Estate Planning for Suffolk County, New York Property Owners

For most Suffolk County homeowners, the house is what drags an estate into probate. A transfer-on-death deed or a living trust keeps it out—here is how to set up either one and record it locally.

Record a TOD deedWhere to recordLocal attorneys

For a Suffolk County property owner, the biggest probate risk is the home itself. Real estate is what forces most families into the Surrogate's Court. The two tools that keep a Suffolk County home out of probate are a transfer-on-death deed recorded with the County Clerk, and a revocable living trust that holds title to the property.

Without a recorded beneficiary designation or a trust, Suffolk County property passes through the Surrogate's Court — even simple New York probates run 7+ months and start with $45 in filing fees.

Record a Transfer-on-Death Deed in Suffolk County

A transfer on death deed names a beneficiary who receives Suffolk County property automatically at the owner's death, without probate. It is recorded with the County Clerk during the owner's lifetime and can be revoked at any time.

Before recording, a New York transfer on death deed is signed with 2N.Y. Real Prop. Law 424Verified Oct 19, 2026View source witnesses and notary acknowledgmentN.Y. Real Prop. Law 424Verified Oct 19, 2026View source. The deed takes effect only if it is recorded before the owner's deathN.Y. Real Prop. Law 424Verified Oct 19, 2026View source.

Create a New York TOD deed →Suffolk County signing requirements →

Where to Record Property Documents

Deeds and other real property documents for Suffolk County are recorded with the County Clerk at 310 Center Drive, Riverhead, NY 11901. Phone: 1-631-852-2000. Hours: Monday-Friday 9:00 AM-5:00 PM.

The County Clerk charges $45 per document plus $5 for every page. Recording a 2-page transfer on death deed in Suffolk County comes to $255, which is $55 in recording fees plus the $200 Real Property Tax Service Agency Verification Fee. A transfer on death deed is exempt from transfer tax.

Suffolk County accepts electronic recording through Simplifile, ePN and CSC.

Recording Office Record

County Clerk

Suffolk County

Hours

Monday-Friday 9:00 AM-5:00 PM

Office

310 Center Drive, Riverhead, NY 11901

Open in Google Maps

Fax

1-631-852-2004

Verified October 17, 2026 · Source

Estate Planning Attorneys Serving Suffolk County

FirmLake Success, NY

Abrams Fensterman, LLP

Since 2000 · Serves 9 counties

Lake Success (Nassau County) firm guiding executors, administrators, trustees and beneficiaries through New York Surrogate's Court — probate, estate and trust administration, and contested estates and objections to a will or to fiduciary conduct. Also handles estate planning, retirement-distribution planning, Medicaid and elder law. Absorbed the Berwitz & DiTata estate practice.

PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateProbate Litigationand 5 more

Office
3 Dakota Drive, Suite 300Lake Success, NY 11042

FirmJericho, NY

Adler Law Firm, PLLC

Serves 2 counties

Jericho (Nassau County) firm filing for Long Island families in the Nassau and Suffolk Surrogate's Courts. Handles probate, letters of administration and estate administration, wills and trusts, trustee and beneficiary representation, elder law and special-needs planning. Attorneys handle each case personally rather than passing it to staff.

PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateElder Lawand 3 more

Office
390 North Broadway, Suite 200Jericho, NY 11753

FirmEast Setauket, NY

Burner Prudenti Law, P.C.

Since 1995 · Serves 2 counties

East Setauket (Suffolk County) firm with three more Long Island and Manhattan offices, practicing in trusts and estates, elder law and real estate. Walks executors and administrators through a Surrogate's Court file: the petition to appoint, waivers and consents from distributees under EPTL 4-1.1, Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration, the estate account and asset inventory, creditor payment, estate taxes, releases and the final accounting. Also handles objections to a will, guardianship, and Medicaid and long-term-care planning.

PracticesEstate PlanningProbateElder LawGuardianshipand 3 more

Office
12 Research WayEast Setauket, NY 11733

Solo PracticeWoodbury, NY

C. Haner Law, PLLC

Serves 2 counties

Woodbury solo handling Nassau County probate through the Surrogate's Court in Mineola. Haner files probate petitions, gets executors appointed under letters testamentary, and brings compulsory-accounting and will-contest proceedings when a fiduciary refuses to account. The site carries fourteen plain-language Surrogate's Court explainers covering citations, renunciations, temporary administration and venue.

