Tools for Planning and Settling an Estate in Iowa

After a death in Iowa, the estate either qualifies for the simplified procedure for estates under $100,000 or goes through probate, where creditors have 4 months to file claims after notice.

All Planning ahead Settling an estate

36 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.

Use Calculator

How Much Can an Executor Charge?

Iowa lets the court set executor compensation, capped at a statutory schedule — about $10,120 on a $500,000 estate, roughly 2.0%.

Use Calculator

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.

Use Calculator

What's Fair Trustee Compensation?

In Iowa, trustee compensation follows "reasonable compensation" (UTC § 708 or equivalent) unless the trust instrument sets a different amount.

Use Calculator

How Much Are Estate & Inheritance Taxes?

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

Use Calculator

How Many Death Certificates Do I Need?

In Iowa, certified death certificates come from the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services - Bureau of Health Statistics; the first copy costs $20.

Use Calculator

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.

Check Now

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.

Compare Costs

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.

Compare Costs

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.

Compare Costs

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.

Use Calculator

What Taxes Apply to My Inheritance?

Iowa imposes no inheritance or estate tax; probate assets arrive when the estate closes, 6 months to 9 months for a simple estate.

Learn More

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.

Use Calculator

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.

Check Now

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.

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 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.

Check Your State

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.

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

1 2

Iowa allows estates with personal property of $100,000 or less to use the Small Estate Affidavit, which avoids full probate administration. The Small Estate Affidavit is presented directly to the bank, employer, or other holder of the property — it is not filed with a court. The waiting period is 40 days after death. Estates up to $200,000 may qualify for Small Estate Administration.

Probate costs in Iowa typically include attorney fees set by the court and capped at a statutory schedule, executor fees, court filing fees, and publication costs. On a $500,000 estate, total costs run about $21,555, roughly 4% of estate value, varying with complexity. Estimate executor compensation separately with the Iowa executor fee calculator.

Iowa intestacy law decides. Iowa follows separate property rules: the surviving spouse's share depends on whether children survive and whose children they are. The estate passes to the closest surviving relatives, in most cases the spouse and children first, then in order: Parents; Issue of your mother and issue of your father; Grandparents and their issue; Great-grandparents and their issue; Issue of a deceased spouse; Escheat to the State of Iowa.

No. Iowa imposes no state estate tax and no inheritance tax. Only the federal estate tax applies, on an estate above $15,000,000, an exemption the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (P.L. 119-21 §70106) set permanently from 2026 and indexes for inflation.

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.