Choose fiduciaries before choosing documents.
Executor, trustee, guardian, POA agent, healthcare proxy, and backups are often the hardest planning decisions.
Estate Planning Packages & Pricing
Transparent, written pricing so you know the defined-scope fee before work begins.
Authored by Christopher T. Tappan, Esq., Client Services Director and Attorney, Estate Planning · Reviewed by Britt J. Simon, Esq., Managing Partner, Simon Law Group, LLC · May 202611 min read
Most people put off estate planning for one of two reasons. The first is the documents themselves feel premature -- "we're fine, we have time." The second is the bill -- clients have been burned by hourly-billed firms where the quote at the kitchen table and the invoice at the end are two different numbers. We solved the second problem with flat-fee pricing quoted in writing before any work starts. The first problem is the one only you can solve. The clients who tell us they wish they had done this years ago all say the same thing: it took less time, less money, and less emotional weight than they expected.
Defined-Scope Estate Planning Fees
At Simon Law Group, LLC, estate-planning fees are quoted before drafting begins, in writing, and by package scope. The point is not simply to publish a price; it is to make the engagement predictable. A will-only plan, a reciprocal couple plan, a healthcare directive, and a trust-based plan do not require the same analysis, so they should not be priced as if they do. Our quotes reflect the document set, family structure, fiduciary choices, beneficiary issues, and execution requirements involved.
Too many New Jersey families delay estate planning because they fear unpredictable legal bills. Flat-fee work removes that barrier while preserving professional judgment: reasonable questions and ordinary drafting revisions are part of the process; material scope changes are quoted before additional work proceeds. You should understand both the documents being prepared and the fee for preparing them before you authorize the work.
Estate Planning Fee Schedule
| Item | Single | Reciprocal / Couple |
|---|---|---|
| Last Will and Testament | $950 | $1,550 |
| Durable Financial POA | $750 | $750 |
| Advance Health Care Directive | $750 | $750 |
| Full bundle: Will + POA + AHCD | $1,850 | $2,450 |
| Bundle discount | $600 | $600 |
| Children's Safety Plan add-on | $375 | $375 |
| Testamentary trust add-on | $475 | $475 |
| Out-of-scope work | Quoted in your written fee agreement | Quoted in your written fee agreement |
Published Will-Based Package Scope
The individual package includes one customized Last Will and Testament, attorney drafting and review, up to three reasonable revision rounds within scope, signing with witnesses and notarization, original documents, and secure digital copies.
The reciprocal couple package includes customized Last Wills and Testaments for both people, attorney drafting and review, up to three reasonable revision rounds within scope, signing with witnesses and notarization, original documents, and secure digital copies.
The individual full bundle includes one customized Last Will and Testament, a Durable Financial Power of Attorney, an Advance Health Care Directive with HIPAA authorization, attorney drafting and review, up to three reasonable revision rounds within scope, signing with witnesses and notarization, original documents, and secure digital copies.
The reciprocal couple full bundle includes coordinated Last Wills and Testaments, Durable Financial Powers of Attorney, Advance Health Care Directives with HIPAA authorizations, attorney drafting and review, up to three reasonable revision rounds within scope, signing with witnesses and notarization, original documents, and secure digital copies.
The full bundle includes a Last Will and Testament, a Durable Financial POA under N.J.S.A. 46:2B-8.11, and an Advance Health Care Directive under N.J.S.A. 26:2H-532. The bundle discount row shows the discount built into the bundled price compared with buying the three documents separately.