PracticesEstate PlanningProbateProbate LitigationElder Lawand 3 more

Office
7600 Jericho Turnpike, Suite 301Woodbury, NY 11797

Solo PracticeSetauket, NY

David J. Lorber & Associates, PLLC

Since 2019 · Serves 7 counties

Setauket (Suffolk County) practice handling probate, estate administration, and trust and estate litigation in the Surrogate's Court, serving Long Island and the New York metro area. Drafts wills, trusts, and special-needs and business-succession plans, and brings adult guardianship proceedings, with phone, virtual, and office consultations offered at no charge.

PracticesEstate PlanningProbateTrust LitigationElder Lawand 2 more

Office
100 North Country RoadSetauket, NY 11733
Free consultationVirtual consultations

Solo PracticeMineola, NY

Eric M. Kutner, Certified Public Accountant & Attorney at Law

Serves 7 counties

Mineola attorney-CPA handling Nassau County estate settlement in the Surrogate's Court. Kutner takes administrators through probate and through the non-probate transfers that sit outside it, including estates holding real property in more than one county, and serves as executor and trustee himself. He also oversees the trust, estate and tax departments of a Manhattan firm as of counsel.

PracticesEstate PlanningProbateTax PlanningBusiness LawReal Estate

Office
200 Old Country Road, Suite 364Mineola, NY 11501
See all 34 firms serving Suffolk County →

Firm listings are for informational purposes only. SimplyTrust does not endorse or recommend any specific firm or attorney. Contact firms directly to verify their current practice areas and availability.

SimplyTrustSimplyTrust Editorial·

Legal Sources

Data sourced from New York statutes and official state code. How we research.

Forms for Planning Your Estate in New York

Free forms for planning your estate in New York: will, living trust, pour-over will, powers of attorney and TOD deed. Prepare each form for New York.

Free

Last Will and Testament

In New York, a will is signed before 2EPTL § 3-2.1Verified Oct 19, 2026View source witnesses, and a self-proving affidavit signed with it lets the court admit it without witness testimonyEPTL § 3-2.1Verified Oct 19, 2026View source.

Get Started
Free

Codicil to a Will

In New York, a codicil is signed before 2EPTL § 3-2.1Verified Oct 19, 2026View source witnesses, like a will, and the self-proving affidavit signed with it lets the court admit it without witness testimonySCPA §§ 103(52), 1406Verified Oct 25, 2026View source.

Get Started
Free

Healthcare Power of Attorney

New York requires 2NY PHL § 2981(5)(d)Verified Oct 15, 2026View source witnesses for a healthcare power of attorney; notarization is not requiredNY PHL § 2981(5)(d)Verified Oct 15, 2026View source.

Get Started
Free

HIPAA Release

In New York, a HIPAA release names who may receive your records and, as the state requires, names HIV/AIDS-related information and genetic informationN.Y. Pub. Health Law §§ 2780(9), 2782(5)(a) (Article 27-F); NY DOH Form DOH-2557 (Rev. 2/11); N.Y. Civ. Rights Law § 79-l(2)(b), (2)(c), (2)(d), (3)(a)Verified Jun 19, 2026View source expressly before a provider releases them.

Get Started
Free

Financial Power of Attorney

New York treats a power of attorney as durable by defaultNY GOL §§ 5-1501, 5-1501A, 5-1501B, 5-1502A through 5-1502N, 5-1504, 5-1512, 5-1513Verified Sep 18, 2026View source, and it is signed before 2NY GOL §§ 5-1501, 5-1501A, 5-1501B, 5-1502A through 5-1502N, 5-1504, 5-1512, 5-1513Verified Sep 18, 2026View source witnesses and a notary.

