Rex says
Money math without the spreadsheet headache. Plug in your numbers and I'll show you exactly where the dollars land.
Try a scenario
Click to load — tweak from there.Inputs
Result
Trust saves your family
$36,200
Total cost — trust path
$6,900
Total cost — will + probate
$43,100
Probate fees avoided
$42,500
Out-of-state probate cost
$0
Estate size where trust breaks even
$126,000
Psst — share this and help Rex grow
One click, a permanent link with your numbers baked in.
How to use this
- 1Enter estate value ($).
- 2Enter trust drafting cost ($).
- 3Enter funding / retitling cost ($).
- 4Enter annual trust upkeep ($/year).
- 5Enter years until estate settles (years).
- 6Enter simple will cost ($).
- 7Enter combined probate fees (% of estate).
- 8Enter out-of-state properties (ancillary probate) (count).
- 9Read your trust saves your family on the right — it updates as you type.
- 10Hit Share to keep the scenario or send it to someone.
About this calculator
A will is cheap to write and expensive to administer; a revocable living trust is the reverse. This calculator puts both on the same timeline. On one side is the cost of drafting and funding a trust today, including retitling real estate and updating beneficiary designations, plus a modest ongoing maintenance cost as assets change. On the other is the cost of a simple will plus the probate your estate would go through, which in percentage-fee states scales with gross asset value and in all states costs months of delay. The tool shows total cost under each path, the break-even estate size at the fee levels you enter, and the value of the delay difference if your heirs would otherwise wait a year or more for distribution. The right answer depends on your state's probate cost, whether you own real estate in more than one state (which can trigger separate ancillary probates), and how much privacy matters — probate files are public, trust administration generally is not.
Worked example
Using the values the calculator loads with:
Inputs
- Estate value: 850000 $
- Trust drafting cost: 3000 $
- Funding / retitling cost: 900 $
- Annual trust upkeep: 150 $/year
- Years until estate settles: 20 years
- Simple will cost: 600 $
- Combined probate fees: 5 % of estate
- Out-of-state properties (ancillary probate): 0 count
Results
- Trust saves your family: $36,200
- Total cost — trust path: $6,900
- Total cost — will + probate: $43,100
- Probate fees avoided: $42,500
- Out-of-state probate cost: $0
- Estate size where trust breaks even: $126,000
What each field means
Inputs
- Estate value ($)
- The estate value used in the calculation, measured in $. Starts at 850000 $ so you have a working example on load. Accepted range: 25000–20000000 $.
- Trust drafting cost ($)
- The trust drafting cost used in the calculation, measured in $. Starts at 3000 $ so you have a working example on load. Accepted range: 500–20000 $.
- Funding / retitling cost ($)
- The funding / retitling cost used in the calculation, measured in $. Starts at 900 $ so you have a working example on load. Accepted range: 0–10000 $.
- Annual trust upkeep ($/year)
- The annual trust upkeep used in the calculation, measured in $/year. Starts at 150 $/year so you have a working example on load. Accepted range: 0–3000 $/year.
- Years until estate settles (years)
- The years until estate settles used in the calculation, measured in years. Starts at 20 years so you have a working example on load. Accepted range: 1–60 years.
- Simple will cost ($)
- The simple will cost used in the calculation, measured in $. Starts at 600 $ so you have a working example on load. Accepted range: 0–5000 $.
- Combined probate fees (% of estate)
- The combined probate fees used in the calculation, measured in % of estate. Starts at 5 % of estate so you have a working example on load. Accepted range: 0–12 % of estate.
- Out-of-state properties (ancillary probate) (count)
- The out-of-state properties (ancillary probate) used in the calculation, measured in count. Starts at 0 count so you have a working example on load. Accepted range: 0–5 count.
Results
- Trust saves your family
- Returned as a money amount in US dollars and shown as the headline result. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- Total cost — trust path
- Returned as a money amount in US dollars. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- Total cost — will + probate
- Returned as a money amount in US dollars. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- Probate fees avoided
- Returned as a money amount in US dollars. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- Out-of-state probate cost
- Returned as a money amount in US dollars. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- Estate size where trust breaks even
- Returned as a money amount in US dollars. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
FAQ
Does a trust avoid estate tax?
A revocable living trust avoids probate, not estate tax. Assets in it remain in your taxable estate. Tax reduction requires irrevocable structures, which are a different conversation with different trade-offs.
What does 'funding' the trust mean?
Retitling assets into the trust's name — deeds, brokerage accounts, business interests. An unfunded trust is the most common planning failure: the document exists, the assets still go through probate.
Do I still need a will with a trust?
Yes, a pour-over will catches anything you never retitled and names guardians for minor children. It is normally drafted alongside the trust.
When is a plain will genuinely fine?
Modest estates in states with cheap simplified probate, with most assets already passing by beneficiary designation, and no out-of-state real estate. The break-even figure above shows where that stops being true.
Accuracy and limitations
- Results are estimates before tax, fees, and inflation unless an input explicitly covers them.
- Rates are treated as fixed for the whole period — variable-rate products will drift from this projection.
- This is educational maths, not financial advice. Check anything contractual with the lender or your accountant.
Related tools
Cite this calculator
Writing about this topic? Grab a citation — every link helps keep these tools free.
RevenueLab. (2026). Living Trust vs Will Cost Calculator. Retrieved from https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/living-trust-vs-will-cost-calculator
<p>Source: <a href="https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/living-trust-vs-will-cost-calculator" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Living Trust vs Will Cost Calculator — RevenueLab</a> (2026).</p>
Source: [Living Trust vs Will Cost Calculator — RevenueLab](https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/living-trust-vs-will-cost-calculator) (2026).