How Much Does Estate Planning Cost in New York?

In This Article

What’s Included in Estate Planning? Estate Planning Cost Breakdown by Complexity What Drives the Price Up or Down? Flat Fee vs. Hourly: What’s the Norm? The Cost of Not Having an Estate Plan

Reviewed by Kent Gross, Esq. — 40+ years handling elder law, estate planning, and guardianship matters in New York.

Estate planning in New York costs anywhere from $500 for a basic will to $5,000 or more for a comprehensive plan that includes trusts, powers of attorney, healthcare proxies, and asset protection strategies. Most families end up somewhere in the $1,500–$3,500 range.

The wide range can make it hard to budget. This guide breaks down what drives the price, what you should expect to receive at each price point, and how to avoid paying more than you need to.

What’s Included in Estate Planning?

Estate planning is not a single document—it’s a set of documents that work together. A typical estate plan in New York includes some or all of the following:

• Last Will and Testament: Names who gets your assets, appoints a guardian for minor children, and designates an executor to handle your estate
• Power of Attorney: Authorizes someone to manage your finances if you become incapacitated
• Healthcare Proxy: Appoints someone to make medical decisions for you if you can’t speak for yourself
• Living Will: Documents your wishes about end-of-life medical treatment
• Revocable Living Trust: Allows assets to pass to your heirs without going through probate (not always needed—see below)

Some plans also include irrevocable trusts for Medicaid planning, special needs trusts for disabled family members, or business succession documents.

Estate Planning Cost Breakdown by Complexity

Basic Estate Plan: $500–$1,500

A basic plan typically includes a will, power of attorney, and healthcare proxy. This is appropriate for younger adults, people with simple assets (checking/savings accounts, no real estate), or anyone who just needs the fundamentals in place. Most attorneys offer this as a flat-fee package.

Standard Estate Plan: $1,500–$3,500

This is the most common price range for New York families. It includes everything in the basic plan plus a revocable living trust, pour-over will, and guidance on retitling assets into the trust. This level of planning makes sense if you own a home, have retirement accounts, or want to avoid probate. An estate planning attorney can walk you through whether this level is right for your situation.

Comprehensive Estate Plan: $3,500–$5,000+

At this level, you’re getting a plan that addresses Medicaid asset protection, tax planning, special needs provisions, business interests, or multi-state property ownership. It may include one or more irrevocable trusts, advanced healthcare directives, and detailed beneficiary designations across all accounts. This is typical for families with assets above $1 million, seniors planning for long-term care, or anyone with complex family dynamics (blended families, family members with disabilities).

What Drives the Price Up or Down?

Several factors affect what you’ll pay:

• Real estate: If you own property in New York, especially in multiple counties, the plan needs to account for how that property will transfer. Deed work adds cost.
• Number of trusts: A single revocable trust is much less work than creating separate irrevocable trusts for different purposes. Each trust is its own legal entity with its own terms.
• Family complexity: Blended families, minor children from multiple relationships, or estranged family members all add complexity to the drafting process.
• Medicaid planning: If you’re over 60 and concerned about long-term care costs, your plan may need Medicaid asset protection strategies that require careful timing (the 5-year look-back rule) and irrevocable trusts.
• Location: Attorneys in Manhattan generally charge more than attorneys in the Capital District or upstate New York. However, the quality of the plan matters more than the hourly rate.

Not sure where to start? Talk to an attorney who handles these situations every day.

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Flat Fee vs. Hourly: What’s the Norm?

Most New York estate planning attorneys work on a flat-fee basis for standard plans. This means you’ll get a quoted price upfront that covers the entire planning process—drafting, review meetings, revisions, signing, and notarization.

Hourly billing is more common for complex situations where the scope of work is hard to predict upfront, such as estate litigation, contested trusts, or multi-jurisdictional planning. New York estate planning attorney hourly rates typically range from $250–$600 depending on experience and location.

If an attorney quotes you hourly for a standard estate plan, ask for a flat fee or a fee cap. You should know the total cost before the work begins.

The Cost of Not Having an Estate Plan

Not planning at all is the most expensive option. If you die without a will or trust in New York:

• Your assets are distributed according to New York’s intestacy laws—not according to your wishes
• Your family must petition Surrogate’s Court for Letters of Administration, which costs time and money
• Probate attorney fees can easily reach $5,000–$15,000+ for a contested or complicated estate
• Family disputes are more common when there are no clear instructions
• If you become incapacitated without a power of attorney or healthcare proxy, your family may need a court-appointed guardian—a process that costs $10,000–$25,000 and can take months

Spending $1,500–$3,500 now to create a proper estate plan is significantly cheaper than what your family would pay to sort things out in court after the fact. If you’re curious about legal costs in general, our overview of elder law attorney fees in New York covers what to expect across different practice areas.

LGK Lawyers provides flat-fee estate planning for New York families. We’ll review your situation, explain what you need (and what you don’t), and give you a clear price before any work begins.

*The information in this blog post is provided for general informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Reading this content or contacting LGK Lawyers through this website does not create an attorney-client relationship. This post discusses New York law, which may differ from the law in other jurisdictions. For advice specific to your situation, please schedule a consultation.*

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