Estate Planning Packages and Flat-Fee Pricing

TL;DR: Simon Law Group prices New Jersey estate-planning services — wills, POAs, advance directives, revocable trusts, special needs trusts, and probate — by scope, confirmed in writing after a full review.

This page describes the scope of common New Jersey estate-planning and probate engagements and explains how fees are structured. A final fee is confirmed in a written engagement letter after we understand the family structure, asset mix, fiduciary choices, tax issues, and any special beneficiary concerns. Fees depend on the scope of the matter and are discussed at the outset.

Flat fees fit when the scope is clear and predictable. If the matter involves contested probate, complex tax planning, Medicaid eligibility, business transfers, multiple states, or unusual trust administration, we quote the work separately or use hourly billing with a written scope.

Submitting a form or contacting the firm does not create an attorney-client relationship. Please do not send confidential information until the firm confirms it can discuss your matter.

Simple Will Package

This scope is for an individual who needs a New Jersey last will and testament and does not need a broader incapacity or trust package in the same engagement.

Typical scope:

• Last will and testament.
• Executor and successor-executor nominations.
• Specific and residuary gift provisions.
• Guardian nomination language if minor children are involved.
• Self-proving execution ceremony with witnesses and notary.
• Original document delivery and storage instructions.

Fit: unmarried adults or clients with limited probate assets who want a current will and understand that a will does not help during incapacity.

Limits: this package does not include a power of attorney, health-care directive, trust, deed work, tax planning, or probate administration.

Will + POA + AHCD Bundle

This scope covers the three core documents many New Jersey adults need: a will, durable financial power of attorney, and advance health-care directive.

Typical scope:

• Last will and testament.
• Durable financial power of attorney.
• Advance health-care directive naming a health-care representative.
• HIPAA authorization.
• Fiduciary and alternate-fiduciary review.
• Signing meeting with witnesses and notary where required.

Fit: clients who want a coordinated foundation for death-time transfers and lifetime incapacity authority.

Limits: this package does not include a revocable trust, trust funding, deeds, special needs trust terms, Medicaid planning, or advanced federal estate-tax planning.

Revocable Living Trust

This scope is for clients whose facts support a funded revocable trust.

Typical scope:

• Revocable living trust under New Jersey trust law.
• Pour-over will.
• Durable financial power of attorney.
• Advance health-care directive and HIPAA authorization.
• Trustee and successor-trustee provisions.
• Trust-funding letter.
• One round of primary-residence deed preparation when appropriate and within scope.
• Beneficiary-designation and retitling checklist.

Fit: clients seeking privacy for funded assets, continuity during incapacity, staged distributions, or smoother administration for selected assets.

Limits: a revocable trust must be funded to be useful. This package does not provide automatic tax, creditor, Medicaid, or timing results in every estate. Additional deeds, out-of-state property, entity transfers, and tax filings are quoted separately.

Special Needs Trust

This scope addresses a third-party special needs trust for a beneficiary who receives or may later receive needs-based public benefits.

Typical scope:

• Third-party special needs trust provisions.
• Supplemental-care distribution standards.
• Trustee guidance on public-benefit sensitivity.
• Coordination with the client’s will, revocable trust, life insurance, or beneficiary designations.
• Funding strategy memorandum.

Fit: parents, grandparents, or other third parties who want to leave assets for a beneficiary without making outright distributions.

Limits: first-party special needs trusts, pooled trusts, guardianship coordination, Medicaid applications, and court approvals are separate matters.

Probate Administration

This service covers representation of an executor or administrator in an uncontested New Jersey estate. Fees depend on the scope of the matter and are discussed at the outset; some engagements use a flat arrangement, others hourly billing based on complexity.

Typical scope may include:

• Surrogate filing guidance.
• Executor or administrator qualification support.
• Beneficiary notice review.
• Inventory and administration checklist.
• Refunding bond and release coordination.
• Inheritance-tax filing coordination when applicable.
• Distribution planning for routine estates.

Fit: uncontested estates with cooperative fiduciaries and beneficiaries, available records, and no major disputes.

Limits: contested probate, fiduciary litigation, unusual creditor issues, real-estate disputes, business interests, multi-state administration, tax-return preparation, and formal accountings may require hourly or separately quoted work.

Custom planning

Some matters should not be forced into a package. We quote custom work when the plan involves federal estate-tax exposure, marital or credit-shelter trusts, QTIP or disclaimer planning, ILITs, SLATs, GRATs, IDGTs, QPRTs, dynasty trusts, charitable trusts, Medicaid asset protection trusts, business succession, or multiple properties.

Custom planning begins with a written scope. The scope should identify what is included, what is excluded, who is responsible for tax returns or appraisals, and what follow-up funding steps remain after signing.

What every engagement should make clear

Every engagement letter should state:

• The documents or services included.
• The fixed fee, hourly rate, or quoted range.
• Payment timing.
• Known exclusions.
• Who the client is.
• Whether tax-return preparation, deed recording fees, filing fees, appraisals, or third-party costs are separate.
• What post-signing funding or administration tasks remain.

Clear scope protects both the client and the firm. It also avoids implying that a package solves issues that require separate legal, tax, accounting, or financial advice.

Related topics

• Estate Planning Overview
• Revocable Living Trusts
• Special Needs Trusts
• Probate Administration
• Powers of Attorney
• Estate Planning Process and Timeline
• Contact Us

Responsible Attorney: Britt J. Simon, Esq., Managing Partner, Simon Law Group, LLC.

Frequently asked questions

Sources & authorities

• P.L. 2015, c.276 - New Jersey Uniform Trust Code
• NJ Division of Taxation - Inheritance and Estate Tax
• Internal Revenue Service - Estate Tax
• New Jersey Courts - Civil Practice Rules
• New Jersey Courts - Rules of Professional Conduct