How Much Does an Estate Plan Cost in Utah? (2026 Guide)

If you've been putting off estate planning because you're not sure what it costs — or because you've heard horror stories about runaway hourly billing — this guide is for you. We'll break down exactly what drives the cost of an estate plan in Utah, what you should expect to pay, and why the cheapest option is rarely the best one.

The Short Answer

A basic estate plan in Utah — drafted by an attorney and including a will, revocable living trust, power of attorney, and health care directive — typically costs between $1,500 and $3,000 for a single person and $2,000 and $4,000 for a couple. Complex plans involving business interests, blended families, or advanced tax planning can run higher.

At Cutler Riley, we charge flat fees, so you always know the cost upfront before we begin:

• One-Person Estate Plan: Starting at $1,500

• Two-Person Estate Plan: Starting at $2,000

• Individual documents: Available à la carte starting at $300

No hourly billing. No surprise invoices.

What's Included in a Basic Utah Estate Plan?

Before comparing costs, it helps to understand what a complete estate plan actually includes. Most Utah families need four core documents:

Last Will and Testament. Directs how your assets are distributed, names a guardian for minor children, and appoints a personal representative to manage your estate. Required even if you have a trust.

Revocable Living Trust. Holds your assets during your lifetime and transfers them to your beneficiaries after death — without going through Utah's probate court. Especially important if you own real estate.

Financial Power of Attorney. Authorizes a trusted person to manage your finances — paying bills, managing accounts, handling real estate transactions — if you become incapacitated.

Health Care Directive. Appoints a healthcare agent and documents your medical wishes, including end-of-life preferences, so doctors and family members know exactly what you want.

These four documents work together as a coordinated plan. Buying them piecemeal from different sources — or relying on online forms for some and an attorney for others — often creates gaps that only show up at the worst possible time.

What Drives the Cost Up or Down?

Several factors affect what you'll pay for estate planning in Utah:

Hourly vs. flat-fee billing. Many Utah attorneys bill by the hour, typically at rates between $250 and $450 per hour. A "simple" estate plan that takes five hours of drafting, meetings, and revisions can cost $1,250 to $2,250 — and you often won't know the final number until you get the invoice. Flat-fee firms like Cutler Riley eliminate that uncertainty entirely.

Complexity of your situation. A straightforward plan for a married couple with two children and a home in Utah is much simpler to draft than a plan involving a blended family, a business, property in multiple states, or a beneficiary with special needs. The more complex your circumstances, the more drafting time and legal judgment is required.

Attorney experience and specialization. A firm that focuses exclusively on estate planning will typically draft better documents faster than a generalist attorney who handles estate planning on the side. Specialization tends to produce both higher quality and more efficient pricing.

Geographic location within Utah. Attorney rates in Salt Lake City and Draper tend to run slightly higher than in rural parts of the state, though the difference is often smaller than people expect.

Add-ons and advanced planning. If your plan includes a Utah Domestic Asset Protection Trust (DAPT), a Special Needs Trust, a Charitable Remainder Trust, or other advanced instruments, costs increase accordingly — and appropriately, given the sophistication of those documents.

How Utah Compares to National Averages

Nationally, attorneys charge between $1,000 and $3,000 for a basic single-person estate plan and $1,500 to $5,000 for a couple's plan. Utah falls at or slightly below the national average, which makes it one of the more accessible states for professional estate planning.

To give you a sense of where Utah fits nationally, here are some general benchmarks. A last will and testament typically runs $300 to $1,000 nationally — Cutler Riley charges $600. A revocable living trust ranges from $1,000 to $3,000 nationally — we charge $1,250. Powers of attorney and health care directives each run $150 to $500 nationally — we charge $300 for each. For a complete one-person estate plan, national rates range from $1,000 to $3,000 — our flat fee starts at $1,500. A complete two-person plan runs $1,500 to $5,000 nationally — ours starts at $2,000.

What About DIY Estate Planning — Is It Worth the Savings?

Online services like LegalZoom and Trust & Will advertise estate planning packages starting at $100 to $500. That price is appealing, and for some very simple situations, a basic online will is better than having nothing at all.

But there are real trade-offs worth understanding before you go that route.

Utah-specific requirements matter. Utah has its own rules governing will execution, trust formation, and power of attorney validity under the Utah Uniform Trust Code and the Utah Uniform Power of Attorney Act. Generic online forms are not always drafted with Utah law in mind, and a document that doesn't meet Utah's specific execution requirements may not hold up in court.

Unfunded trusts are a common DIY failure. The most expensive estate planning mistake we see is a revocable trust that was never properly funded — meaning the home, bank accounts, and other assets were never retitled into the trust's name. When that happens, the trust is essentially a piece of paper, and everything still goes through probate. An attorney who specializes in estate planning will walk you through the funding process and make sure it's done correctly.

One-size doesn't fit all families. Online forms can't ask the follow-up questions that matter: What happens if a beneficiary is a minor when they inherit? What if your first-choice agent under your power of attorney dies before you? How should your plan account for a child from a prior relationship? These nuances require professional judgment, not a drop-down menu.

Problems don't surface until it's too late. A flawed estate plan often looks fine on the surface. The problems show up during probate, during a medical crisis, or when a financial institution refuses to honor a non-compliant power of attorney — situations where your family is already under stress and can't go back and fix things.

If your estate is simple and your family situation is uncomplicated, a basic DIY document may serve you. But for anyone who owns a home, has minor children, runs a business, or has any complexity in their family structure, the cost of professional estate planning is modest insurance against much larger problems.

Does Utah Have an Estate Tax?

For most Utah residents, the answer is no — at least not at the state level. Utah does not impose a separate state estate tax. At the federal level, the estate tax exemption in 2025 is $13.99 million per individual (and double that for a married couple using portability). The vast majority of Utah families will never owe federal estate tax either.

That said, if your estate is approaching those thresholds — or if you have significant appreciated assets and want to minimize capital gains tax on a future sale — advanced planning strategies like SLATs, CRTs, or structured installment sales may be worth discussing.

How to Get the Most Value from Your Estate Plan

Regardless of where you go or what you pay, a few practices will help you get the most out of your investment:

Don't buy documents in isolation. A revocable trust without a pour-over will, or a will without a power of attorney, leaves gaps in your plan. A complete, coordinated set of documents is almost always worth more than the same documents purchased separately.

Update your plan after major life events. Marriage, divorce, a new child, a significant purchase or sale, or moving to a new state can all affect whether your existing documents still reflect your wishes. We recommend reviewing your plan every three to five years or after any of these events.

Make sure your trust is funded. If you go the trust route, the deed to your home — and most of your other significant assets — need to be retitled in the name of the trust. This step is as important as drafting the trust itself.

Talk to a specialist. Estate planning is a focused discipline. An attorney who handles estate planning exclusively will typically produce better, more tailored documents than a general practitioner who does it occasionally.

Ready to Get Started?

At Cutler Riley, we make estate planning straightforward and affordable — with flat-fee pricing, a free initial consultation, and a process designed to be as simple as possible for you and your family.

Whether you need a complete estate plan, a single document, or an update to an existing plan, we're here to help.

Book your free consultation today.

Cutler Riley serves clients throughout Utah from offices in Draper and Kaysville.