What Does Estate Planning Cost in District of Columbia?
An attorney-prepared revocable trust in District of Columbia runs $3,820Estimate: 10 hours at $382, Clio's District of Columbia Trusts rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source to $5,730Estimate: 15 hours at $382, Clio's District of Columbia Trusts rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source and a simple will $1,041Estimate: 3 hours at $347, Clio's District of Columbia Wills and Estates rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source to $2,082Estimate: 6 hours at $347, Clio's District of Columbia 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 District of Columbia depend on the provider. An online service runs $0 to $549 up front plus a subscription. An attorney in District of Columbia charges around $382Clio Compare Lawyer Rates, District of Columbia: Trusts rate (2025 data)Verified Oct 15, 2026View source an hour for trust work, which puts an attorney-prepared trust at $3,820Estimate: 10 hours at $382, Clio's District of Columbia Trusts rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source to $5,730Estimate: 15 hours at $382, Clio's District of Columbia 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 District of Columbia typically costs $1,528Estimate: 4 hours at $382, Clio's District of Columbia Trusts rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source to $3,056Estimate: 8 hours at $382, Clio's District of Columbia 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 District of Columbia (around $382Clio Compare Lawyer Rates, District of Columbia: 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 District of Columbia, an attorney-prepared trust typically costs $3,820Estimate: 10 hours at $382, Clio's District of Columbia Trusts rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source to $5,730Estimate: 15 hours at $382, Clio's District of Columbia Trusts rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source and a will $1,041Estimate: 3 hours at $347, Clio's District of Columbia Wills and Estates rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source to $2,082Estimate: 6 hours at $347, Clio's District of Columbia Wills and Estates rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source. Assets passing under a will go through probate, which adds about $26,493D.C. Code § 20-753 (reasonableness review of attorney compensation; no statutory percentage)Verified Sep 8, 2026View source on a $500,000 estate for the heirs. The District of Columbia trust cost calculator carries the breakdown.
Probate in District of Columbia costs about $26,493D.C. Code § 20-753 (reasonableness review of attorney compensation; no statutory percentage)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 District of Columbia 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 District of Columbia
Free forms for planning your estate in District of Columbia: a will, living trust, pour-over will, both powers of attorney, living will, and TOD deed.
Last Will and Testament
In District of Columbia, a will is signed before 2D.C. Code § 18-103Verified Oct 18, 2026View source witnesses, and the witnesses sign an affidavit at probate instead of a self-proving affidavitD.C. Code § 18-103Verified Oct 18, 2026View source.
Healthcare Power of Attorney
District of Columbia requires 2DC Code § 21-2207Verified Oct 15, 2026View source witnesses for a healthcare power of attorney; notarization is not requiredDC Code § 21-2207Verified Oct 15, 2026View source.
Financial Power of Attorney
District of Columbia treats a power of attorney as durable by defaultD.C. Code §§ 21-2601.04, 21-2601.05, 21-2601.06, 21-2601.09, 21-2601.13, 21-2601.14, 21-2601.19, 21-2601.20, 21-2602.01, 21-2602.17, 21-2603.01, 21-2603.03Verified Sep 18, 2026View source, and it is signed before a notaryD.C. Code §§ 21-2601.04, 21-2601.05, 21-2601.06, 21-2601.09, 21-2601.13, 21-2601.14, 21-2601.19, 21-2601.20, 21-2602.01, 21-2602.17, 21-2603.01, 21-2603.03Verified Sep 18, 2026View source.
Transfer on Death Deed
In District of Columbia, a transfer on death deed is signed before a notaryD.C. Code 19-604.01 to 19-604.19Verified Oct 18, 2026View source, then recorded with the county before the owner's deathD.C. Code 19-604.01 to 19-604.19Verified Oct 18, 2026View source.
Vehicle Transfer on Death
Name a beneficiary to inherit your vehicle at death without probate. Available in 26 states and the District of Columbia.
Living Will
In District of Columbia, the living will is the DeclarationD.C. Code Title 7, Ch. 6, Subch. II (Natural Death Act of 1981, D.C. Law 4-69), §§ 7-621 to 7-630Verified Sep 27, 2026View source, a document of its own, apart from the healthcare power of attorney.
Tools for Planning Your Estate in District of Columbia
Free tools for planning your estate in District of Columbia: 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 District of Columbia, four years at a public university cost about $24,608NCES Digest of Education Statistics 2023, Table 330.20, public 4-year in-state tuition, fees, room and board, academic year 2022-23Verified Oct 17, 2026View source and the cost of living is 10% above the U.S. averageBEA Regional Price Parities, all items, by state, 2024Verified Oct 17, 2026View source; the state levies an estate taxD.C. Code § 47-3702Verified Sep 15, 2026View source above $4,988,400D.C. Code § 47-3702Verified Sep 15, 2026View source.
Are My Beneficiary Designations Protected?
District of Columbia does not revoke an ex-spouse as beneficiary at divorceNoneVerified 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 District of Columbia costs an estimated $26,493D.C. Code § 20-753 (reasonableness review of attorney compensation; no statutory percentage)Verified Sep 8, 2026View source. Attorney fees run 2%D.C. Code § 20-753 (reasonableness review of attorney compensation; no statutory percentage)Verified Sep 8, 2026View source to 3.1%D.C. Code § 20-753 (reasonableness review of attorney compensation; no statutory percentage)Verified Sep 8, 2026View source of the estate under a reasonable-compensation standard.
Who Inherits Without a Will?
Without a will in District of Columbia, a surviving spouse takes the first $0 plus two-thirds of the restD.C. Code § 19-302Verified Sep 10, 2026View source when every child of either spouse is a child of both, and descendants divide what passes to them per stirpesD.C. Code § 19-307Verified Sep 10, 2026View source.
How Much Does a Revocable Living Trust Cost?
An attorney-prepared revocable living trust in District of Columbia runs $3,820Estimate: 10 hours at $382, Clio's District of Columbia Trusts rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source to $5,730Estimate: 15 hours at $382, Clio's District of Columbia 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 District of Columbia runs $1,041Estimate: 3 hours at $347, Clio's District of Columbia Wills and Estates rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source to $2,082Estimate: 6 hours at $347, Clio's District of Columbia 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 $26,493D.C. Code § 20-753 (reasonableness review of attorney compensation; no statutory percentage)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 District of Columbia, a parent names a guardian for a minor child in a will or a separate signed writingD.C. Code §§ 21-102, 21-103(a), 21-105 (estate, by deed or will), 21-101(b), 21-107Verified Sep 15, 2026View source, and the nomination covers the child until the age of majority, 18D.C. Code § 46-101; see also § 21-104Verified Sep 15, 2026View source.
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District of Columbia Estate Planning Resources
In-depth guides covering District of Columbia probate laws, trust requirements, and estate planning strategies.