death, and prepares wills, trusts, medical directives, and powers of attorney. Also handles real property matters.
PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateReal Estate
FirmKent, WA
Serves South King County from Kent, taking matters from Auburn, Covington, Enumclaw, Federal Way, Renton, and Tukwila as well as Seattle, Bellevue, and Tacoma. The wills and probate department represents family members in probate actions and guides administrators of existing estate plans, and drafts wills, revocable and irrevocable trusts, powers of attorney, and health care directives.
PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateTax Planningand 4 more
FirmLynnwood, WA
Lynnwood firm with a second office in Bellevue, serving King and Snohomish counties and clients across Washington. Handles probate and estate administration with or without a will, from court filings and federal estate tax returns through closing, and assists trustees with trust administration. Also handles guardianships, special needs trusts, and Medicaid planning.
PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateElder Lawand 3 more
FirmWenatchee, WA
Wenatchee firm founded in 1946 that represents clients across Washington, including Seattle and Spokane. Its probate team advises heirs and beneficiaries, handles probate and trust administration and small estate and lack-of-probate affidavits, and represents clients in will contests and administration disputes. Offers cost-free initial consultations.
PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateProbate Litigation
FirmClinton, WA
Serves Island County from offices in Clinton and Coupeville on Whidbey Island. Handles probate, trust administration, community property agreement recordings, lack-of-probate affidavits, small estate affidavits, and nonprobate notices to creditors, and takes on adult guardianships and cases of financial exploitation of elders.
PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateElder Lawand 2 more
FirmTacoma, WA
North Tacoma firm whose probate and trust administration practice guides executors, trustees, and beneficiaries after a death, from opening the probate, preparing inventories, and completing the notice to creditors process to collecting and distributing assets, small estate affidavits, and settling estates without probate. The firm also handles estate planning, business law, mediation, and arbitration.
PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateBusiness Law
FirmSeattle, WA
Seattle firm focused on estate planning, probate, trust administration, and trust and estate disputes. Assists executors, personal representatives, and trustees with administration, including federal and state estate tax returns, and handles will contests, claims against fiduciaries, trust interpretation suits, and contested guardianships.
PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateProbate Litigationand 3 more
FirmBellevue, WA
Bellevue firm serving King County. Handles probate from filing the will through valuing assets, paying debts and taxes, distributing to heirs, and closing the estate, including intestate estates and simplified procedures for smaller estates, and represents clients in will contests involving fraud or undue influence. Also guides trustees through trust administration and prepares estate and special needs plans.
PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateProbate Litigationand 3 more
FirmKennewick, WA
Kennewick firm serving the Tri-Cities and the Mid-Columbia since 1947. Handles probate and trust administration after a death, and litigates contested estate and trust matters. Also prepares wills, trusts, and estate plans.
PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateProbate Litigationand 4 more
Solo PracticeBellevue, WA
Bellevue solo practice serving King and Snohomish counties and clients throughout Washington. Handles probate and trust administration, estate and gift tax planning, and wills, trusts, powers of attorney, and health care directives. Initial consultations are held by phone.
PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateTax Planning
Free Washington forms and tools to get started.
Create a revocable living trust to avoid probate, protect privacy, and control asset distribution.
Transfer assets to your existing trust. State execution requirements included.
Find out what's fair compensation for serving as trustee. Compare family, professional, and corporate trustee rates based on your situation.
Get a personalized plan for settling an estate after someone passes away. Covers trust administration, probate, and intestate estates.
See which federal and state tax returns need to be filed after a death. Check income tax, estate tax, and fiduciary return requirements with deadlines, form links, and tax clearance rules.
Estimate the stepped-up basis on inherited stock, real estate, or business interests. Project federal and state capital gains tax with vs. without the step-up to see how much it saves at sale.