Will or Trust: Matching the Structure to Your Situation
The most common question we hear during consultations is whether a will is sufficient or whether a trust is the better approach. The answer depends on your assets, your family structure, and your goals. Here is a straightforward comparison:
| Feature | Will-Based Plan | Trust-Based Plan |
|---|---|---|
| Avoids probate | No -- goes through Surrogate Court | Yes, for properly funded trust assets |
| Privacy | No -- wills become public record | Trust terms remain private; funded assets usually avoid probate filings |
| Incapacity protection | Will alone has none; requires separate POA or guardianship | Successor trustee can manage funded trust assets |
| Multi-state real estate | Separate probate may be needed in each state | A properly funded trust can hold out-of-state property and often avoids ancillary probate |
| Minor children | Outright gifts may require court-supervised management; testamentary trusts can manage funds | Trustee manages funded trust assets; you set distribution ages |
| Creditor protection | None | Possible with irrevocable trusts |
| Cost | Lower upfront, probate administration later | Higher upfront, often lower administration for funded assets |
Unlike some states, New Jersey does not impose a percentage-based statutory probate fee. The cost of probate and estate administration varies with the size and complexity of the estate, whether the executor takes a commission (commissions are capped by N.J.S.A. 3B:18-141 and may be reduced or waived when a family member serves), attorney scope, tax-waiver work, accounting needs, real estate, creditor issues, and disputes. A trust-based plan can reduce the probate-related portion for assets that pass through the trust; whether it pays for itself depends on the family's particular circumstances.
Citations
Trust-Based Plans: A Plan Tier, Not an Upsell
A trust-based plan is its own tier of planning, not an extra bolted onto a will. When the situations above apply, it is frequently the structure that does what a family actually wants done. Trust plans carry a written fixed price once the trust type and scope are selected. A straightforward revocable living trust for a married couple differs substantially from a plan involving irrevocable trusts, special needs trusts, or asset protection structures. Every trust-based plan includes:
- Revocable living trust document with customized provisions
- An individual pour-over will or reciprocal pour-over wills for a couple
- An individual Durable Financial Power of Attorney or coordinated documents for a couple
- An individual Advance Health Care Directive with HIPAA release or coordinated documents for a couple
- Certificate of trust for financial institutions
- Trust funding instructions and assistance with retitling assets
- Deed preparation for transferring real property into the trust
- Beneficiary designation coordination for retirement accounts and life insurance
Add-Ons and Scope Changes
A Children's Safety Plan can be added to a will or full bundle when it fits the engagement.Testamentary trust provisions can be added to a will or full bundle when they fit the engagement. Other trust-based planning, deed transfers, beneficiary designation projects, annual reviews, and similar work are quoted separately because the scope can vary materially by family, property, tax, and beneficiary facts.
Out-of-scope work is not a surprise charge. If the signed Fee Agreement identifies work outside the flat-fee scope, that work is billed as quoted in the written agreement.
What Is Included in Every Package
- Optional initial consultation by phone, video, or in person
- Comprehensive estate planning questionnaire
- Attorney drafting and review of all documents
- Up to three reasonable drafting-revision rounds within the agreed scope
- Signing and execution with witnesses and notarization
- Complete set of original documents for your records
- Digital copies stored securely in our system
- Trust funding guidance (for trust-based plans)
Secure Online Payment
A named package can be selected, accepted through the firm's Clickwrap engagement flow, and paid online without an office visit or consultation. The package-specific engagement provides the payment route and identifies the exact scope and price before acceptance. We accept eligible credit card, debit card, and electronic-check payments through our secure online payment portal, processed by LawPay or Stripe depending on the payment route shown at checkout. Payment details are handled by the payment processor and transmitted over encrypted connections.
Frequently Asked Questions About Estate Planning Costs
How much does estate planning cost in New Jersey?
Wills from $950 / $1,550; full bundles from $1,850 / $2,450. Out-of-scope work is listed separately.
At Simon Law Group, LLC, a last will and testament is $950 single / $1,550 reciprocal couple. A Durable Financial POA under N.J.S.A. 46:2B-8.11 is $750 single or couple, and an Advance Health Care Directive under N.J.S.A. 26:2H-532 is $750 single or couple. The full bundle of Will + POA + AHCD is $1,850 single / $2,450 reciprocal couple after a $600 bundle discount. Children's Safety Plan, testamentary trust, and out-of-scope hourly work prices are listed in the fee schedule.
What's included in the full bundle?
