Average Cost of a Living Trust by State
No state sets what a revocable living trust costs, and no independent publisher reports it state by state, so these pages state no price. What they do document is the other half of the comparison: each state's probate fees, thresholds and creditor periods, cited to the statute.
The national picture, briefly
No statute anywhere in the US sets what a revocable living trust costs, and we found no published source for trust-drafting prices as of September 2026 that is not a law firm, an online document seller, or a site paid to refer customers to one. These pages therefore state no price for any state. A trust holds outside probate only the assets actually retitled into it, and deed preparation — the step that retitles real estate — is a separate charge wherever the trust is drafted.
The figure trust cost is measured against is the cost of probate in that state, and that varies enormously — from independent administration in Texas, among the least expensive procedures in the country, to California’s statutory percentage fees, which are calculated on gross value rather than equity and are payable twice — once as attorney compensation under Cal. Prob. Code §10810 and once as personal-representative compensation under §10800, on an identical scale. On a $500,000 estate that is 4% of the first $100,000, 3% of the next $100,000 and 2% of the remaining $300,000, or about $13,000 on each scale — roughly $26,000 combined.
The probate figures are set out per state below.
| State | Governing statute | Verified |
|---|---|---|
| California | Cal. Probate Code §10800 (personal representative compensation) | |
| Texas | Tex. Est. Code §401.001 et seq. (independent administration) | — |
| Florida | Fla. Stat. §733.6171 (probate attorney fees) | |
| Virginia | Va. Code §58.1-1712 to §58.1-1718 (probate tax) | — |
| New York | N.Y. SCPA §2307 (executor commissions) | — |
| Pennsylvania | 20 Pa.C.S. Ch. 77 (Pennsylvania Uniform Trust Act) | — |
| Illinois | 755 ILCS 5/Art. XXV (small estate affidavit) | — |
| Ohio | Ohio R.C. Ch. 5801 (Ohio Trust Code) | — |
| Georgia | O.C.G.A. Title 53, Ch. 12 (Georgia Trust Code) | — |
| North Carolina | N.C.G.S. §7A-307 (probate court costs) | |
| Michigan | MCL 700.7101 et seq. (Michigan Trust Code) | — |
| Connecticut | Conn. Gen. Stat. §45a-107 (probate fees) | — |
| Arkansas | Ark. Code §28-48-108 (executor compensation) | — |
| Indiana | Ind. Code §29-1-10-13 (executor compensation) | — |
| Oklahoma | 60 O.S. §175.1 et seq. | — |
| Oregon | ORS Chapter 130 | — |
| New Jersey | N.J.S.A. 3B:31-1 et seq. (New Jersey Uniform Trust Code) | — |
| Washington | RCW 11.98 (trusts) | — |
| Arizona | A.R.S. §14-10101 et seq. (Arizona Trust Code) | — |
| Colorado | C.R.S. §15-5-101 et seq. (Colorado Uniform Trust Code) | — |
| Massachusetts | M.G.L. c. 203E (Massachusetts Uniform Trust Code) | — |
| Maryland | Md. Code, Est. & Trusts, Title 14.5 (Maryland Trust Act) | — |
| Minnesota | Minn. Stat. Ch. 501C (Minnesota Trust Code) | — |
| Missouri | Mo. Rev. Stat. Ch. 456 (Missouri Uniform Trust Code) | — |
| Alabama | Ala. Code §43-2-848 (personal representative compensation) | — |
| Alaska | AS 13.16.430 (personal representative compensation) | — |
| Delaware | Del. Ct. Ch. R. 192 (fiduciary commissions and fees) | — |
| Hawaii | HRS § 560:3-719 (reasonable PR compensation) | — |
| Idaho | Idaho Code §15-3-719 (reasonable personal-representative compensation) | — |
| Iowa | Iowa Code §633.197 (statutory executor fee schedule) | — |
| Kansas | K.S.A. §59-1717 (reasonable fiduciary and attorney fees) | — |
| Kentucky | KRS 395.150 (executor compensation cap) | — |
| Louisiana | La. C.C.P. art. 3351 (amount of compensation; when due) | — |
| Maine | 18-C M.R.S. §3-719 (reasonable PR compensation) | — |
| Mississippi | Miss. Code §91-7-281 (attorney's fees in probate) | — |
| Montana | MCA Title 72, ch. 3 (Uniform Probate Code) | — |
| Nebraska | Neb. Rev. Stat. §30-2480 (reasonable compensation) | — |
| Nevada | NRS §150.060 (statutory attorney fees) | — |
| New Hampshire | RSA ch. 564-B (New Hampshire Trust Code) | — |
| New Mexico | NMSA §45-3-719 (reasonable compensation) | — |
| North Dakota | N.D.C.C. §30.1-18-19 (reasonable compensation) | — |
| Rhode Island | R.I. Gen. Laws §33-24-1 (small-estate limit) | — |
| South Carolina | S.C. Code §62-3-719 (PR commission) | — |
| South Dakota | S.D. Codified Laws §29A-3-719 (PR compensation) | — |
| Tennessee | Tenn. Code Ann. §30-2-606 (reasonable probate compensation) | — |
| Utah | Utah Code §75-3-718 (reasonable probate compensation) | — |
| Vermont | 14 V.S.A. § 1065 (reasonable fiduciary fees) | — |
| West Virginia | W.Va. Code §44-4-12A (executor commission) | — |
| Wisconsin | Wis. Stat. §857.05 (PR commission) | — |
| Wyoming | Wyo. Stat. §2-7-803 (PR fees) | — |
A date means every citation in that row has been checked against the statute. A dash means it has not been checked yet.
How to read these pages
- Attorney vs. online vs. DIY. Each page gives the published price range for all three, and what each route typically includes — deed preparation and funding are the items most often excluded from the cheaper tiers.
- The probate figure alongside it. Every page sets the trust’s cost against that state’s documented probate cost, with the statute cited.
- Funding. A trust holds outside probate only what is retitled into it. Each page documents the state’s funding requirements, including deed recording for real estate.
Want the basics first?
If you’re still deciding whether you need a trust at all, start here:
- How Much Does a Living Trust Cost? — the national cost breakdown.
- Will vs. Trust: How They Differ — the documented differences, side by side.
- How to Avoid Probate: The Transfers That Pass Outside It — every probate-avoidance tool, not just trusts.
Educational information only — not legal or financial advice. Prices and laws change and depend on your situation. Always confirm current figures and rules with a licensed attorney in your state. Sources: published 2026 attorney and online-service pricing; state probate-fee statutes and bar consumer resources cited on each state page.