Estate Planning Calculator: What Do You Actually Need?
An estate planning calculator maps your family and asset situation to the specific documents you need — from a simple will up to a full estate plan with irrevocable trusts. The calculator above does this in seconds using six inputs: state, net worth, marital status, kids, cross-state property, and any special-needs dependents.
For a married couple with kids and $850,000 in net worth living in California, the recommendation is a will with guardianship nomination, durable powers of attorney, and healthcare directives — attorney cost $750 to $2,500, or $199 to $299 through online services like Trust & Will or LegalZoom.
Estate Planning calculators
How it works
Estate planning breaks down into five tiers, and the right tier depends on the ratio of your family complexity to your net worth. The calculator above evaluates six inputs and routes you to one of them, each with a specific document list and a cost band.
Tier 1 is a simple will for a single person with no children and no cross-state property. A last will and testament, durable power of attorney, and advance healthcare directive cover the essentials. Attorney cost is $300 to $800; FreeWill offers all three at $0 (monetized via nonprofit partnerships) and Trust & Will's individual will is $199. Tier 2 is a moderate will for a single parent or a married couple without kids — it adds guardian nomination or spousal executor structure. Attorney $500 to $1,500; LegalZoom Basic $129 individual / $229 couple; Trust & Will $199 to $299. Tier 3 is a complex will for a married couple with kids: guardian nomination, executor, testamentary trust for the children until age 25 or 30, and a mandatory beneficiary designation review because 401(k), IRA, and life insurance designations override the will. Attorney $750 to $2,500; Trust & Will couple $299.
Tier 4 is a revocable living trust, needed when you own real estate or business interests in more than one state or when you have a special-needs dependent. A living trust holds title to real estate in every state and avoids ancillary probate — a separate probate proceeding in each state — that would otherwise duplicate cost and delay. If a special-needs dependent is involved, a Third-Party Special Needs Trust preserves the dependent's eligibility for means-tested benefits like SSI and Medicaid while providing supplemental resources. Attorney $1,500 to $5,000 for a straightforward revocable living trust; $3,500 to $7,500 when a Special Needs Trust is added. Trust & Will's trust product is $499 individual / $599 couple for simple facts.
Tier 5 is a full estate plan for households above the federal or state estate tax exemption. It combines a revocable living trust with irrevocable structures — an ILIT for life insurance ($2,500–$4,000), a dynasty trust for generational transfers ($5,000–$10,000+), a Medicaid Asset Protection Trust ($3,000–$6,000), or a gifting trust to remove appreciating assets from the taxable estate. Attorney cost typically $5,000 to $15,000+; DIY tools are not appropriate at this net-worth tier.
The 2026 federal estate tax exemption is $15,000,000 per individual — permanent and indexed under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (P.L. 119-21, July 2025), which amended IRC §2010(c)(3). Married couples can shield up to $30 million via portability by filing Form 706 at the first spouse's death, and the GST tax exemption mirrors at $15 million. The federal rate on the excess is a flat 40%. Twelve states plus DC impose their own estate tax with much lower thresholds — Oregon starts at $1 million, Massachusetts at $2 million, Washington at $3 million (with a rate reset from 35% to 20% effective July 1, 2026). Five states also impose an inheritance tax that hits beneficiaries directly regardless of estate size: Kentucky, Maryland, Nebraska, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. Before you meet with an attorney or open an online service, run your household through the net worth calculator — the plan tier hinges on that number and on the beneficiary designations feeding your 401(k) calculator, because retirement-account beneficiaries override anything a will says.
Frequently asked questions
What is an estate planning calculator?
An estate planning calculator maps your family situation and net worth to the specific documents you need — from a simple will up through a full estate plan with irrevocable trusts. The calculator above evaluates six inputs (state, net worth, marital status, kids, cross-state property, special-needs dependents) and returns a plan tier with an attorney cost band, an online cost band, and the exact document list that tier includes.
How much does estate planning cost?
Attorney estate planning costs run from $300 for a simple will (single, no kids) up to $15,000+ for a full estate plan with irrevocable trusts (net worth above the $15M federal exemption). Middle-of-the-road: $750–$2,500 for a married-with-kids will package, $1,500–$5,000 for a revocable living trust, $2,500–$4,000 for an ILIT. Online services are meaningfully cheaper: FreeWill is $0, Trust & Will is $199–$599, LegalZoom is $129–$299, and Nolo Quicken WillMaker is $99–$209 — they cover the simple-to-moderate tiers well but not the full-estate-plan tier.
Do I need a living trust or is a will enough?
A will is enough for most households — a will is faster to draft, cheaper, and easier to update than a trust. You need a revocable living trust when at least one of three facts is true: you own real estate in more than one state (a trust avoids ancillary probate), you have a special-needs dependent (paired with a Third-Party Special Needs Trust to preserve SSI/Medicaid eligibility), or you want to avoid probate entirely for privacy or speed reasons. Below the estate tax exemption, a trust is a probate-avoidance tool, not a tax-avoidance tool.
What is the 2026 federal estate tax exemption?
The 2026 federal estate tax exemption is $15,000,000 per individual, made permanent and indexed to inflation by the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (P.L. 119-21, signed July 2025), which amended IRC §2010(c)(3). The rate on the excess is a flat 40%. Married couples can shield up to $30 million by combining exemptions via portability (Form 706 election at the first spouse's death). The GST tax exemption mirrors at $15 million, and the annual gift tax exclusion for 2026 is $19,000 per donee.
Which states have their own estate tax in 2026?
Twelve states plus DC impose an estate tax in 2026, with exemptions much lower than the federal $15M: Oregon ($1M — the lowest), Massachusetts ($2M), Rhode Island ($1.84M, indexed), Washington ($3M with a rate reset from 35% to 20% effective 7/1/2026), Minnesota ($3M), Illinois ($4M), DC ($4.99M), Maryland ($5M — also has inheritance tax), Vermont ($5M), Hawaii ($5.49M), Maine ($7M), New York ($7.35M with a 105% cliff), and Connecticut ($15M, tied to federal). Five additional states impose an inheritance tax on beneficiaries: Kentucky, Maryland, Nebraska, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania.
Can I do estate planning online?
Yes, for simple-to-moderate cases. Trust & Will ($199 individual will / $299 couple / $499–$599 trust) is the market leader, LegalZoom Basic Will is $129, and FreeWill is $0 through nonprofit partnerships. These services handle straightforward wills, POAs, and healthcare directives well. Online tools are not appropriate for revocable living trusts with real estate in multiple states, Special Needs Trusts, or any full estate plan above the estate tax exemption — those require attorney-drafted documents and, in most states, execution formalities that online tools cannot supervise.
Sources
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