Tools for Planning Your Estate in Maryland

In Maryland, a will is signed before 2 witnesses, and it is self-proved when properly executed.

21 tools for Maryland

How Much Does Probate Cost?

Probate on a $500,000 estate in Maryland costs an estimated $33,231. Attorney fees run 2.1% to 3.3% of the estate under a reasonable-compensation standard.

Use Calculator

Who Inherits Without a Will?

Without a will in Maryland, descendants divide what passes to them per stirpes, and an heir must survive the decedent by 720 hours to inherit.

Use Calculator

How Much Are Estate & Inheritance Taxes?

Maryland levies an estate tax above $5,000,000 (top rate 16%) and an inheritance tax on beneficiaries; the federal estate tax applies above $15,000,000.

Use Calculator

Do I Need Probate?

In Maryland, estates valued at $50,000 or less qualify for the Petition for Administration of Small Estate, a court procedure short of full probate.

Check Now

What Does Estate Planning Actually Cost?

An attorney-prepared revocable trust in Maryland runs $4,250 to $6,375 and a simple will $1,110 to $2,220, against $0 to $549 up front plus a subscription with an online service.

Compare Costs

How Much Does a Revocable Living Trust Cost?

An attorney-prepared revocable living trust in Maryland runs $4,250 to $6,375 for an individual, against $0 to $549 up front plus a subscription with an online service.

Compare Costs

How Much Does a Will Cost?

An attorney-prepared will in Maryland runs $1,110 to $2,220, against $0 to $299 up front with an online service, and probate on a $500,000 estate adds about $33,231.

Compare Costs

How Much Life Insurance Do I Need?

In Maryland, four years at a public university cost about $95,872 and the cost of living is near the U.S. average; the state levies an estate tax above $5,000,000.

Use Calculator

How Does Step-Up in Basis Work?

Inherited assets in Maryland 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, plus a 2% surtax on the whole gain once federal AGI exceeds $350,000.

Use Calculator

Are My Beneficiary Designations Protected?

Maryland 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.

Check Now

What Are the Estate Laws in My State?

Probate on a $500,000 estate in Maryland costs an estimated $33,231 and takes 6 months to 9 months for a simple estate, with attorney fees of typically 2.1% to 3.3% of the estate. Estates under $50,000 can use a small-estate procedure instead.

Check Your State

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 Services

How Do I Name a Guardian for My Minor Children?

In Maryland, a parent names a guardian for a minor child in a will, and the nomination covers the child until the age of majority, 18.

Check Your State

What Are the Burial and Cremation Laws in My State?

Maryland 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.

Check Your State

How Do I Sign Estate Documents?

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

Check Requirements

Will My Estate Documents Transfer?

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

Check Portability

Do I Need a Revocable Trust?

Probate in Maryland takes 6 months to 9 months for a simple estate and charges attorney fees of typically 2.1% to 3.3% of the estate; assets held in a revocable trust skip both.

Check Now

Do I Need a TOD Deed?

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

Check Now

Do I Need a Vehicle TOD?

Maryland allows a transfer-on-death beneficiary designation on a vehicle title, filed through the Maryland Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Administration (MVA).

Check Now

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.

See Bank Requirements

1 2

A will in Maryland costs what the provider charges. An online service runs $0 to $299 up front. An attorney in Maryland charges around $370 an hour for wills and estates work, which puts a simple will at $1,110 to $2,220. The document is only part of the cost: probate adds about $33,231 on a $500,000 estate in fees the heirs pay later.

A revocable living trust in Maryland costs what the provider charges. An online service runs $0 to $549 up front plus a subscription. An attorney in Maryland charges around $425 an hour for trust work, which puts an attorney-prepared trust at $4,250 to $6,375 for an individual plan.

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

In Maryland, 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 Maryland, a will-based plan pays probate attorney fees of typically 2.1% to 3.3% 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 Maryland

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 Maryland runs $1,110 to $2,220, and probate on a $500,000 estate adds about $33,231 in court costs, attorney fees and executor compensation, the figure a trust is measured against. A healthcare power of attorney in Maryland is signed before 2 witnesses; notarization is not required. Maryland levies an estate tax above $5,000,000 and an inheritance tax paid by the beneficiary at a rate set by relationship.

SimplyTrust Editorial·Updated October 15, 2026

Legal Sources

Show 9 more sources

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