How Much Life Insurance Do I Need in Pennsylvania?
In Pennsylvania, four years at a public university cost about $114,932NCES Digest of Education Statistics 2023, Table 330.20, public 4-year in-state tuition, fees, room and board, academic year 2022-23Verified Oct 17, 2026View source and the cost of living is near the U.S. averageBEA Regional Price Parities, all items, by state, 2024Verified Oct 17, 2026View source; an inheritance tax falls on beneficiaries72 P.S. § 9116Verified Sep 15, 2026View source by relationship.
The DIME method adds the years of income to replace (ten by default) to outstanding debts, education funding at Pennsylvania college costs and final expenses, then subtracts existing coverage and savings. Pennsylvania's cost of living is near the U.S. averageBEA Regional Price Parities, all items, by state, 2024Verified Oct 17, 2026View source, which sets what each of those years has to cover.
A year at a public four-year university in Pennsylvania costs about $28,733NCES Digest of Education Statistics 2023, Table 330.20, public 4-year in-state tuition, fees, room and board, academic year 2022-23Verified Oct 17, 2026View source with tuition, fees, room and board; a four-year degree about $114,932NCES Digest of Education Statistics 2023, Table 330.20, public 4-year in-state tuition, fees, room and board, academic year 2022-23Verified Oct 17, 2026View source. Education funding is one of the four DIME components.
Pennsylvania levies an inheritance tax72 P.S. § 9116Verified Sep 15, 2026View source rather than an estate tax: the beneficiary pays, at a rate set by the relationship to the decedent, and a spouse is exempt72 P.S. § 9116Verified Sep 15, 2026View source. Whether life insurance proceeds are reached depends on the beneficiary's class.
Pennsylvania's cost of living index is 0.976BEA Regional Price Parities, all items, by state, 2024Verified Oct 17, 2026View source, where 1.00 is the national average: near the U.S. averageBEA Regional Price Parities, all items, by state, 2024Verified Oct 17, 2026View source. A median home costs $287,078Zillow Home Value Index, state, smoothed and seasonally adjusted, September 2026Verified Oct 17, 2026View source and a year of childcare $15,302Child Care Aware of America, Child Care in America: Price and Supply, center-based infant care, 2025 report (CO, DC, NM and SC carry the most recent earlier edition)Verified Oct 17, 2026View source. Income replacement is figured on actual income, which already reflects local costs; the index is the context for the debts and the years the coverage has to carry.
The beneficiary designation on the policy, not the will or the trust, decides who receives the proceeds. Pennsylvania's rules on divorce revocation, spousal consent and the per-stirpes default can change the outcome, and an outdated designation stays in force whatever the other documents say. The Pennsylvania beneficiary designation checker applies those rules.
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New Baby or Adoption
Your family is growing. Your protection should too. Guardian nominations, trusts for minors, beneficiary updates, and the documents new parents need in place.
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Marriage
What married couples need in place: one joint trust or two, wills, beneficiary updates, and the spousal rights your state grants you automatically.
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Divorce
What divorce does and does not undo: beneficiary designations, your will, powers of attorney, and the one account your ex stays on until you change it.
Learn moreForms for Planning Your Estate in Pennsylvania
Free forms for planning your estate in Pennsylvania: a will, living trust, pour-over will, both powers of attorney, living will, and TOD deed.
Last Will and Testament
In Pennsylvania, a will needs no witnesses to be valid20 Pa.C.S. § 2502Verified Oct 19, 2026View source, and a self-proving affidavit signed with it lets the court admit it without witness testimony20 Pa.C.S. § 2502Verified Oct 19, 2026View source.
Healthcare Power of Attorney
Pennsylvania requires 220 Pa.C.S. § 5471 (combined example); § 5465 (HC agent form); § 5447 (living will form)Verified Oct 15, 2026View source witnesses for a healthcare power of attorney; notarization is not required20 Pa.C.S. § 5471 (combined example); § 5465 (HC agent form); § 5447 (living will form)Verified Oct 15, 2026View source.
Financial Power of Attorney
Pennsylvania treats a power of attorney as durable by default20 Pa.C.S. § 5601Verified Sep 20, 2026View source, and it is signed before 220 Pa.C.S. § 5601Verified Sep 20, 2026View source witnesses and a notary.
Living Will
In Pennsylvania, the living will is the Living Will20 Pa.C.S. Chapter 54, Subchapter B (Living Will Act), §§ 5441-5447; definitions and general provisions §§ 5421-5434Verified Sep 27, 2026View source, a document of its own, apart from the healthcare power of attorney.
Tools for Planning Your Estate in Pennsylvania
Free tools for planning your estate in Pennsylvania: what a will or trust costs, whether you need a trust or TOD deed, and how documents are signed.
What Does Estate Planning Actually Cost?
