Tools for Planning Your Estate in Iowa

In Iowa, a will is signed before 2 witnesses, and a self-proving affidavit signed with it lets the court admit it without witness testimony.

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21 tools for Iowa

How Much Does Probate Cost?

Probate on a $500,000 estate in Iowa costs an estimated $21,555. Attorney fees set by the court and capped at a statutory schedule.

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Who Inherits Without a Will?

Without a will in Iowa, a surviving spouse takes the entire 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?

Iowa levies no estate or inheritance tax; only the federal estate tax applies above $15,000,000.

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Do I Need Probate?

In Iowa, estates with personal property of $100,000 or less skip probate with the Small Estate Affidavit, 40 days after death.

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What Does Estate Planning Actually Cost?

An attorney-prepared revocable trust in Iowa runs $3,140 to $4,710 and a simple will $864 to $1,728, 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 Iowa runs $3,140 to $4,710 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 Iowa runs $864 to $1,728, against $0 to $299 up front with an online service, and probate on a $500,000 estate adds about $21,555.

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How Much Life Insurance Do I Need?

In Iowa, four years at a public university cost about $82,188 and the cost of living is 12% below the U.S. average; no state estate or inheritance tax applies.

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How Does Step-Up in Basis Work?

Inherited assets in Iowa 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?

Iowa 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 Iowa costs an estimated $21,555 and takes 6 months to 9 months for a simple estate, with attorney fees set by the court and capped at a statutory schedule. Estates under $100,000 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 Iowa, a parent names a guardian for a minor child in a will, 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?

Iowa 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 Iowa takes 6 months to 9 months for a simple estate and charges attorney fees set by the court and capped at a statutory schedule; assets held in a revocable trust skip both.

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Do I Need a TOD Deed?

Iowa does not authorize transfer on death deeds; sole-name real property goes through probate, at least 6 months for a simple estate, unless held in a trust or with a right of survivorship.

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Do I Need a Vehicle TOD?

Iowa does not offer a transfer-on-death designation on a vehicle title; a vehicle passes by will, trust, joint title, or probate.

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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 Iowa costs what the provider charges. An online service runs $0 to $299 up front. An attorney in Iowa charges around $288 an hour for wills and estates work, which puts a simple will at $864 to $1,728. The document is only part of the cost: probate adds about $21,555 on a $500,000 estate in fees the heirs pay later.

A revocable living trust in Iowa costs what the provider charges. An online service runs $0 to $549 up front plus a subscription. An attorney in Iowa charges around $314 an hour for trust work, which puts an attorney-prepared trust at $3,140 to $4,710 for an individual plan.

No. Iowa does not allow transfer on death deeds. Iowa has not adopted the Uniform Real Property Transfer on Death Act or any TOD deed statute for real property. Iowa Code Chapter 633D (§§633D.1–633D.12) authorizes TOD registration for securities only; Chapter 633F is the Iowa Uniform Custodial Trust Act and does not create a TOD deed. Chapter 633G does not exist in the Iowa Code.

In Iowa, a parent names a guardian for a minor child in a will. It needs your signature and 2 witnesses, 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 Iowa, a will-based plan pays probate attorney fees set by the court and capped at a statutory schedule; 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.