How Much Does a Will Cost in Florida? What Drives the Price
The honest answer to the question everyone asks first: what a will from a Florida lawyer includes, what changes the price, and where the real cost of a cheap will shows up.
Quick answer: In Florida a will from a lawyer is usually sold as part of a flat-fee plan that also includes a durable power of attorney, a health care surrogate, a living will, and the supervised signing with two witnesses and a notary. The price moves with your family situation and what you own, which is why it is quoted rather than listed. At Scheer Legal the quote is a flat fee in writing after a free consultation. The expensive will is the one that was signed wrong or that leaves everything to probate, where Florida's presumed attorney fee under section 733.6171 runs to 3 percent of the estate between $100,000 and $1 million.
People type this question into Google and into ChatGPT every day, and the answers they get back are mostly ranges copied from other websites. Here is a more useful answer: what you are actually paying for, what makes the price go up or down, and why the cheapest will is often the most expensive one your family will ever own.
What you are paying for
A will from a Florida lawyer is rarely sold by itself. The document that says who gets what is only one piece of what you need, and the rest costs almost nothing extra to do at the same time. At Scheer Legal a will-based estate plan is quoted as one flat fee, in writing, after a free consultation, and it includes the will, a durable power of attorney under section 709.2105, Florida Statutes, a health care surrogate designation under section 765.202, a living will under section 765.302, a preneed guardian declaration for minor children under section 744.3046 when it applies, the signing itself with two witnesses and a notary, and revisions within that scope. The quote lists every document and service, so you know what is included before any drafting starts. See how we charge.
What moves the price
Three things, mostly. The first is your family: a married couple with grown children and no prior marriages is a simpler plan than a second marriage with children on both sides, where Florida's elective share and homestead rules shape what a will can and cannot do. The second is what you own: a business interest, rental property, property in another state or another country, or a retirement account with a large balance each adds decisions that have to be made and written down. The third is who you are protecting: a minor child, a child with special needs, or an heir who should not receive money outright usually calls for a trust rather than a bare will, and that is a different quote. None of these is a reason to put it off. They are the reason a quote is tied to your situation rather than pulled from a price list.
What a cheap will costs later
This is the part the price comparisons leave out. A will is only as good as its execution. Under section 732.502, Florida Statutes, it must be in writing, signed at the end by you, in the presence of two witnesses who sign in your presence and in the presence of each other. A will signed at a kitchen table with one witness, or with witnesses who signed later, is not a Florida will, and the estate passes as if there were none. Under section 732.503, a will can be made self-proved with a notarized affidavit at signing; without it, the probate court needs testimony from the witnesses, who may have moved or died by the time anyone goes looking for them.
Then there is probate itself, which a will does not avoid. A will tells the court what to do; it does not keep your family out of court. Under section 733.6171, the attorney's fee that Florida presumes reasonable for ordinary services in a formal administration runs on a schedule: $1,500 for the first $40,000, $750 for each of the next two $30,000 slices, then 3 percent of the portion between $100,000 and $1 million. On a $400,000 probate estate that is $12,000 for the lawyer before the personal representative's commission and court costs, and the fee is negotiable but that is the number the statute starts from. Whether a trust-based plan makes more sense for you is a question of arithmetic, and we walk through it in how much a living trust costs in Florida and in how much probate costs.
What is not in the fee
Third-party costs are passed through at cost and are not part of the flat fee: county recording fees if a deed is part of the plan, certified copies, and similar out-of-pocket items. If your matter grows beyond the scope in the engagement agreement, we tell you before doing the extra work and quote it in writing.
How to get an actual number
Book a free estate planning consultation, by phone, video, or at the Plantation office, in English or Spanish. It is a short conversation about your family, your assets, and what you want to happen. You leave it with a written flat-fee quote that lists the documents included, and nothing is drafted until you say yes. If a will is not the right tool for you, we will say so and quote the right one instead. Schedule a consultation, or read more about estate planning at Scheer Legal.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I just use an online will form in Florida?
You can, and some are fine for a single person with simple assets. The risk is not the form, it is the signing: Florida requires two witnesses who sign in your presence and in each other's presence under section 732.502, and most do-it-yourself wills that fail in probate fail there. The second risk is that the form answers questions you did not know to ask, like what happens to your homestead or a minor child's share.
Does a will avoid probate in Florida?
No. A will directs probate; it does not avoid it. Anything titled in your name alone with no beneficiary designation goes through the court to get where the will sends it. A funded revocable trust, beneficiary designations, and joint ownership are what keep assets out of probate.
Why don't you publish a price?
Because the quote depends on your family and your assets, and a single number would be wrong for most people in one direction or the other. The consultation is free, and the quote is a flat fee in writing before any work starts.
Is the consultation really free?
For estate planning, yes. It is a short conversation to understand what you need and to tell you honestly whether we are the right fit.
Want a real number?
The estate planning consultation is free, and the quote is a flat fee in writing, in English or Spanish.
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