Tools for Planning Your Estate in Massachusetts

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

All Planning ahead Settling an estate

21 tools for Massachusetts

How Much Does Probate Cost?

Probate on a $500,000 estate in Massachusetts costs an estimated $27,714. Attorney fees run 2.2% to 3.5% of the estate under a reasonable-compensation standard.

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Who Inherits Without a Will?

Without a will in Massachusetts, 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 capita at each generation.

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How Much Are Estate & Inheritance Taxes?

Massachusetts levies an estate tax above $2,000,000 (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 Massachusetts, estates with personal property of $25,000 or less use the Voluntary Administration, 30 days after death, a court filing short of full probate.

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What Does Estate Planning Actually Cost?

An attorney-prepared revocable trust in Massachusetts runs $3,920 to $5,880 and a simple will $1,161 to $2,322, 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 Massachusetts runs $3,920 to $5,880 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 Massachusetts runs $1,161 to $2,322, against $0 to $299 up front with an online service, and probate on a $500,000 estate adds about $27,714.

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How Much Life Insurance Do I Need?

In Massachusetts, four years at a public university cost about $117,036 and the cost of living is 6% above the U.S. average; the state levies an estate tax above $2,000,000.

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How Does Step-Up in Basis Work?

Inherited assets in Massachusetts 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?

Massachusetts 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 Massachusetts costs an estimated $27,714 and takes 6 months to 9 months for a simple estate, with attorney fees of typically 2.2% to 3.5% of the estate. Estates under $25,000 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 Massachusetts, 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?

Massachusetts 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 Massachusetts takes 6 months to 9 months for a simple estate and charges attorney fees of typically 2.2% to 3.5% of the estate; assets held in a revocable trust skip both.

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Do I Need a TOD Deed?

Massachusetts 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?

Massachusetts 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 Massachusetts costs what the provider charges. An online service runs $0 to $299 up front. An attorney in Massachusetts charges around $387 an hour for wills and estates work, which puts a simple will at $1,161 to $2,322. The document is only part of the cost: probate adds about $27,714 on a $500,000 estate in fees the heirs pay later.

A revocable living trust in Massachusetts costs what the provider charges. An online service runs $0 to $549 up front plus a subscription. An attorney in Massachusetts charges around $392 an hour for trust work, which puts an attorney-prepared trust at $3,920 to $5,880 for an individual plan.

No. Massachusetts does not allow transfer on death deeds. Massachusetts has not adopted the Uniform Real Property Transfer on Death Act and has no statute authorizing transfer-on-death deeds for real property. Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 190B, Article VI, Part 3 (M.G.L. c. 190B, s. 6-301 to s. 6-311) reaches only securities and security accounts registered in beneficiary form. Section 6-101 makes a nonprobate transfer provision inside an insurance policy, account agreement, trust, or similar written instrument nontestamentary, but it creates no recordable deed naming a death beneficiary for real estate.

In Massachusetts, a parent names a guardian for a minor child in a will or a separate signed writing. 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 Massachusetts, a will-based plan pays probate attorney fees of typically 2.2% to 3.5% 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.