The Estate Planning Guide Est. 2026

How Much Does a Living Trust Cost in Montana?

By The Estate Planning Guide Editorial Team Researched against primary sources

Published June 11, 2026 8 min read

Quick answer

An attorney-drafted living trust in Montana typically costs $1,200 to $3,000, while reputable online trust services run about $200 to $600. Because Montana follows the Uniform Probate Code and has no state estate or inheritance tax, probate here is already cheap and simple — a routine estate runs about $2,500 to $5,000 in attorney fees — so a trust is more about privacy and out-of-state property than saving big fees.

⚠️ Educational information only — not legal, tax, or financial advice.

The figures on this page are general estimates. Laws, fees, thresholds, and prices differ by state and change often, and your own situation may change the result. Before you act, confirm the current numbers and rules for Montana with a licensed professional — an attorney, tax advisor, or licensed agent as appropriate. Reading this page does not create a professional relationship.

What a living trust actually costs in Montana

There are three ways to set up a revocable living trust in Montana, and they cost very different amounts:

How it’s prepared Typical cost in Montana What’s typically included
Attorney-drafted $1,200 to $3,000 Trust, pour-over will, powers of attorney, deed preparation and funding assistance
Online service $200 to $600 Trust document and standard supporting forms; deed preparation usually excluded
DIY template $0 to ~$100 Document only; drafting and funding are the purchaser’s responsibility

Illustrative Montana pricing as of 2026 — re-verify with current quotes. Most attorney quotes are for a full package (the trust, a pour-over will, financial and healthcare powers of attorney, and help retitling assets), not the trust document alone.

An attorney-drafted living trust in Montana typically runs $1,200 to $3,000. Online trust services advertise $200 to $600, and do-it-yourself templates are nearly free. A trust holds assets outside probate only to the extent those assets are retitled into it, and deed preparation — the step that retitles real estate — is excluded from most online and DIY pricing.

What drives the price within Montana

  • Single person vs. married couple. A joint trust for a couple costs more than a single-person trust, but usually less than two separate trusts.
  • Real estate and funding. Every property that goes into the trust needs a new deed drafted and recorded. More properties — or property in more than one state — means more work and a higher fee.
  • Complexity. A blended family, a special-needs beneficiary, a business interest, or potential estate-tax exposure all push you toward the upper end (or above it).
  • Package vs. document. The headline price usually includes the supporting documents and funding help. A bare trust document is cheaper but leaves the hardest part — funding — to you.

What probate costs in Montana by comparison

A funded living trust holds assets outside probate. The figure it is measured against is therefore the cost of Montana probate itself.

Montana probate is relatively painless: informal probate under the Uniform Probate Code, reasonable (not percentage) attorney fees, and a $100,000 small-estate affidavit under MCA §72-3-1101 that clears many estates entirely.

A routine uncontested Montana estate typically costs $2,500 to $5,000 in attorney fees plus a $90–$120 court filing fee — modest next to statutory-percentage states.

For the full breakdown, see How Much Does Probate Cost in Montana?.

How Montana probate cost compares to trust cost

Montana probate is inexpensive and procedurally simple, and the state provides a TOD deed for real estate — so the fee differential is narrow. A trust's documented effects here are ancillary-probate avoidance, privacy, and incapacity management.

A living trust operates on two things: assets retitled into it pass outside probate, and the trust document governs management if the grantor becomes incapacitated. Those are the documented functions; the figures above are what each costs in Montana.

Montana-specific things to know

Montana has adopted the Uniform Trust Code (MCA §72-38-101 et seq.), so its trust law is modern and predictable. Montana is not a community-property state, and it levies no state estate or inheritance tax.

Funding is everything. A trust only avoids probate for assets you actually retitle into it — recording a trust-transfer deed for Montana real estate and changing the owner on bank and brokerage accounts. Unfunded trusts are the most common (and expensive) mistake. An unfunded trust — one you signed but never moved your assets into — does nothing; those assets still go through probate. This is the most common and most expensive living-trust mistake in every state.

What affects the price in Montana

Because Montana probate is inexpensive, a flat-fee attorney ($1,200–$2,500) or a reputable online service ($200–$600) is fine for a simple home-plus-accounts estate. Pay full rates for blended families, a business, special-needs beneficiaries, or out-of-state property.

The documented price drivers:

  • Preparation route. Online and flat-fee services occupy the lower end of the range; attorney drafting the upper end. Estate complexity is the factor attorneys cite for the difference.
  • Fee structure. Estate-planning attorneys commonly quote a flat package price rather than hourly. What the package includes varies — deed preparation and funding are the items most often excluded.
  • Bundling. The trust, pour-over will, and powers of attorney are commonly quoted together at less than the sum of their separate prices.
  • Deed work. Retitling real estate into the trust requires a recorded deed. An incorrectly prepared deed can affect a homestead exemption or trigger a property-tax reassessment, depending on state law.

What determines whether a trust applies in Montana

In Montana the operative factors are out-of-state real property, privacy, and incapacity planning. In-state homes can pass by TOD deed.

The circumstances in which a living trust has a documented effect:

  • Real estate, particularly in more than one state — property in another state otherwise requires a separate ancillary probate there.
  • Privacy — a probated will becomes a public court record; a trust does not.
  • Incapacity — a trust governs management during life; a will takes effect only at death.
  • Staged distributions — a trust can direct payment over time; a will distributes at closing.

Where an estate consists of assets that already pass by beneficiary designation or joint ownership, those assets bypass probate without a trust. For the documented differences between the two instruments, see Will vs. Trust: How They Differ.

What the record shows

Item Montana
Attorney-drafted living trust $1,200 – $3,000
Online trust services $200 – $600
Governing statutes MCA Title 72, ch. 3 (Uniform Probate Code); MCA §72-38-101 et seq. (Montana Uniform Trust Code); MCA §72-3-1101 (small-estate affidavit)
State authority Montana Judicial Branch Self-Help Law Program (courts.mt.gov)

A trust holds outside probate only the assets actually retitled into it; an unfunded trust leaves those assets in probate. The Montana probate figures this is measured against are set out above with their citations. Figures reflect published 2026 pricing and should be re-verified against live quotes.

Living trust costs in other states

Compare Montana with living trust pricing in other states:

This page explains living trust costs and the probate they avoid in Montana in general terms as of 2026. It is not legal or financial advice; prices, statutes, and thresholds change and depend on your situation. Confirm current figures and rules with a licensed Montana attorney. Cost figures are drawn from published 2026 attorney and online-service pricing and should be re-verified with live quotes. Sources: Montana Judicial Branch Self-Help Law Program (courts.mt.gov); MCA Title 72, ch. 3 (Uniform Probate Code), MCA §72-38-101 et seq. (Montana Uniform Trust Code), MCA §72-3-1101 (small-estate affidavit).

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