An attorney-prepared revocable trust in Pennsylvania runs $3,830Estimate: 10 hours at $383, Clio's Pennsylvania Trusts rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source to $5,745Estimate: 15 hours at $383, Clio's Pennsylvania Trusts rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source and a simple will $1,014Estimate: 3 hours at $338, Clio's Pennsylvania Wills and Estates rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source to $2,028Estimate: 6 hours at $338, Clio's Pennsylvania Wills and Estates rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source, against $0 to $549 up front plus a subscription with an online service.
Are My Beneficiary Designations Protected?
Pennsylvania automatically revokes an ex-spouse as beneficiary at divorce20 Pa.C.S. § 6111.2; 20 Pa.C.S. § 6111.1Verified Sep 15, 2026View source; employer plans under ERISA follow federal rules either way, so a 401(k) beneficiary changes only by a new designation.
How Much Does Probate Cost?
Probate on a $500,000 estate in Pennsylvania costs an estimated $26,087No statutory fee schedule; the Orphans' Court reviews reasonableness under In re Trust Estate of LaRocca, 431 Pa. 542, 246 A.2d 337 (1968). County percentage guidelines are not law — "[e]gregious error is committed when a court awards commissions and fees simply on a percentage basis without inquiry into the reasonableness of the compensation" (In re Estate of Preston, 560 A.2d 160, 165 (Pa. Super. 1989), quoted in Estate of Andrews, 2026 PA Super 168)Verified Sep 8, 2026View source. Attorney fees run 1.9%No statutory fee schedule; the Orphans' Court reviews reasonableness under In re Trust Estate of LaRocca, 431 Pa. 542, 246 A.2d 337 (1968). County percentage guidelines are not law — "[e]gregious error is committed when a court awards commissions and fees simply on a percentage basis without inquiry into the reasonableness of the compensation" (In re Estate of Preston, 560 A.2d 160, 165 (Pa. Super. 1989), quoted in Estate of Andrews, 2026 PA Super 168)Verified Sep 8, 2026View source to 3%No statutory fee schedule; the Orphans' Court reviews reasonableness under In re Trust Estate of LaRocca, 431 Pa. 542, 246 A.2d 337 (1968). County percentage guidelines are not law — "[e]gregious error is committed when a court awards commissions and fees simply on a percentage basis without inquiry into the reasonableness of the compensation" (In re Estate of Preston, 560 A.2d 160, 165 (Pa. Super. 1989), quoted in Estate of Andrews, 2026 PA Super 168)Verified Sep 8, 2026View source of the estate under a reasonable-compensation standard.
Who Inherits Without a Will?
Without a will in Pennsylvania, a surviving spouse takes the first $30,000 plus half of the rest20 Pa.C.S. § 2102Verified Sep 10, 2026View source when every child of either spouse is a child of both, and descendants divide what passes to them per capita with representation20 Pa.C.S. § 2104(1)Verified Sep 10, 2026View source.
How Much Does a Revocable Living Trust Cost?
An attorney-prepared revocable living trust in Pennsylvania runs $3,830Estimate: 10 hours at $383, Clio's Pennsylvania Trusts rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source to $5,745Estimate: 15 hours at $383, Clio's Pennsylvania Trusts rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source for an individual, against $0 to $549 up front plus a subscription with an online service.
How Much Does a Will Cost?
An attorney-prepared will in Pennsylvania runs $1,014Estimate: 3 hours at $338, Clio's Pennsylvania Wills and Estates rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source to $2,028Estimate: 6 hours at $338, Clio's Pennsylvania Wills and Estates rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source, against $0 to $299 up front with an online service, and probate on a $500,000 estate adds about $26,087No statutory fee schedule; the Orphans' Court reviews reasonableness under In re Trust Estate of LaRocca, 431 Pa. 542, 246 A.2d 337 (1968). County percentage guidelines are not law — "[e]gregious error is committed when a court awards commissions and fees simply on a percentage basis without inquiry into the reasonableness of the compensation" (In re Estate of Preston, 560 A.2d 160, 165 (Pa. Super. 1989), quoted in Estate of Andrews, 2026 PA Super 168)Verified Sep 8, 2026View source.
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.
How Do I Name a Guardian for My Minor Children?
In Pennsylvania, a parent names a guardian for a minor child in a will or a separate signed writing20 Pa.C.S. § 2519 (person § 2519(a); estate § 2519(b)); 20 Pa.C.S. § 5115 (non-will estate appointment in a deed, gift instrument or beneficiary designation); appointment 20 Pa.C.S. §§ 5111–5113Verified Sep 16, 2026View source, and the nomination covers the child until the age of majority, 1820 Pa.C.S. § 102 ("Minor." Means an individual under the age of 18 years)Verified Sep 16, 2026View source.
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Pennsylvania Estate Planning Resources
In-depth guides covering Pennsylvania probate laws, trust requirements, and estate planning strategies.