How Much Does a Will Cost in Hawaii?
An attorney-prepared will in Hawaii runs $1,218Estimate: 3 hours at $406, Clio's Hawaii Wills and Estates rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source to $2,436Estimate: 6 hours at $406, Clio's Hawaii 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 $28,206HRS § 560:3-721 (court reviews attorney compensation for reasonableness; no statutory fee schedule)Verified Sep 8, 2026View source.
A will in Hawaii costs what the provider charges. An online service runs $0 to $299 up front. An attorney in Hawaii charges around $406Clio Compare Lawyer Rates, Hawaii: Wills and Estates rate (2025 data)Verified Oct 15, 2026View source an hour for wills and estates work, which puts a simple will at $1,218Estimate: 3 hours at $406, Clio's Hawaii Wills and Estates rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source to $2,436Estimate: 6 hours at $406, Clio's Hawaii Wills and Estates rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source. The document is only part of the cost: probate adds about $28,206HRS § 560:3-721 (court reviews attorney compensation for reasonableness; no statutory fee schedule)Verified Sep 8, 2026View source on a $500,000 estate in fees the heirs pay later.
Probate in Hawaii costs about $28,206HRS § 560:3-721 (court reviews attorney compensation for reasonableness; no statutory fee schedule)Verified Sep 8, 2026View source on a $500,000 estate: attorney fees of typically 2.3%Modeled estimate under HRS § 560:3-721 (court reviews attorney compensation for reasonableness; no statutory fee schedule): the hours the statutory fee schedules imply, at the state's surveyed hourly rateVerified Sep 8, 2026View source to 3.6%Modeled estimate under HRS § 560:3-721 (court reviews attorney compensation for reasonableness; no statutory fee schedule): the hours the statutory fee schedules imply, at the state's surveyed hourly rateVerified Sep 8, 2026View source of the estate, plus executor fees, the court filing fee and publication. The estate pays those costs before anything transfers to the beneficiaries. The Hawaii probate calculator estimates them for a given estate.
No. A will does not avoid probate in Hawaii; probate is the court process that proves the will, pays the debts and distributes the assets. In Hawaii, estates valued at $100,000HRS § 560:3-1201Verified Sep 8, 2026View source or less skip probate with the Affidavit for Collection of Personal PropertyHRS § 560:3-1201Verified Sep 8, 2026View source. A revocable living trust transfers assets to the beneficiaries without probate at any estate size.
An online will service costs $0 to $299 up front against $1,218Estimate: 3 hours at $406, Clio's Hawaii Wills and Estates rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source to $2,436Estimate: 6 hours at $406, Clio's Hawaii Wills and Estates rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source for an attorney in Hawaii. Either way the will goes through the same probate. The lifetime figure turns on the subscription, the amendment charges and the probate expenses the heirs pay at the end.
A marriage, a divorce or a new child means updating the will. Some online providers require a new document. An attorney amendment in Hawaii costs $390Estimate: 1 hours at $390, Clio's Hawaii Trusts rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source to $780Estimate: 2 hours at $390, Clio's Hawaii Trusts rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source for a minor change and $1,560Estimate: 4 hours at $390, Clio's Hawaii Trusts rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source to $3,120Estimate: 8 hours at $390, Clio's Hawaii Trusts rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source for a major restructuring.
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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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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.
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Moving to a New State
State laws vary significantly for wills, trusts, and powers of attorney. What to review after relocating to make sure your estate plan still works.
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Free forms for planning your estate in Hawaii: a will, living trust, pour-over will, both powers of attorney, living will, and TOD deed.
Last Will and Testament
In Hawaii, a will is signed before 2HRS § 560:2-502Verified Oct 18, 2026View source witnesses, and a self-proving affidavit signed with it lets the court admit it without witness testimonyHRS § 560:2-502Verified Oct 18, 2026View source.
Codicil to a Will
In Hawaii, a codicil is signed before 2HRS § 560:2-502Verified Oct 18, 2026View source witnesses, like a will, and the self-proving affidavit signed with it lets the court admit it without witness testimonyHRS § 560:2-504Verified Oct 25, 2026View source.
Healthcare Power of Attorney
Hawaii allows a choice for a healthcare power of attorney: 2HRS § 327E-16Verified Oct 15, 2026View source witnesses or a notary.
