Tools for Planning Your Estate

For the person putting a plan in place: what a will, a trust, or a full plan costs in your state, whether a trust or a TOD deed changes how property passes, how the documents are signed, and how to name a guardian.

All Planning ahead Settling an estate

23 tools

How Much Does Probate Cost?

Estimate attorney fees, executor fees, court costs, and timeline for probating an estate.

Calculate Costs

Who Inherits Without a Will?

Find out who inherits your estate and how much they get if you die without a will.

Check the Rules

How Much Are Estate & Inheritance Taxes?

Calculate federal estate tax, state estate tax, and inheritance tax for an estate.

Calculate the Tax

How Much Is the Federal Gift Tax?

Whether a gift owes federal gift tax, how much of the annual exclusion and lifetime exemption it uses, and whether Form 709 is due.

Calculate the Tax

Do I Need Probate?

Find out if an estate needs probate or qualifies for simplified procedures.

Get the Answer

What Does Estate Planning Actually Cost?

Compare costs across estate planning providers including online services and attorneys.

Calculate Costs

How Much Does a Revocable Living Trust Cost?

Compare revocable living trust costs across providers including online services and attorneys.

Calculate Costs

How Much Does a Will Cost?

Compare will costs across providers plus probate costs your heirs will pay.

Calculate Costs

How Much Life Insurance Do I Need?

Calculate your life insurance needs based on income, debts, and family situation.

Calculate the Amount

How Does Step-Up in Basis Work?

Calculate the new cost basis on inherited assets under IRC § 1014 and project capital gains tax savings.

Calculate the Tax

Are My Beneficiary Designations Protected?

Check how divorce, creditors, and state laws affect your beneficiary designations.

Get the Answer

What Are the Estate Laws in My State?

See probate costs, will requirements, trust rules, and intestacy laws for your state.

Check the Rules

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?

See how a parent names a guardian for their minor children, what weight the court gives your choice, and your options for temporary care.

See the Steps

What Are the Burial and Cremation Laws in My State?

See who controls final arrangements, cremation and burial rules, and what your state allows.

Check the Rules

How Do I Sign Estate Documents?

Find witness, notary, and remote signing requirements for all 50 states.

Check the Rules

Will My Estate Documents Transfer?

Check if estate planning documents signed in one state are valid in another.

Get the Answer

Do I Need a Revocable Trust?

Find out if a revocable trust makes sense based on your state, estate value, and family situation.

Get the Answer

How Do I Avoid Probate?

See which of your assets pass outside probate under your state’s law, asset by asset, and what remains for the probate estate.

See the Steps

Do I Need a TOD Deed?

Find out if a transfer on death deed can keep your property out of probate.

Get the Answer

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The Estate Planning Cost Calculator estimates the cost of a complete plan for your state. The Will Cost Calculator and the Revocable Living Trust Cost Calculator break out each document on its own, and the Trust or Will tool compares the two side by side.

The Trust Need Assessment asks about your assets, your state, and who you want to provide for, then shows whether a revocable trust changes how your estate passes. The TOD Deed and Vehicle TOD assessments answer the same question for a home or a vehicle in states that allow those designations.

The Signing Requirements Checker lists the witness, notary, and self-proving rules for a will, a trust, a healthcare proxy, a financial power of attorney, and a TOD deed in each state, along with the digital signing rules.

The Document Portability Checker compares the execution rules of the state where a document was signed with the rules of the state you move to and shows which documents are recognized as signed and which need attention.

The Name a Guardian Guide covers how a guardian for minor children is named in your state. The Beneficiary Designation Checker reviews the named beneficiaries on retirement accounts and life insurance against common gaps.

Tools for Planning Your Estate

The tools of an estate plan are the documents that decide who receives property, who acts when the owner cannot, and who cares for minor children: a will, a revocable living trust, a financial power of attorney, a healthcare directive, beneficiary designations, and in some states a transfer on death deed. Each is governed by the law of the state where it is signed, and what it can do, how it is signed, and what it costs differ from state to state.

The tools here answer the questions that come before any document is drafted, for the state you choose: what a will, a trust, or a full plan costs, whether a trust or a TOD deed changes anything for you, how each document is signed, and whether it still holds if you move. Every free document on this site is built to those signing rules.