What Does Estate Planning Cost in Massachusetts?
An attorney-prepared revocable trust in Massachusetts runs $3,920Estimate: 10 hours at $392, Clio's Massachusetts Trusts rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source to $5,880Estimate: 15 hours at $392, Clio's Massachusetts Trusts rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source and a simple will $1,161Estimate: 3 hours at $387, Clio's Massachusetts Wills and Estates rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source to $2,322Estimate: 6 hours at $387, Clio's Massachusetts 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.
Estate planning costs in Massachusetts depend on the provider. An online service runs $0 to $549 up front plus a subscription. An attorney in Massachusetts charges around $392Clio Compare Lawyer Rates, Massachusetts: Trusts rate (2025 data)Verified Oct 15, 2026View source an hour for trust work, which puts an attorney-prepared trust at $3,920Estimate: 10 hours at $392, Clio's Massachusetts Trusts rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source to $5,880Estimate: 15 hours at $392, Clio's Massachusetts Trusts rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source for an individual plan.
A marriage, a divorce or a new child means updating the plan. Some providers require a whole new plan; others amend the existing one. An attorney amendment in Massachusetts typically costs $1,568Estimate: 4 hours at $392, Clio's Massachusetts Trusts rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source to $3,136Estimate: 8 hours at $392, Clio's Massachusetts Trusts rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source for a major change.
An online service costs less up front ($0 to $549) than an attorney in Massachusetts (around $392Clio Compare Lawyer Rates, Massachusetts: Trusts rate (2025 data)Verified Oct 15, 2026View source an hour for trust work). The lifetime figure turns on the subscription ($49 to $199 a year with most online services), the amendment charges, and how often life events require an update.
A trust costs more up front than a will and saves the probate the will route pays. In Massachusetts, an attorney-prepared trust typically costs $3,920Estimate: 10 hours at $392, Clio's Massachusetts Trusts rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source to $5,880Estimate: 15 hours at $392, Clio's Massachusetts Trusts rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source and a will $1,161Estimate: 3 hours at $387, Clio's Massachusetts Wills and Estates rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source to $2,322Estimate: 6 hours at $387, Clio's Massachusetts Wills and Estates rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source. Assets passing under a will go through probate, which adds about $27,714No specific statute for general probate attorney fees; reasonable compensation subject to court review. M.G.L. c. 190B § 3-720 covers litigation expense reimbursement only.Verified Sep 8, 2026View source on a $500,000 estate for the heirs. The Massachusetts trust cost calculator carries the breakdown.
Probate in Massachusetts costs about $27,714No specific statute for general probate attorney fees; reasonable compensation subject to court review. M.G.L. c. 190B § 3-720 covers litigation expense reimbursement only.Verified Sep 8, 2026View source on a $500,000 estate, counting attorney fees, executor fees, court costs and publication. An estate held in a funded trust bypasses probate and that cost entirely. The Massachusetts probate calculator estimates the fees for a given estate.
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New Baby or Adoption
Your family is growing. Your protection should too. Guardian nominations, trusts for minors, beneficiary updates, and the documents new parents need in place.
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Marriage
What married couples need in place: one joint trust or two, wills, beneficiary updates, and the spousal rights your state grants you automatically.
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New Home
How to put your house in a revocable trust: the deed you record, what it does to your mortgage and property taxes, and when a TOD deed is simpler.
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Retirement
Retirement changes your financial picture. Healthcare directives, beneficiary reviews, long-term care planning, and protecting what you've built.
Learn moreForms for Planning Your Estate in Massachusetts
Free forms for planning your estate in Massachusetts: a will, living trust, pour-over will, both powers of attorney, living will, and TOD deed.
Last Will and Testament
In Massachusetts, a will is signed before 2M.G.L. c. 190B § 2-502Verified Sep 16, 2026View source witnesses, and a self-proving affidavit signed with it lets the court admit it without witness testimonyM.G.L. c. 190B § 2-502Verified Sep 16, 2026View source.
Healthcare Power of Attorney
Massachusetts requires 2M.G.L. c. 201D § 2Verified Oct 15, 2026View source witnesses for a healthcare power of attorney; notarization is not requiredM.G.L. c. 201D § 2Verified Oct 15, 2026View source.
