What Does Estate Planning Cost in California?

Major life events like marriage, divorce, or having a child often require updating your estate plan. Some providers require purchasing an entirely new plan, while others offer amendments. Attorney amendments in California typically cost $1,728 to $3,456 for major changes.

Online services have lower upfront costs ($30-$600) compared to attorneys in California (around $432/hour for trusts). However, total lifetime cost depends on subscription fees, amendment charges, and how often life events require updates. This calculator compares the full cost across providers.

Many online estate planning services charge annual subscription fees ranging from $0 to $240/year. These subscriptions may include document access, minor amendments, or attorney consultations depending on the provider and tier.

Trusts cost more upfront than wills but can save money long-term by avoiding probate. In California, an attorney-prepared trust typically costs $4,320 to $6,480, while a will costs $1,329 to $2,658. Wills require probate, which adds about $29,735 in costs for heirs on a $500,000 estate. See a detailed breakdown with the California trust cost calculator.

Probate on a $500,000 estate in California costs about $29,735 — roughly 6% of estate value — including attorney fees, executor fees, court costs, and publication costs.Cal. Prob. Code §§ 10800, 10810 (statutory fee schedule: 4%/3%/2%/1%/0.5%/reasonable, progressive slices, on gross estate value — "without reference to encumbrances"), 13100 (personal property affidavit; 40 days; base $166,250), 13200 (real property affidavit; six months; base $55,425 per § 13200(h)(1)), 13151-13152 (primary residence succession, $750,000; amended by AB 2016, Stats. 2024, ch. 331, eff. Jan 1, 2025), 890 (CPI adjustment: April 1 every 3 years; § 890(d) keys the figure to the date of death). Adjusted thresholds taken from the Judicial Council's published § 890(c) list, "Maximum Amounts for Determining Eligibility for Summary Succession Procedures" (https://courts.ca.gov/system/files/file/probate-code-890-adjusted-amounts.pdf): deaths on/after April 1, 2025 — § 13100 = $208,850, § 13200 = $69,625, §§ 13151-13154 = $750,000; deaths 4/1/2022-3/31/2025 — $184,500 / $61,500; next adjustment April 1, 2028. § 8005-8006 (court hearing admits the will and appoints the PR — no informal/registrar track), § 8480 (bond required before letters), § 8481 (will waiver or all-beneficiary written waiver; court retains good-cause authority), §§ 8900-8904 (appraisal; referee appraises all property not self-appraised by the PR under § 8901), § 8961 (0.1% commission), § 8963 ($75 min, $10K max), § 8120 (publication of notice of petition for administration), §§ 10400, 10500(a), 10501 (IAEA independent administration without court supervision), § 9100 (creditor claims: later of 4 months from letters or 60 days from notice). Verified 2026-07-14 against leginfo.legislature.ca.gov and courts.ca.gov.Verified Jul 15, 2026 Estates with a trust can bypass probate entirely, potentially saving heirs thousands of dollars. Estimate probate fees with the California probate calculator.