Tools for Planning Your Estate in Kentucky

In Kentucky, 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 Kentucky

How Much Does Probate Cost?

Probate on a $500,000 estate in Kentucky costs an estimated $23,308. Attorney fees run 1.5% to 2.4% of the estate under a reasonable-compensation standard.

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Who Inherits Without a Will?

Without a will in Kentucky, 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?

Kentucky levies an inheritance tax, paid by the beneficiary at a rate set by relationship, and no estate tax; the federal estate tax applies above $15,000,000.

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Do I Need Probate?

In Kentucky, estates with personal property of $30,000 or less qualify for the Petition to Dispense with Administration, a court procedure short of full probate.

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What Does Estate Planning Actually Cost?

An attorney-prepared revocable trust in Kentucky runs $3,440 to $5,160 and a simple will $819 to $1,638, 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 Kentucky runs $3,440 to $5,160 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 Kentucky runs $819 to $1,638, against $0 to $299 up front with an online service, and probate on a $500,000 estate adds about $23,308.

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How Much Life Insurance Do I Need?

In Kentucky, four years at a public university cost about $92,880 and the cost of living is 10% below the U.S. average; an inheritance tax falls on beneficiaries by relationship.

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How Does Step-Up in Basis Work?

Inherited assets in Kentucky 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?

Kentucky does not revoke 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 Kentucky costs an estimated $23,308 and takes 6 months to 12 months for a simple estate, with attorney fees of typically 1.5% to 2.4% of the estate. Estates under $30,000 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 Kentucky, 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?

Kentucky 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 Kentucky takes 6 months to 12 months for a simple estate and charges attorney fees of typically 1.5% to 2.4% of the estate; assets held in a revocable trust skip both.

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Do I Need a TOD Deed?

Kentucky 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?

Kentucky 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 Kentucky costs what the provider charges. An online service runs $0 to $299 up front. An attorney in Kentucky charges around $273 an hour for wills and estates work, which puts a simple will at $819 to $1,638. The document is only part of the cost: probate adds about $23,308 on a $500,000 estate in fees the heirs pay later.

A revocable living trust in Kentucky costs what the provider charges. An online service runs $0 to $549 up front plus a subscription. An attorney in Kentucky charges around $344 an hour for trust work, which puts an attorney-prepared trust at $3,440 to $5,160 for an individual plan.

No. Kentucky does not allow transfer on death deeds. Kentucky has not adopted the Uniform Real Property Transfer on Death Act or any TOD deed statute. SB 34 (2026 RS) proposed adding the URPTODA to KRS Chapter 391, but it died in the House and was never codified; no TOD deed section exists in KRS Chapter 381, 382, 391, or 394.

In Kentucky, a parent names a guardian for a minor child in a will. It needs your signature, 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 Kentucky, a will-based plan pays probate attorney fees of typically 1.5% to 2.4% 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 12 months probate timeline a simple estate takes.

Tools for Planning Your Estate in Kentucky

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 Kentucky runs $819 to $1,638, and probate on a $500,000 estate adds about $23,308 in court costs, attorney fees and executor compensation, the figure a trust is measured against. A healthcare power of attorney in Kentucky is signed before 2 witnesses or a notary. Kentucky levies an inheritance tax, paid by the beneficiary at a rate set by relationship, and no estate tax.

SimplyTrust Editorial·Updated October 15, 2026

Legal Sources

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