HIPAA Release
In Hawaii, a HIPAA release names who may receive your records and, as the state requires, names HIV/AIDS-related information and reproductive health informationHRS § 325-101(a); HRS § 323J-2(a)Verified Jun 19, 2026View source expressly before a provider releases them.
Financial Power of Attorney
Hawaii treats a power of attorney as durable by defaultHRS § 551E-3, § 551E-5, § 551E-9, § 551E-15, § 551E-16, § 551E-31, § 551E-47, § 551E-51 (L 2014, c 22); HRS § 502-84, § 501-174 (recording)Verified Sep 18, 2026View source, and it is signed with no witness or notary requirementHRS § 551E-3, § 551E-5, § 551E-9, § 551E-15, § 551E-16, § 551E-31, § 551E-47, § 551E-51 (L 2014, c 22); HRS § 502-84, § 501-174 (recording)Verified Oct 21, 2026View source.
Transfer on Death Deed
In Hawaii, a transfer on death deed is signed before a notaryHRS 527-1 to 527-17Verified Oct 18, 2026View source, then recorded with the county before the owner's deathHRS 527-1 to 527-17Verified Oct 18, 2026View source. Hawaii does not recognize a Lady Bird deed.
Living Will
In Hawaii, the living will is the Advance Health-Care DirectiveHRS ch. 327E (Uniform Health-Care Decisions Act (Modified)), §§ 327E-1 to 327E-16Verified Sep 27, 2026View source, a written instruction that is valid with no agent named.
Tools for Planning Your Estate in Hawaii
Free tools for planning your estate in Hawaii: what a will or trust costs, whether you need a trust or TOD deed, and how documents are signed.
How Do I Name a Guardian for My Minor Children?
In Hawaii, a parent names a guardian for a minor child in a will or a separate signed writingHRS §§ 560:5-202, 560:5-204, 560:5-206Verified Sep 15, 2026View source, and the nomination covers the child until the age of majority, 18HRS § 560:5-102 ("Minor" = unemancipated individual who has not attained eighteen years of age)Verified Sep 15, 2026View source.
Trust or Will: Which Costs Less?
In Hawaii, a will-based plan pays probate attorney fees of typically 2.3%Modeled estimate under HRS § 560:3-721 (court reviews attorney compensation for reasonableness; no statutory fee schedule): the hours the statutory fee schedules imply, at the state's surveyed hourly rateVerified Sep 8, 2026View source to 3.6%Modeled estimate under HRS § 560:3-721 (court reviews attorney compensation for reasonableness; no statutory fee schedule): the hours the statutory fee schedules imply, at the state's surveyed hourly rateVerified Sep 8, 2026View source of the estate; a funded revocable trust keeps those assets out of probate and off that fee.
How Much Is the Federal Gift Tax?
Whether a gift owes federal gift tax, how much of the annual exclusion and lifetime exemption it uses, and whether Form 709 is due.
What Does Estate Planning Actually Cost?
An attorney-prepared revocable trust in Hawaii runs $3,900Estimate: 10 hours at $390, Clio's Hawaii Trusts rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source to $5,850Estimate: 15 hours at $390, Clio's Hawaii Trusts rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source and a simple will $1,218Estimate: 3 hours at $406, Clio's Hawaii Wills and Estates rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source to $2,436Estimate: 6 hours at $406, Clio's Hawaii 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.
How Much Life Insurance Do I Need?
In Hawaii, four years at a public university cost about $90,456NCES 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 10% above the U.S. averageBEA Regional Price Parities, all items, by state, 2024Verified Oct 17, 2026View source; the state levies an estate taxHRS § 236E-6, § 236E-8Verified Sep 15, 2026View source above $5,490,000HRS § 236E-6, § 236E-8Verified Sep 15, 2026View source.
Are My Beneficiary Designations Protected?
Hawaii automatically revokes an ex-spouse as beneficiary at divorceHRS § 560:2-804Verified Sep 15, 2026View source; employer plans under ERISA follow federal rules either way, so a 401(k) beneficiary changes only by a new designation.
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Hawaii Estate Planning Resources
In-depth guides covering Hawaii probate laws, trust requirements, and estate planning strategies.