Tools for Planning Your Estate in Illinois

In Illinois, a will is signed before 2 witnesses, and the witnesses sign an affidavit at probate instead of a self-proving affidavit.

All Planning ahead Settling an estate

21 tools for Illinois

How Much Does Probate Cost?

Probate on a $500,000 estate in Illinois costs an estimated $25,745. Attorney fees run 1.9% to 3% of the estate under a reasonable-compensation standard.

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Who Inherits Without a Will?

Without a will in Illinois, a surviving spouse takes half of the estate when every child of either spouse is a child of both, and descendants divide what passes to them per stirpes.

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How Much Are Estate & Inheritance Taxes?

Illinois levies an estate tax above $4,000,000 (top rate 16%) and no inheritance tax; the federal estate tax applies above $15,000,000.

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Do I Need Probate?

In Illinois, estates with personal property of $150,000 or less skip probate with the Small Estate Affidavit.

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What Does Estate Planning Actually Cost?

An attorney-prepared revocable trust in Illinois runs $3,680 to $5,520 and a simple will $1,002 to $2,004, against $0 to $549 up front plus a subscription with an online service.

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How Much Does a Revocable Living Trust Cost?

An attorney-prepared revocable living trust in Illinois runs $3,680 to $5,520 for an individual, against $0 to $549 up front plus a subscription with an online service.

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How Much Does a Will Cost?

An attorney-prepared will in Illinois runs $1,002 to $2,004, against $0 to $299 up front with an online service, and probate on a $500,000 estate adds about $25,745.

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How Much Life Insurance Do I Need?

In Illinois, four years at a public university cost about $108,856 and the cost of living is near the U.S. average; the state levies an estate tax above $4,000,000.

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How Does Step-Up in Basis Work?

Inherited assets in Illinois take a basis reset to fair market value on the date of death, and the gain on a later sale faces ordinary income tax at the state's regular rates.

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Are My Beneficiary Designations Protected?

Illinois automatically revokes an ex-spouse as beneficiary at divorce; employer plans under ERISA follow federal rules either way, so a 401(k) beneficiary changes only by a new designation.

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What Are the Estate Laws in My State?

Probate on a $500,000 estate in Illinois costs an estimated $25,745 and takes 6 months to 9 months for a simple estate, with attorney fees of typically 1.9% to 3% of the estate. Estates under $150,000 can use a small-estate procedure instead.

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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.

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How Do I Name a Guardian for My Minor Children?

In Illinois, a parent names a guardian for a minor child in a will or a separate signed writing, and the nomination covers the child until the age of majority, 18.

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What Are the Burial and Cremation Laws in My State?

Illinois allows you to name your own agent in a signed, written document, and that designation takes priority over the statutory order of next of kin who otherwise control disposition of the remains.

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How Do I Sign Estate Documents?

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

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Will My Estate Documents Transfer?

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

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Do I Need a Revocable Trust?

Probate in Illinois takes 6 months to 9 months for a simple estate and charges attorney fees of typically 1.9% to 3% of the estate; assets held in a revocable trust skip both.

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Do I Need a TOD Deed?

Illinois authorizes transfer on death deeds: a recorded, revocable deed that passes real property at death outside probate.

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Do I Need a Vehicle TOD?

Illinois allows a transfer-on-death beneficiary designation on a vehicle title, filed through the Illinois Secretary of State, Vehicle Services Department using Form VSD 773.

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How Do I Open a Trust Account at My Bank?

Compare trust-account requirements bank by bank: how a revocable trust account is opened or retitled, and what proves the trust.

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A will in Illinois costs what the provider charges. An online service runs $0 to $299 up front. An attorney in Illinois charges around $334 an hour for wills and estates work, which puts a simple will at $1,002 to $2,004. The document is only part of the cost: probate adds about $25,745 on a $500,000 estate in fees the heirs pay later.

A revocable living trust in Illinois costs what the provider charges. An online service runs $0 to $549 up front plus a subscription. An attorney in Illinois charges around $368 an hour for trust work, which puts an attorney-prepared trust at $3,680 to $5,520 for an individual plan.

Yes. Illinois allows transfer on death instruments. The deed names a beneficiary for real property, is recorded during the owner's life, and passes the property at death without probate.

In Illinois, a parent names a guardian for a minor child in a will or a separate signed writing. It needs your signature and 2 witnesses (18+), and the nomination covers the child until the age of majority, 18. It can be recorded alongside the rest of an estate plan when you create a revocable living trust.

In Illinois, a will-based plan pays probate attorney fees of typically 1.9% to 3% of the estate; a funded revocable trust keeps those assets out of probate and off that fee. The trust also distributes assets faster than the 6 months to 9 months probate timeline a simple estate takes.

Tools for Planning Your Estate in Illinois

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.

An attorney-prepared will in Illinois runs $1,002 to $2,004, and probate on a $500,000 estate adds about $25,745 in court costs, attorney fees and executor compensation, the figure a trust is measured against. A healthcare power of attorney in Illinois is signed before 1 witness; notarization is not required. Illinois levies an estate tax above $4,000,000 and no inheritance tax.

SimplyTrust Editorial·Updated October 15, 2026

Legal Sources

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Data sourced from Illinois statutes and official state code. How we research.