Get Started
Free

Transfer on Death Deed

In New York, a transfer on death deed is signed before a notaryN.Y. Real Prop. Law 424Verified Oct 19, 2026View source and 2N.Y. Real Prop. Law 424Verified Oct 19, 2026View source witnesses, then recorded with the county before the owner's deathN.Y. Real Prop. Law 424Verified Oct 19, 2026View source. New York does not recognize a Lady Bird deed.

Get Started
Free

Pour-Over Will

In New York, a pour-over will is signed before 2EPTL § 3-2.1Verified Oct 19, 2026View source witnesses and moves anything left outside the trust into it through probate.

Get Started
$12/month

Revocable Living Trust

Create a revocable living trust to avoid probate, protect privacy, and control asset distribution.

Get Started

All New York forms

Tools for Planning Your Estate in New York

Free tools for planning your estate in New York: will and trust costs, trust or TOD deed, and the signing rules. Run each tool for New York and read its answer.

How Do I Sign Estate Documents?

In New York, a will is signed before 2EPTL § 3-2.1Verified Oct 19, 2026View source witnesses, and notarization is not requiredEPTL § 3-2.1Verified Oct 19, 2026View source.

Check the Rules

Will My Estate Documents Transfer?

New York recognizes a will signed under the law of the place where it was signedEPTL § 3-5.1(c)Verified Oct 19, 2026View source; a will signed in New York itself needs 2EPTL § 3-2.1Verified Oct 19, 2026View source witnesses, and notarization is not requiredEPTL § 3-2.1Verified Oct 19, 2026View source.

Get the Answer

Trust or Will: Which Costs Less?

In New York, a will-based plan pays probate attorney fees of typically 2.5%Modeled estimate under SCPA § 2110 (reasonable compensation; no statutory percentage): the hours the statutory fee schedules imply, at the state's surveyed hourly rateVerified Sep 8, 2026View source to 4%Modeled estimate under SCPA § 2110 (reasonable compensation; no statutory percentage): the hours the statutory fee schedules imply, at the state's surveyed hourly rateVerified Sep 8, 2026View source of the estate; a funded revocable trust keeps those assets out of probate and off that fee.

Calculate Costs

How Much Does a Revocable Living Trust Cost?

An attorney-prepared revocable living trust in New York runs $4,250Estimate: 10 hours at $425, Clio's New York Trusts rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source to $6,375Estimate: 15 hours at $425, Clio's New York Trusts rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source for an individual, against $0 to $549 up front plus a subscription with an online service.

Calculate Costs

How Much Does a Will Cost?

An attorney-prepared will in New York runs $1,344Estimate: 3 hours at $448, Clio's New York Wills and Estates rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source to $2,688Estimate: 6 hours at $448, Clio's New York Wills and Estates rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source, against $0 to $299 up front with an online service, and probate on a $500,000 estate adds about $35,992SCPA § 2110 (reasonable compensation; no statutory percentage)Verified Sep 8, 2026View source.

Calculate Costs

How Does SimplyTrust Compare to LegalZoom, Trust & Will, and Other Services?

Compare what it costs to make a trust official across SimplyTrust, LegalZoom, Trust & Will, Rocket Lawyer, and Quicken WillMaker.

Compare Options

How Do I Name a Guardian for My Minor Children?

In New York, a parent names a guardian for a minor child in a will or a separate signed writingN.Y. Dom. Rel. Law § 81; N.Y. SCPA §§ 1707, 1710Verified Sep 16, 2026View source, and the nomination covers the child until the age of majority, 18N.Y. SCPA § 1707(2); N.Y. Dom. Rel. Law § 81Verified Sep 16, 2026View source.

See the Steps

Do I Need a Revocable Trust?

Probate in New York takes 7 months to 9 months for a simple estate and charges attorney fees of typically 2.5%Modeled estimate under SCPA § 2110 (reasonable compensation; no statutory percentage): the hours the statutory fee schedules imply, at the state's surveyed hourly rateVerified Sep 8, 2026View source to 4%Modeled estimate under SCPA § 2110 (reasonable compensation; no statutory percentage): the hours the statutory fee schedules imply, at the state's surveyed hourly rateVerified Sep 8, 2026View source of the estate; assets held in a revocable trust skip both.

Get the Answer

All New York tools

New York Estate Planning Articles

Estate planning articles for New York.