How much does it cost to set up a trust?

How much do lawyers charge to set up a trust?

A full revocable living trust package from an estate planning attorney often starts around $3,500 for one person. A married couple, a family with a business, or anyone in a large city can expect to pay more, often well above that. Some attorneys quote less for a trust document on its own, without the will, powers of attorney, and deed that usually come with it. Most estate planning firms quote a flat fee for a trust package, though some bill by the hour, often $250–$500 or more.

A typical attorney package includes:

• The revocable living trust document
• A pour-over will, which catches anything left outside the trust
• A durable power of attorney for finances
• An advance healthcare directive
• A certificate of trust, and sometimes the deed that moves your home into the trust

What you are paying for is judgment: a professional who asks about your family, spots the issue you did not know to raise, and stands behind the document.

Attorney vs online vs DIY: what each costs

There are three common ways to set up a trust, and the cost to set up a trust varies a lot between them. The price difference mostly tracks who checks your work and who helps you move assets into the trust afterward.

Doing it yourself is legal in every state. Our guide to setting up a trust without a lawyer covers what a DIY trust needs to be valid and where it tends to go wrong.

What drives the price of a living trust?

• Single or couple. A couple’s plan involves more documents and more decisions, like how to handle property you own together. Expect it to cost more than one individual trust, though usually less than two.
• Complexity. A blended family, a beneficiary with special needs, a business, rental properties, or real estate in more than one state all add drafting time. So do tax planning provisions for larger estates.
• Location. Attorney rates in major cities often run well above rates in smaller towns.
• Flat fee vs hourly. A flat fee tells you the number up front. Hourly billing can be cheaper for a quick review and much more expensive if there is a lot of back and forth.
• What is included. Some quotes cover funding help, the deed, and a year of updates. Others cover only the trust document. Ask before you compare prices.

Does where you live change the cost of a living trust?

Yes, for the attorney route. Attorney fees in major metro areas, such as New York, Los Angeles, the Bay Area, or Chicago, often run well above fees in smaller towns. Online and DIY options generally cost the same wherever you live. A few other state differences matter too:

• Community property states. In Arizona, California, Idaho, Louisiana, Nevada, New Mexico, Texas, Washington, and Wisconsin, a married couple’s trust has to handle community property, which can add drafting work.
• Property taxes. Moving your home into your own revocable trust usually does not change your property taxes, but check your county’s rules. Some want a form filed with the deed, and in some states you may need to refile a homestead exemption. In California, for example, the move does not trigger a reassessment as long as you file the county’s change of ownership form.
• Recording fees. Each county charges to record the new deed, often somewhere from about $15 to $100 or more per document (see Los Angeles County’s fee list for one example).
• How expensive probate is where you live. The more probate costs in your state, the more a trust saves. California is the best-known high-cost state. More on that below.

What hidden costs come with a living trust?

The price to draft the trust is not the whole cost. A few other expenses come up, most of them small.

• Funding. A trust only works for the assets titled in its name. That means a new deed for your home (recording fees, sometimes a notary) and paperwork with each bank and brokerage. Some attorneys charge extra to handle this. Our guide to funding a trust walks through each asset.
• Notary. Often free at your bank, or a modest fee for a mobile notary.
• Updates and amendments. Marriage, divorce, a new child, or a move to another state can mean changes. At a law firm, an amendment often costs a few hundred dollars and a full restatement more.
• Ongoing administration. If you serve as your own trustee, there is nothing to pay year to year. If you hire a professional trustee, corporate trustees often charge around 1% of trust assets a year (roughly 0.5% to 1.25% on the first $1 million), frequently with annual minimums. Our guide to professional trustee costs has the details.

Is there a monthly fee for having a trust?

Not one the law requires. A revocable living trust where you are your own trustee has no filing fee and no annual fee, and there is usually no separate tax return while you are alive; the trust uses your Social Security number and its income goes on your own return.

But a trust is not a one-time purchase. It only works if, on the day it is needed, it holds your assets and names the right people. That takes upkeep, and the upkeep is where ongoing costs come from:

This is why Veros has a monthly fee on its Essential plan. A trust can fail years after it is signed: a new house was never deeded in, an ex-spouse was never removed, or the person in charge could not find the papers. At $10 a month, about $120 a year, the upkeep costs less than a single amendment typically does at a law firm. The fee pays for the work, not for the trust existing.

If you would rather handle the upkeep yourself, that is a real option. The Veros Basic plan is $799 one time with no monthly fee: you get the attorney-reviewed trust and the document vault, and you run it from there. Either way, the trust is your own legal document, and it stays valid whether or not you pay for upkeep. For hiring someone to run the trust, a professional trustee is a different and much larger cost, covered in our professional trustee guide.

What does it cost to not have a living trust?

Without a trust, assets in your sole name with no beneficiary designation usually go through probate. It often takes 6–18 months depending on the state, it is public record, and it costs money: court fees, appraisals, and fees for the attorney and the executor.

How those fees are set depends on where you live. Most states let the court approve a “reasonable” fee based on the work involved. A handful set the fee as a percentage of the estate by law, and California’s schedule is the best-known example. It shows how fast the numbers add up. In California, formal probate typically takes 9 to 18 months, and the attorney and the executor are each entitled to a statutory fee based on the gross value of the assets that go through probate (Probate Code §10800 and §10810):

• 4% of the first $100,000
• 3% of the next $100,000
• 2% of the next $800,000
• 1% of the next $9 million
• 0.5% of the next $15 million

In California, gross value means the fee ignores your mortgage: a $1,000,000 house with a $700,000 loan is still counted as $1,000,000. Court costs, appraisals, and any contest come on top. In “reasonable fee” states the total depends more on how complicated the estate is, but full probate is rarely cheap anywhere.

Most states also have a simpler process for small estates, with limits that vary widely. In California, for example, for deaths on or after April 1, 2025, heirs can transfer a main home worth up to $750,000 by a shorter court petition, and other property up to $208,850 by affidavit. Our guide on how to avoid probate compares the options, and the savings calculator on our pricing page estimates what a trust saves.

How can you keep the cost to set up a trust down?

A lower price is not the same as a lower total cost. A cheap trust that never gets funded can end up costing your family the full price of probate. A few habits help you pay less without cutting the parts that matter:

• Get organized first. Bring a list of what you own, how each asset is titled, and who you want to inherit. If you pay by the hour, every minute an attorney spends gathering facts is billed.
• Ask for a flat fee in writing. Confirm what it covers: the deed, the certificate of trust, funding help, and how many revisions.
• Match the tool to the job. A straightforward family with a home and some accounts often does not need a custom-drafted plan. A blended family or a business owner often does.
• Do the funding yourself, carefully. Retitling accounts is mostly forms and phone calls. The deed is the step to get right, since an error can leave the home outside the trust.
• Ask how updates are priced. Life changes. Knowing what an amendment costs up front avoids surprises later.

How much does a living trust cost with Veros?

Veros keeps the price flat. The Basic plan is $799 one time: you draft your revocable living trust online, a licensed attorney reviews the deed before you sign, and you get a document vault. You appoint your own trustee and run the trust yourself.

The Essential plan is $799 one time plus $10 a month. It adds guided retitling of your accounts and home into the trust, a certificate of trust, unlimited amendments, ongoing administration, and professional trustee assistance. Married couples usually get an individual trust for each spouse and a joint trust for shared property, all in one subscription. To understand the document itself first, read what a revocable living trust is, or compare everything on the plans and pricing page.