What Should Estate Planning Cost? A Fixed-Fee Explanation
Why we quote flat fees, what drives the number, and how to compare quotes between providers without guessing.
Estate planning should be quoted as a fixed fee, because the scope can be defined before the work starts. The price is driven by whether the plan is will-based or trust-based, the complexity of what you own, your state and federal tax exposure, and whether advanced structures like an ILIT, SLAT, or GRAT are involved. When comparing quotes, confirm four things: whether funding is included, whether revisions are included, who actually drafts the documents, and what future questions cost. Legacy Counsel scopes the matter first and quotes one flat fee before drafting.
Estate planning is one of the few legal services where the scope can be defined in advance. That is precisely why hourly billing makes so little sense for it.
How we price
We scope first: what you own, how it is titled, who should receive it, and what needs to be protected. Then we quote a fixed fee for the entire engagement — drafting, revisions, the signing meeting, and the funding work. You approve the number before we begin. Details are on our pricing page.
What moves the number
- Will-based versus trust-based: the simplest defensible plan versus a funded trust structure.
- Asset type: W-2 income and a house is not the same engagement as an operating company, concentrated stock, or property in three states.
- Tax exposure: New York's cliff, New Jersey inheritance tax, and federal exposure each add analysis.
- Advanced structures: an ILIT, SLAT, GRAT, or dynasty trust is scoped separately.
How to compare quotes fairly
Ask every provider four questions: Is funding included? Are revisions included? Who drafts the documents? What happens when I have a question in three years? Two quotes that look far apart usually differ on those answers, not on quality of paper.
The alternative cost
Administration is the real budget line. Court fees, fiduciary commissions, appraisals, professional time, and months of frozen assets — see what probate actually costs in New Jersey, New York, and Ohio. Planning is the cheaper side of that ledger.
Next step
Send us your situation and we will scope it and quote a fixed fee.
Educational information only, not legal or tax advice. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.
Questions we hear most
- Why do some firms still bill hourly for estate planning?
- Habit, mostly. Scope is knowable here, so a flat fee is achievable — and it stops clients from avoiding questions to keep the bill down.
- Is funding included in a flat fee?
- In our engagements it is scoped and quoted with the plan. Ask directly, because this is the most commonly excluded item elsewhere.
- Are online document services cheaper?
- Upfront, yes. They do not review titling, coordinate beneficiary designations, or account for New York's estate tax cliff or New Jersey inheritance tax, which is where most of the value sits.
- Do I pay again to update my plan?
- Minor updates and periodic reviews are handled under a defined arrangement rather than surprise hourly invoices. A material life change is a new, separately quoted scope.
- How often should a plan be reviewed?
- Every three to five years, and immediately after a marriage, divorce, birth, death, liquidity event, or move to another state.
The Estate Planning Checklist
A practical checklist covering documents, titling, beneficiary designations, and the funding steps most plans skip. Written for NY, NJ, and OH families.
Educational material only — not legal advice. Requesting the guide does not create an attorney-client relationship. We do not sell or share your email.
Not sure what you need yet?
A short, private assessment maps your situation to the documents and structures worth discussing — wills, revocable trusts, irrevocable planning, or administration support.
Take the 2-minute assessment →Educational only. Completing the assessment does not create an attorney-client relationship.