What Does Estate Planning Cost in Pennsylvania?

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 Pennsylvania typically cost $1,532 to $3,064 for major changes.

Online services have lower upfront costs ($30-$600) compared to attorneys in Pennsylvania (around $383/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 Pennsylvania, an attorney-prepared trust typically costs $3,830 to $5,745, while a will costs $1,014 to $2,028. Wills require probate, which adds about $29,027 in costs for heirs on a $500,000 estate. See a detailed breakdown with the Pennsylvania trust cost calculator.

Probate on a $500,000 estate in Pennsylvania costs about $29,027 — roughly 6% of estate value — including attorney fees, executor fees, court costs, and publication costs.20 Pa.C.S. § 3101 (payments without administration: $10K wages, $20K deposits, $10K patient care, $11K life insurance), § 3102 (small estate petition — gross personal property $50K; raised from $25K by Act 35 of 2013, no CPI indexing), § 3121 (family exemption $3,500), § 3162 (advertisement once/week for 3 successive weeks in newspaper of general circulation + designated legal periodical), § 3171/§ 3174 (bond + exemptions), § 3301 (inventory deadline), § 3531 (post-administration small-estate settlement on petition $50K), § 3532 (creditor claims 1 yr from first complete advertisement), § 3537 (PR compensation "reasonable and just"; attorney fees by court review of reasonableness, In re LaRocca's Trust Estate, 431 Pa. 542 (1968)), §§ 901-908 (Register of Wills); 72 P.S. § 9116 (inheritance tax rates 0%/4.5%/12%/15%), 72 P.S. § 9136 (return due within 9 months), 72 P.S. § 9142 (5% discount if paid within 3 months), 72 P.S. § 9143 (delinquent 9 months after death); county Register of Wills fee schedules on pacourts.us and individual county Register of Wills sites — verified via legis.state.pa.us / palegis.us / pa.gov/agencies/revenue on 2026-06-11Verified Jul 15, 2026 Estates with a trust can bypass probate entirely, potentially saving heirs thousands of dollars. Estimate probate fees with the Pennsylvania probate calculator.