Tools for Planning and Settling an Estate in Massachusetts

After a death in Massachusetts, the estate either qualifies for the simplified procedure for estates under $25,000 or goes through probate, where creditors have 12 months to file claims after notice.

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36 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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How Much Can an Executor Charge?

Massachusetts pays executors reasonable compensation, typically 2.2% to 3.8% of the estate.

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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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What's Fair Trustee Compensation?

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

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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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How Many Death Certificates Do I Need?

In Massachusetts, certified death certificates come from the Massachusetts Registry of Vital Records and Statistics; the first copy costs $32.

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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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What Taxes Apply to My Inheritance?

In Massachusetts, beneficiaries owe no inheritance tax and the estate pays any estate tax above $2,000,000; probate assets arrive when the estate closes, 6 months to 9 months for a simple estate.

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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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Massachusetts allows estates with personal property of $25,000 or less to use the Voluntary Administration, which avoids full probate administration. In Massachusetts the affidavit is filed with the court, and holders honor the court's certified copy — but no letters testamentary or of administration issue. The waiting period is 30 days after death.

Probate costs in Massachusetts typically include attorney fees of typically 2.2% to 3.5% of the estate, executor fees, court filing fees, and publication costs. On a $500,000 estate, total costs run about $27,714, roughly 6% of estate value, varying with complexity. Estimate executor compensation separately with the Massachusetts executor fee calculator.

Massachusetts intestacy law decides. Massachusetts 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; Descendants of parents; Next of kin in equal degree; Escheat.

Yes. Massachusetts imposes a state estate tax on an estate above $2,000,000, separate from and in addition to the federal estate tax. Massachusetts has no inheritance tax on the beneficiary.

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, 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.

Free Estate Planning Tools in Massachusetts

The tools are grouped by who you are. Planning ahead covers the questions that come before any document is drafted: what a will, a trust, or a full plan costs in your state, whether a trust or a transfer on death deed changes anything for you, and how documents are signed. Someone I love died covers the first weeks: death certificates, burial and cremation rules, and whether the estate needs probate at all. The executor and trustee groups follow an administration from appointment to distribution, and inheriting covers what a death triggers in estate, inheritance, and income tax.

In Massachusetts, probate on a $500,000 estate costs about $27,714, and a simple estate closes in 6 months to 9 months. Massachusetts pays executors reasonable compensation, typically 2.2% to 3.8% of the estate. Massachusetts levies an estate tax above $2,000,000 and no inheritance tax.

SimplyTrust Editorial·Updated October 15, 2026

Legal Sources

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