Financial Power of Attorney
Massachusetts requires explicit durability language for a power of attorney to survive incapacityM.G.L. c. 190B §§ 5-501 to 5-507; c. 183 §§ 29, 32Verified Sep 18, 2026View source, and it is signed with no witness or notary requirementM.G.L. c. 190B §§ 5-501 to 5-507; c. 183 §§ 29, 32Verified Sep 18, 2026View source.
Tools for Planning Your Estate in Massachusetts
Free tools for planning your estate in Massachusetts: what a will or trust costs, whether you need a trust or TOD deed, and how documents are signed.
How Much Life Insurance Do I Need?
In Massachusetts, four years at a public university cost about $117,036NCES Digest of Education Statistics 2023, Table 330.20, public 4-year in-state tuition, fees, room and board, academic year 2022-23Verified Oct 3, 2026View source and the cost of living is 6% above the U.S. averageBEA Regional Price Parities, all items, by state, 2024Verified Oct 3, 2026View source; the state levies an estate taxM.G.L. c. 65C § 2A; St. 2023, c. 50; St. 2024, c. 206, § 13; St. 2025, c. 9, § 35Verified Sep 15, 2026View source above $2,000,000M.G.L. c. 65C § 2A; St. 2023, c. 50; St. 2024, c. 206, § 13; St. 2025, c. 9, § 35Verified Sep 15, 2026View source.
Are My Beneficiary Designations Protected?
Massachusetts automatically revokes an ex-spouse as beneficiary at divorceM.G.L. c. 190B, § 2-804Verified Sep 15, 2026View source; employer plans under ERISA follow federal rules either way, so a 401(k) beneficiary changes only by a new designation.
How Much Does Probate Cost?
Probate on a $500,000 estate in Massachusetts costs an estimated $27,714No specific statute for general probate attorney fees; reasonable compensation subject to court review. M.G.L. c. 190B § 3-720 covers litigation expense reimbursement only.Verified Sep 8, 2026View source. Attorney fees run 2.2%No specific statute for general probate attorney fees; reasonable compensation subject to court review. M.G.L. c. 190B § 3-720 covers litigation expense reimbursement only.Verified Sep 8, 2026View source to 3.5%No specific statute for general probate attorney fees; reasonable compensation subject to court review. M.G.L. c. 190B § 3-720 covers litigation expense reimbursement only.Verified Sep 8, 2026View source of the estate under a reasonable-compensation standard.
Who Inherits Without a Will?
Without a will in Massachusetts, a surviving spouse takes the entire estateM.G.L. c. 190B § 2-102Verified Sep 10, 2026View source when every child of either spouse is a child of both, and descendants divide what passes to them per capita at each generationM.G.L. c. 190B § 2-106Verified Sep 10, 2026View source.
How Much Does a Revocable Living Trust Cost?
An attorney-prepared revocable living trust in Massachusetts runs $3,920Estimate: 10 hours at $392, Clio's Massachusetts Trusts rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source to $5,880Estimate: 15 hours at $392, Clio's Massachusetts 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.
How Much Does a Will Cost?
An attorney-prepared will in Massachusetts runs $1,161Estimate: 3 hours at $387, Clio's Massachusetts Wills and Estates rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source to $2,322Estimate: 6 hours at $387, Clio's Massachusetts 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 $27,714No specific statute for general probate attorney fees; reasonable compensation subject to court review. M.G.L. c. 190B § 3-720 covers litigation expense reimbursement only.Verified Sep 8, 2026View source.
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.
How Do I Name a Guardian for My Minor Children?
In Massachusetts, a parent names a guardian for a minor child in a will or a separate signed writingM.G.L. ch. 190B §§ 5-202, 5-203, 5-204, 5-207Verified Sep 15, 2026View source, and the nomination covers the child until the age of majority, 18M.G.L. ch. 190B § 1-201(30)Verified Sep 15, 2026View source.
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Massachusetts Estate Planning Resources
In-depth guides covering Massachusetts probate laws, trust requirements, and estate planning strategies.