Will + Durable Financial POA + Advance Health Care Directive + HIPAA + signing and execution.
The full bundle includes a customized last will and testament, a durable financial power of attorney under N.J.S.A. 46:2B-8.11, an advance health care directive with HIPAA authorization under N.J.S.A. 26:2H-532, guardian designations for minor children when applicable, executor/agent appointments with alternates, beneficiary-designation review, and signing and execution with witnesses and notarization. It covers the three foundational documents most adults should have in place; depending on your assets, your family structure, and your goals, a trust-based plan may be the better fit, and we tell you which structure fits at the consultation.
How much does a revocable living trust cost in NJ?
Trust plans carry a written fixed price once the trust type and scope are selected. Every trust price includes the appropriate will documents, incapacity documents, HIPAA releases, and the other listed planning documents.
Trust plans carry a written fixed price once the trust type and scope are selected because an individual plan, reciprocal couple plan, real estate count, blended family, second-marriage planning, special-needs beneficiaries, and out-of-state property can require different trust packages. Every trust price includes the selected trust document, the appropriate individual or reciprocal pour-over wills, durable financial powers of attorney, advance health care directives with HIPAA releases, trust-funding guidance, and the other substantive planning documents listed on this page. New Jersey does not impose the percentage-based statutory probate fees seen in some states; administration costs can include executor commissions capped by statute, reasonable attorney fees, Surrogate's Court fees, accounting work, tax-waiver work, property issues, and dispute-related work.
Are there any hidden fees or hourly charges?
No hidden fees. Out-of-scope work is billed as quoted in your written Fee Agreement.
Every listed service is quoted in advance. Within the agreed flat-fee scope, you should not receive an unexpected bill. Reasonable calls and emails with your attorney during the drafting process are included at no additional charge. The quoted fee includes up to three reasonable rounds of revisions within the agreed scope. If requested work falls outside the signed Fee Agreement scope, that out-of-scope work is billed as quoted in the written Fee Agreement.
Do I need a trust, or is a will enough?
Depends on assets, family, and goals. We tell you straight at the consult.
A will is sufficient for many individuals with straightforward estates and modest assets. A trust is the better tool if you want to avoid probate, you own real estate (especially out-of-state), you have minor children whose inheritance you want managed past age 18, you want privacy (probate is public record), or you have Medicaid planning concerns. The consult is where we look at the actual facts and tell you which structure fits. We don't sell trusts that aren't needed.
What if I already have a will from years ago?
Bring it. Most older wills should be refreshed; sometimes amendments are enough.
Bring the old will to the consultation. We will tell you whether it still does what you want and whether the named fiduciaries are still appropriate. Major life events -- marriage, divorce, the birth of a child, the death of a beneficiary, a substantial change in assets, a move to or from New Jersey -- usually warrant a refresh. Sometimes a codicil (amendment) is enough; more often a clean replacement is faster and cleaner than patching the old document.
Citations
Related Estate Planning Resources
- Estate Planning Overview
- Our Process & Timeline
- Estate Planning Questionnaire -- our detailed long-form planning intake
- Revocable Living Trusts
- Wills & Testaments
Choose the scope after mapping the assets and family instructions
The listed fee becomes useful only after the work is matched to the plan. Counsel can determine whether the facts call for a will, the foundational document bundle, testamentary trust provisions, a revocable trust with funding work, or a separately quoted structure. Bring an asset and account list, deeds, current beneficiary forms, existing estate documents, and the names and circumstances of intended beneficiaries and fiduciaries. The resulting written scope identifies the included documents, add-ons, funding work, and fee before drafting begins. Call (800) 709-1131 or use the intake form to request that scope review.
Geographic scope
Serving 21 New Jersey counties.
Questions people often ask next
Choose the right scope for estate-planning packages and add-ons
Identify the family change, assets, authority choices, beneficiary concerns, and existing documents that define the work. The attorney will confirm whether a standardized scope fits and will use bespoke drafting where the decisions require it, not force the matter into a template packet.
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