Tools for Planning Your Estate in Rhode Island

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

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21 tools for Rhode Island

How Much Does Probate Cost?

Probate on a $500,000 estate in Rhode Island costs an estimated $28,582. Attorney fees run 2.1% to 3.4% of the estate under a reasonable-compensation standard.

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Who Inherits Without a Will?

Without a will in Rhode Island, descendants divide what passes to them per stirpes, and an heir must survive the decedent by 120 hours to inherit.

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How Much Are Estate & Inheritance Taxes?

Rhode Island levies an estate tax above $1,838,056 (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 Rhode Island, estates with personal property of $15,000 or less use the Voluntary Informal 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 Rhode Island runs $3,850 to $5,775 and a simple will $1,146 to $2,292, 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 Rhode Island runs $3,850 to $5,775 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 Rhode Island runs $1,146 to $2,292, against $0 to $299 up front with an online service, and probate on a $500,000 estate adds about $28,582.

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How Much Life Insurance Do I Need?

In Rhode Island, four years at a public university cost about $116,656 and the cost of living is near the U.S. average; the state levies an estate tax above $1,838,056.

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How Does Step-Up in Basis Work?

Inherited assets in Rhode Island 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?

Rhode Island 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 Rhode Island costs an estimated $28,582 and takes 6 months to 12 months for a simple estate, with attorney fees of typically 2.1% to 3.4% of the estate. Estates under $15,000 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 Rhode Island, 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?

Rhode Island 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 Rhode Island takes 6 months to 12 months for a simple estate and charges attorney fees of typically 2.1% to 3.4% of the estate; assets held in a revocable trust skip both.

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Do I Need a TOD Deed?

Rhode Island 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?

Rhode Island 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 Rhode Island costs what the provider charges. An online service runs $0 to $299 up front. An attorney in Rhode Island charges around $382 an hour for wills and estates work, which puts a simple will at $1,146 to $2,292. The document is only part of the cost: probate adds about $28,582 on a $500,000 estate in fees the heirs pay later.

A revocable living trust in Rhode Island costs what the provider charges. An online service runs $0 to $549 up front plus a subscription. An attorney in Rhode Island charges around $385 an hour for trust work, which puts an attorney-prepared trust at $3,850 to $5,775 for an individual plan.

No. Rhode Island does not allow transfer on death deeds. Rhode Island has not adopted the Uniform Real Property Transfer on Death Act or any TOD deed statute. No authority exists in R.I. Gen. Laws Title 34 (Property) or Title 33 (Probate Practice and Procedure). The state’s only transfer-on-death statute, the Uniform Transfer on Death Security Registration Act (R.I. Gen. Laws ch. 7-11.1), covers securities registration, not real property.

In Rhode Island, 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 Rhode Island, a will-based plan pays probate attorney fees of typically 2.1% to 3.4% 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 Rhode Island

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 Rhode Island runs $1,146 to $2,292, and probate on a $500,000 estate adds about $28,582 in court costs, attorney fees and executor compensation, the figure a trust is measured against. A healthcare power of attorney in Rhode Island is signed before 2 witnesses or a notary. Rhode Island levies an estate tax above $1,838,056 and no inheritance tax.

SimplyTrust Editorial·Updated October 15, 2026

Legal Sources

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