How Much Does a Will Cost in Michigan? Fees, Packages, and Alternatives

A will drafted by a Michigan attorney typically costs between $300 and $1,000, depending on the complexity of your estate, the attorney’s experience, and whether other estate planning documents are bundled in.¹ If your situation is straightforward, Michigan offers a free statutory will form you can complete yourself, and online services run from nothing to about $250. Here is what each path actually costs.

Attorney Flat Fees and Hourly Rates

Most Michigan estate planning attorneys charge a flat fee for a standard will rather than billing by the hour.² A standalone will usually falls in the $300 to $1,000 range.¹ Hamilton Law PLC, one Michigan firm that publishes its pricing, charges $600 for an individual will and $1,200 for a joint will for a married couple.³

When attorneys do bill hourly, Michigan rates generally run $200 to $450 per hour.¹ Hourly billing is more likely when the work involves unusual complications an attorney cannot price upfront.

Bundled Estate Planning Packages

Few people buy only a will. Attorneys usually recommend adding a financial power of attorney and a healthcare directive, and sometimes a trust. Purchased together, the package costs less than buying each document separately. Typical Michigan tiers:

Basic package with a will, power of attorney, and healthcare directive: $1,500 to $2,500.¹
Standard trust package with a living trust, pour-over will, and certificate of trust: $2,500 to $3,500.¹
Premium trust package with full powers of attorney and comprehensive planning: $3,500 to $5,000.¹
High-net-worth plans involving business succession or advanced tax strategies: $7,500 to $15,000 or more.¹

Hamilton Law PLC’s published rates show the bundling effect in practice. An individual will plan that includes powers of attorney, a funeral representative designation, and a deed costs $1,500, while a joint trust plan with the same supporting documents costs $4,500.³

What Pushes the Price Up or Down

Several factors move your quote within (or past) the standard ranges:

Estate complexity. Multiple properties, business interests, blended families, international assets, or a special-needs beneficiary all require more legal work.⁴
Scope of documents. A standalone will costs far less than a will packaged with a trust, powers of attorney, and deed transfers.
Geography. Attorneys in metro Detroit and other urban areas tend to charge more than those in rural parts of the state.⁴
Firm size. Solo practitioners and small firms often carry lower overhead than large firms and price accordingly.⁴
Attorney experience. Specialists in estate planning generally charge more than general-practice attorneys.

Free and Low-Cost Alternatives

Not every situation calls for a full attorney engagement. Michigan has several cheaper paths that are legally valid when done correctly.

Michigan Statutory Will

Michigan provides a free fill-in-the-blank statutory will, codified in MCL 700.2519.⁵ Michigan Legal Help runs a free online tool that asks you a series of questions and prints out the completed form, which becomes valid once signed before two adult witnesses.⁶

The statutory will has real limits. It cannot reduce estate taxes, has no effect on jointly held assets or accounts with named beneficiaries such as retirement plans and life insurance, and cannot be customized beyond the blanks provided. Adding or crossing out words can invalidate all or part of the document.⁵ It fits a simple estate with straightforward wishes. Blended families, business owners, and anyone with specific distribution goals are better served by an attorney-drafted will.

Online Will Services

National platforms produce state-specific wills for a fraction of attorney fees. Pricing available to Michigan residents includes:

LegalZoom: will packages from $99 (basic) to $249 (premium), and living trust packages from $399 to $549.⁷
Nolo’s Quicken WillMaker Plus: an $80 software package covering wills and related documents.⁸
Rocket Lawyer: estate planning documents through a $40 per month membership.⁸
FreeWill: a no-cost online will with free updates.⁸

The tradeoff is personalization. These services work from standardized templates and generally do not include individualized attorney advice unless you pay extra.⁷ They handle straightforward estates well but can miss nuances an attorney would catch, such as digital assets, non-will assets passing by beneficiary designation, or complex guardianship arrangements.

Handwritten (Holographic) Wills

Michigan recognizes holographic wills under MCL 700.2502. A handwritten will is valid if the material portions and the testator’s signature are in the testator’s own handwriting and the document is dated. No witnesses required.⁹ It costs nothing, but with no professional review, errors and ambiguities are common, and heirs can face challenges proving the document in probate.

Legal Aid and Pro Bono Help

Low-income residents, seniors, and veterans may qualify for free help preparing a will. Lakeshore Legal Aid provides free civil legal services, including document preparation, for eligible individuals at (888) 783-8190.¹⁰ The Elder Law and Advocacy Center in Redford offers legal assistance to adults age 60 and older for wills, trusts, and powers of attorney.¹¹ Michigan Legal Help maintains a network of court-based self-help centers across the state and an interactive tool to find resources by location and income.¹²

Filing and Later Updates

Once signed, you can file your will with the county probate court for safekeeping for $25.¹³

Life changes mean most wills need updates. For small adjustments like swapping an executor or tweaking a bequest, an attorney can draft a codicil, a formal amendment signed and witnessed under the same rules as the original will.¹⁴ Codicils generally run $100 to $400. When changes are extensive, or when existing codicils risk creating confusion, attorneys recommend drafting a new will and revoking the old one. A full rewrite starts at roughly $300 and rises with complexity.¹⁵ Estate planning professionals generally suggest reviewing your will every three to five years even without an obvious life event.

The Cost of Skipping It

Dying without a will in Michigan triggers intestate succession, meaning the probate court distributes your assets by statutory formula instead of your wishes. A surviving spouse does not automatically inherit everything. If the decedent had children who are not also the spouse’s children, the spouse receives the first $100,000 (adjusted for inflation) plus half the balance, with the rest going to the children.¹⁶ If no heirs can be identified, the estate reverts to the State of Michigan.¹⁷

Probate itself carries costs that come out of the estate before anyone inherits. Opening an estate requires a $150 court filing fee, plus an inventory fee tied to the estate’s total value that cannot be waived. Additional petitions and accountings cost $20 each, and certified copies run $10 plus $1 per page.¹⁸ The personal representative is entitled to reasonable compensation, typically $15 to $200 per hour depending on the work, paid from the estate.¹⁹ Add attorney fees for guiding the estate through probate, and the total can easily exceed what a properly drafted will would have cost in the first place.

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Michigan Legislature. MCL 700.2502
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Lakeshore Legal Aid. Lakeshore Legal Aid
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State of Michigan Attorney General. Michigan Military and Veterans Legal Services Guide
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Michigan Legal Help. Michigan Legal Help
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Michigan Legal Help. Making a Will in Michigan
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Collis and Griffor. How Do You Update a Michigan Will
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SmartAsset. How Much Does a Codicil Cost
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Michigan Legislature. MCL 700.2102
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Washtenaw County Probate Court. Intestate Succession
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Michigan Courts. Probate Filing Fees
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Thompson Law PLC. Probate Court Cost and Fees: Managing Estate Expenses