A straightforward will in South Carolina usually costs between $300 and $1,000 when drafted by an attorney, or roughly $50 to $150 through an online service. So how much does a will cost in SC in practice? It depends on which route you take and how complicated your estate is. Trusts, blended families, business interests, and out-of-state property all push the attorney price up, and there are a few small finish-line costs on top, including notary fees the state caps at $5 per signature.
Attorney Fees for a Simple Will
Most South Carolina attorneys quote a flat fee for a simple will. That fee generally lands between $300 and $1,000 and covers the initial consultation, the drafting, and at least one round of revisions to make the document match your intentions.
Some attorneys bill hourly instead, especially when the estate has wrinkles that make total time hard to predict. Hourly rates for South Carolina estate planning attorneys run roughly $200 to $500, depending on experience and location. A simple will billed hourly might take two to four hours of attorney time. Complicated situations can take much longer.
Many firms bundle a will with a durable power of attorney and a healthcare directive. A package usually costs more than a will alone but less than paying for each document separately. Ask whether a bundle makes sense for you, because those companion documents cover situations a will doesn’t, like who handles your finances if you become incapacitated.
Online Services and DIY Kits
Online will platforms are the cheapest route. They walk you through questions about your family, assets, and wishes, then generate a will based on your answers. Prices run from about $50 to $150 for a one-time purchase. Some platforms sell subscriptions that include updates.
Physical DIY kits with fill-in-the-blank templates generally cost under $100. Both approaches produce a document, but neither gives you legal advice. A template won’t flag a problem with your plan or suggest something you haven’t thought about. For a simple estate and no dependents, that trade-off may be fine. If you have children, a blended family, or significant assets, this is where costly mistakes tend to happen.
One boundary worth knowing before you go the DIY route: South Carolina does not recognize holographic wills. Some states accept a handwritten will with no witnesses; South Carolina requires every will to be in writing and signed before at least two witnesses, no matter how it was drafted. Saving on the drafting doesn’t excuse you from the execution formalities.
What Makes the Price Go Up
The gap between a $300 will and one that runs well over $1,000 almost always comes down to complexity. The most common factors that push attorney fees higher:
- Testamentary trusts. A trust created inside your will that takes effect at your death, commonly used to manage assets for minor children or beneficiaries with special needs. Drafting the provisions calls for careful planning around distributions, trustee powers, and age-based triggers.
- Blended families. When you have children from a previous relationship and a current spouse, balancing everyone’s interests takes more drafting time. Getting it wrong is one of the fastest ways to produce a contested will.
- Business ownership. Your will has to address who takes over, whether the business should be sold, and how its value factors into the overall distribution. That overlaps with corporate or partnership law.
- Out-of-state property. Real estate in another state may need to go through probate there as well as in South Carolina, and you may need a separate attorney in the other state.
- Federal estate tax planning. For 2026, the federal estate tax exemption is $15,000,000 per individual. If your estate could approach or exceed that, your attorney will build tax-minimization strategies into the plan, which raises fees substantially. South Carolina itself has no separate state estate or inheritance tax, so federal planning is the only tax concern.
Even attorneys who quote flat fees adjust the number based on how many of these apply. An honest attorney will tell you at the initial consultation whether a flat fee or hourly arrangement makes more sense.
The Small Costs at the Finish Line
Drafting is only half the job. South Carolina has specific execution requirements, and a will that doesn’t meet them is worthless no matter what you paid.
Witnesses
Every South Carolina will must be in writing and signed by you, or by someone else at your direction and in your presence. At least two witnesses must also sign, and each must either have watched you sign or heard you acknowledge your signature. Use witnesses who don’t stand to inherit anything under the will. A witness who is also a beneficiary can lose the gift you left them.
The Self-Proving Affidavit and Notary Fees
South Carolina lets you attach a self-proving affidavit to your will, and you should. It’s a sworn statement, signed by you and at least one witness before a notary, confirming that everyone understood what they were signing. Without it, the probate court may need to track down your witnesses after your death to verify the will, which adds delay and expense. With it, the court can accept the will without that extra step.
State law caps notary fees at $5 per signature for any notarial act, so expect $10 to $15 total for the notary’s involvement in making your will self-proving. Many attorneys include the notary service in their flat fee. Ask before assuming it’s extra.
What It Costs to Update Later
A will isn’t a one-time expense if your life changes after you sign it. Marriage, divorce, new children, significant asset changes, or a falling-out with a named beneficiary are all reasons to revisit the document.
South Carolina gives you two ways to revoke a will: execute a new one that replaces it, or physically destroy the original with the intent to revoke it. If your new will completely disposes of your estate, the law presumes it replaces the old one entirely. If it only addresses part of your estate, both wills may operate together to the extent they don’t conflict.
A codicil is a formal amendment to an existing will and must be executed with the same formalities: witnesses, and ideally a self-proving affidavit. For small changes, a codicil can be cheaper than a fresh will, running roughly $100 to $300 for a simple one. For anything substantial, most attorneys recommend starting over rather than layering amendments onto the original. A replacement will costs the same as drafting a will from scratch.