Estate Planning Lawyer Cost Calculator
Estate planning is priced by structure, not by page count. This calculator gives an indicative range based on how many documents you need, whether a trust is involved, and how complicated your asset base is.
Most firms sell estate planning as a bundle rather than per document.
Each structure has to be reviewed and pointed at the right person, which is where the drafting hours go.
Ask for the fee to be quoted as a fixed price for a defined document set. Estate planning is one of the few areas of law where scope is genuinely knowable in advance, so a firm that insists on billing hourly for a standard pack is usually pricing uncertainty you should not have to carry.
💰 Ways to save
- Do the fact gathering before the first appointment rather than during it. Bring a written list of assets with rough values, account and fund names, the title reference for any property, the trustee and appointor of any trust, and the full legal names and dates of birth of executors and beneficiaries. Firms that quote hourly bill the collection of this information at their full rate, and firms that quote fixed fees build an allowance for chasing it into the price, so arriving organised saves money either way.
- Be honest about whether you actually need a testamentary trust. It is the single biggest line in most estate planning quotes and it earns its keep in specific cases: minor beneficiaries who will receive income, a beneficiary in a high risk occupation or a shaky marriage, or an estate large enough that the tax treatment of trust income for minors matters. If your estate is a home, some super and a modest portfolio going to adult children in equal shares, a well drafted simple will often does the same job for a fifth of the price.
- Separate the drafting fee from the ongoing storage and review fee before you sign. Many firms hold the original will free but charge to release it, or bundle an annual review subscription into the headline price. Ask what happens if you move firms, what a variation costs after the fact, and whether a simple change of executor is a free amendment or a fresh codicil at full price.
- If cost is genuinely the blocker, check whether your state has a public trustee will service and what it charges, and whether your union, industry super fund or employer offers a subsidised will scheme. These are not the right answer for complex estates or blended families, but for a genuinely simple estate they are a legitimate low cost path, and having a valid basic will is a very long way ahead of having none.
How we estimate this
## What estate planning costs in Australia in 2026
Pricing reviewed: June 2026.
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Understanding estate planning lawyer costs in Australia
What estate planning costs in Australia in 2026
Estate planning is one of the more predictable areas of legal pricing because the scope is knowable before the work starts, which is why most Australian firms sell it as a fixed fee package rather than by the hour. As a 2026 benchmark, a simple single will drafted by a solicitor runs roughly $400 to $900. The standard core pack, being a will plus an enduring power of attorney plus an appointment of enduring guardian, generally lands between $900 and $1,800 for one person. A couple buying mirror documents typically pays $1,500 to $2,800 for the pair, because the fact gathering is done once and only the drafting is duplicated. At the top end, a full plan built around testamentary trust wills for a couple with a business, a trust and an SMSF commonly sits between $4,000 and $8,000, and complex multi entity work with overseas assets goes higher again.
Fixed fee versus hourly, and what each really means
The fixed fee model dominates for standard document sets, and it is the model you should push for. It aligns incentives, because the firm carries the risk of the matter taking longer than expected, and it lets you compare two quotes on the same basis. Hourly billing still appears in estate planning, usually at $350 to $650 an hour for a solicitor and $600 to $950 for a partner or an accredited specialist in wills and estates. Hourly is appropriate where the scope is genuinely open ended, such as untangling a poorly drafted existing trust, negotiating with a reluctant former spouse, or advising on a likely family provision claim. It is not appropriate for drafting a standard core pack, and a firm that will not fix the fee on that work is telling you something about how it prices. Whichever model applies, Australian firms are required to give you a written costs disclosure and a costs agreement before starting substantive work, and that document should state the estimate, the basis of charging, and your rights if you dispute the bill.
What actually drives the price
Three things move an estate planning quote more than anything else. The first is structures. A will only controls assets you own personally, so every trust, company and superannuation fund in the picture has to be reviewed separately and dealt with by its own mechanism: the trust deed decides succession of the trusteeship and appointorship, the company constitution and shareholding decide the shares, and the fund deed plus a binding nomination decide super. Each of those reviews adds real drafting hours. The second is family shape. Blended families, estranged children, a beneficiary with a disability who needs a protective trust, or a history of family conflict all shift a matter from drafting to advising, and advising takes time. The third is the asset base itself, particularly business interests, multiple properties across different states, and any assets held offshore.
