How Much Does a Living Trust Cost in Georgia? (2026)

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A living trust in Georgia costs $2,500 – $3,500 attorney-drafted, $4,500 – $6,500 for a couple’s full plan, or $100–$600 online. The reason that matters here: Georgia sets the personal representative’s commission in probate by statute (OCGA § 53-6-60(b)), so what you avoid by having a trust is a fixed, non-negotiable number — not an estimate.

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Georgia Living Trust Cost (2026)

Typical flat fees reported by Georgia attorneys and legal directories, reviewed quarterly. A guide, not a quote.

What Georgia Probate Costs by Statute

Georgia’s 2.5% applies twice — once on everything the personal representative receives, again on everything paid out — so a full pass through the estate costs about 5%. The statute adds 10% of interest earned, up to 3% for property delivered in kind, and up to 10% of annual income for working land.

Computed from OCGA § 53-6-60(b). Court filing fees, bond, publication, and appraisal costs are additional. Full detail: our Georgia estate planning guide.

What each price point buys in Georgia

• $100–$600 (online): A valid Georgia trust document, pour-over will, and directives. You do the funding — every Georgia deed transfer, every account retitling.
• $2,500 – $3,500 (attorney, individual): Custom drafting, review of how your assets are titled, and usually one deed included. Confirm that last part before you sign.
• $4,500 – $6,500 (attorney, couple): Adds marital property planning.

Trust vs. probate in Georgia

Online or Georgia Attorney?

The dividing line is funding, not drafting. Online documents are valid in Georgia; what they don’t do is retitle your assets. See funding your trust.

Other Georgia rules that affect the plan

• Who can petition: The surviving spouse or minor children (under 18)
• Filing deadline: Within 2 years of the decedent’s death
• Amount: There is no fixed amount — the award must reflect what is “necessary for the support and maintenance of the family in accordance with their standard of living”
• Can override a will: The surviving spouse can petition regardless of what the will says
• Privacy: — trust assets don’t become part of public court records
• Incapacity protection: — successor trustee steps in without needing court-appointed guardianship
• No DAPTs in Georgia: — HB 441 (self-settled asset protection trusts) was vetoed by Governor Deal in 2018
• Dynasty trusts: Up to 360 years (extended from 90 years by HB 121, 2018)
• Medicaid planning: — can protect assets if established 5+ years before applying
• Directed trusts: (O.C.G.A. 53-12-500 et seq.) — split trustee duties among multiple parties
• Decanting: — move assets from an old trust to a new one with better terms
• Two tracks: Solemn form (notice to all heirs, binding) vs. common form (no notice, faster but can be challenged for 4 years)

Recent Georgia Changes Worth Knowing

• 2025 — HB 111 (Income Tax Reduction): Retroactively reduced Georgia’s flat income tax rate to 5.19% for tax year 2025 (from the previously scheduled 5.29%). Applies to trusts and estates. Rate is heading toward 4.99% with annual 0.10% reductions.
• 2025 — HB 112: One-time tax credit/rebate for taxpayers who filed both 2023 and 2024 returns.
• 2024 — Flat Income Tax: Georgia converted from graduated rates (top of 5.75%) to a 5.39% flat tax for tax year 2024.
• 2018 — HB 441 (DAPT — Vetoed): Would have permitted self-settled asset protection trusts in Georgia. Governor Deal vetoed the bill. No subsequent DAPT legislation has been enacted.

Living trust costs in nearby states

Attorney pricing and probate rules shift at the state line — compare Georgia with Florida, South Carolina, Tennessee, Alabama.

When to Hire A Georgia Attorney

Online stops being the right answer when the estate has moving parts: property in more than one state, a blended family, a business, or anyone you intend to exclude.

1. Get two or three flat-fee quotes. Identical work varies by $1,000+ inside one metro.
2. Ask what’s included. Deed transfers run $150–$400 each and are often quoted separately.
3. Don’t buy complexity you don’t have.

Three ways to pay less in Georgia

1. Understand what the statute fixes and what it doesn’t. OCGA section 53-6-60(b) sets the personal representative figure in probate, but a trust sidesteps that schedule entirely — and trust drafting itself is never statutory, so those quotes are always negotiable.
2. Count the deeds before comparing prices. At $150–$400 apiece, with properties in multiple counties each needing their own recorded transfer, a quote including one deed can beat a cheaper quote including none.
3. Match the product to the situation. A home and retirement accounts in Georgia only is the exact case the online route handles well.

Official sources: dor.georgia.gov

FAQ

How much does a living trust cost in Georgia?

$2,500 – $3,500 attorney-drafted, $4,500 – $6,500 for a couple’s full estate plan, or $100 to $600 through an online service. Add $150 to $400 per property for the deed transfers that fund it.

How are probate fees set in Georgia?

By statute. Under OCGA § 53-6-60(b), the personal representative is compensated on a fixed schedule — about $25,000 on a $500,000 estate. That figure is the cost of not planning.

Can I make my own living trust in Georgia?

Yes — online services produce valid Georgia documents. The risk is funding: a trust that doesn’t hold title to your home doesn’t avoid probate for it.

How long does probate take in Georgia?

6–12 months A funded trust typically distributes in weeks to a few months instead, and without the public court file.

More: Living trust costs nationwide · Georgia estate planning guide · Funding your trust

Last updated: August 2026. Educational information, not legal advice or a quote.