What does it cost for wills and powers of attorney . . .
Wills are as varied as the individual circumstances of the maker of the will. However, for most people, a basic single will is satisfactory.
If you have substantial assets that do not require probate, (i.e. shares in a private corporation), there can be a significant saving of estate administration tax (formerly called probate fees) by using a secondary will. Estate administration tax is normally charged at the rate of approximately 1.5% on the value of your estate that is subject to probate. We do have a flat rate for a basic secondary will.
In other cases, a spousal or family trust can be used to defer the payment of income taxes. Where trusts are involved, which often requires specialized tax advice, we charge for wills and secondary wills on an hourly rate basis.
The good news is that it is easier to prepare spousal wills together and we offer a reduced rate for them, if they are prepared at the same time.
The cost of wills and powers of attorney is always less than dealing with your property without them. In a real life example, we were recently consulted about an elderly parent could no longer manage her affairs. The parent will never be able to make a will since she has lost mental capacity. It cost over $5,000 to have a guardian appointed for the parent.
There is a lot of paper and photocopying involved in the preparation of wills and powers of attorney and we charge 25¢ per page for this. Because we deliver your original will with our signing package, we send it by courier and charge the courier cost for this service. You may save this modest cost by picking up your package.
We prepare an affidavit of execution for your will (required if you seek probate) at no additional charge. We do not charge any additional amount for the affidavit of age and status for your power of attorney for property.
We also provide you with a Personal Protection Toolkit that contains information for your executors and useful information about the duties and responsibilities of executors and attorneys acting under powers of attorney at no additional charge.
Wills
$975 for a basic will (individual)
$1,800 for a pair of basic wills for spouses (2 wills in total)
$750 additional for an individual basic secondary will
$1,500 additional for a pair of spousal basic secondary wills (2 secondary wills in total)
Powers of Attorney
$250 for a continuing power of attorney for property (1 power of attorney)
$250 for a power of attorney for personal care (1 power of attorney)
OR
$450 for an individual set of powers of attorney (property and personal care if prepared at the same time)
$800 for a spousal pair of powers of attorney (4 powers of attorney)
Codicils
$500 for a codicil (a formal amendment to a will, no spousal reduction)
Wills with Spousal, Family or Henson Trusts
wills and secondary wills with such trusts are prepared on an hourly rate basis
Free stuff at no additional charge!
Free affidavit of execution for each will
Free affidavit of age and status for power of attorney for property
Free Personal Protection Toolkit