Disbursements and charges that sit on top
Disbursements are third party costs the firm pays on your behalf and passes through, and they are additional to the legal fee unless the quote says otherwise. In estate planning they are modest compared with litigation, but they exist: title searches through the state land registry services to confirm how property is held cost tens of dollars each, company and trust searches through ASIC are similar, and certified copies, courier and secure storage carry small charges. Where they become material is if the plan needs valuations, for example a business valuation to structure an equalisation between children, or a medical capacity assessment where an elderly client's capacity to sign might later be questioned. Always ask for disbursements to be listed separately in the quote so you can see the true all in figure.
The documents most people underestimate
The will gets the attention, but the enduring power of attorney and the appointment of an enduring guardian are the documents most likely to be needed first, because they operate while you are alive and unable to make decisions. Losing capacity without them is expensive and slow: the alternative is an application to your state tribunal for a financial manager or guardian to be appointed, which costs far more in time, fees and family stress than the few hundred dollars the documents would have cost. The other commonly missed piece is the binding death benefit nomination on superannuation. Super is not an estate asset and does not pass under the will unless it is directed to the legal personal representative, and non binding nominations leave the decision to the fund trustee. Many nominations lapse after three years, so a plan is only current if the nomination is current.
Comparing quotes without getting caught
Two quotes that look far apart are often buying different things. Before comparing, get each firm to list the exact documents included, whether the fee is per person or per couple, whether it covers the review of existing trusts and company documents or only the will itself, whether storage of the original is included and what release costs, and what a later amendment is charged at. Ask specifically whether an accredited specialist in wills and estates is doing the drafting or supervising it, because that experience is the difference between a document that survives a challenge and one that generates one. Also ask what the firm does about family provision risk, since in every Australian state an eligible person can apply to the court for further provision from an estate regardless of what the will says, and good planning manages that risk rather than pretending it does not exist.
What to do next
Use the estimator above as a bracket, then get two written fixed fee quotes against an identical document list. Take your estate summary to both meetings and pay attention to which firm asks better questions about your family rather than which quotes lowest.
Frequently asked questions
How much does an estate planning lawyer cost in Australia in 2026?
A simple solicitor drafted will is roughly $400 to $900. A core pack of will, enduring power of attorney and enduring guardianship is about $900 to $1,800 per person, or $1,500 to $2,800 for a couple's mirror set. A full plan built on testamentary trust wills for a couple with a business or trust generally runs $4,000 to $8,000, and multi entity or offshore estates go higher.
Is estate planning charged as a fixed fee or hourly?
Standard document sets are almost always fixed fee, and you should insist on it because the scope is knowable in advance. Hourly rates of roughly $350 to $650 for a solicitor and $600 to $950 for a partner or accredited specialist apply to genuinely open ended work, such as untangling a defective trust deed or advising on a likely family provision claim. You are entitled to a written costs disclosure and costs agreement before substantive work begins.
Do I need a testamentary trust will?
Only in specific cases. It is worth the extra cost when beneficiaries are minors who will receive income, when a beneficiary is in a high risk occupation or an unstable relationship, or when the estate is large enough that the tax treatment of trust income matters. It also carries ongoing cost after death, typically $1,500 to $3,500 a year for accounts and a tax return, so a modest estate passing to adult children in equal shares usually does not justify it.
Does my will cover my superannuation?
Not automatically. Superannuation is not an estate asset, and it only passes under the will if it is directed to your legal personal representative. Control sits with the fund trustee unless you have a valid binding death benefit nomination, and many nominations lapse after three years. Review the nomination whenever you review the will.
What disbursements are charged on top of the legal fee?
Title searches through the state land registry, ASIC company and trust searches, certified copies, courier and secure storage of the original. These are usually small, in the tens to low hundreds of dollars in total. They become material only if the plan needs a business valuation or a medical capacity assessment, so ask for disbursements to be itemised separately in the quote.
What happens if I die without a will in Australia?
The estate is distributed under your state's intestacy rules, which apply a fixed statutory formula rather than your wishes, and someone has to apply for letters of administration before anything can be dealt with. That application costs more and takes longer than a grant of probate on a valid will, and the formula frequently produces outcomes people would not have chosen, particularly in blended families and de facto relationships.
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