The Estate Planning Guide Est. 2026

How Much Does a Living Trust Cost in Utah?

By The Estate Planning Guide Editorial Team Researched against primary sources

Published June 11, 2026 8 min read

Quick answer

An attorney-drafted revocable living trust in Utah typically costs $1,500 to $3,500, while reputable online trust services run about $200 to $600. Utah is a Uniform Probate Code state with cheap, informal probate, so a trust operates here mainly for privacy, out-of-state property, or a larger estate — not because probate is expensive.

⚠️ 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 Utah 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 Utah

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

How it’s prepared Typical cost in Utah What’s typically included
Attorney-drafted $1,500 to $3,500 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 Utah 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 Utah typically runs $1,500 to $3,500. 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 Utah

  • 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 Utah by comparison

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

Probate in Utah is relatively painless. Fees are not set by statute — Utah Code §75-3-718 entitles the personal representative and attorney only to 'reasonable compensation' — and most estates qualify for informal probate with light court oversight.

On a typical $400,000 Utah estate, informal probate usually runs about $2,000 to $4,000 all-in — a flat attorney fee plus roughly $375 in court filing costs and publication — far less than the five figures a comparable estate can cost in a statutory-fee state.

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

How Utah probate cost compares to trust cost

Utah probate is inexpensive, and the state provides a TOD deed alongside joint ownership and beneficiary designations, so the principal assets can pass outside probate for less than a trust costs.

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 Utah.

Utah-specific things to know

Utah is a common-law (separate property) state, not community property, so married couples don't get the community-property double step-up in basis. Utah has adopted the Uniform Trust Code (Utah Uniform Trust Code, Utah Code Title 75, Chapter 7; recodified in 2025), which gives trusts a well-developed statutory framework.

Funding is everything. A trust only avoids probate for assets you actually retitle into it — recording a new deed for Utah real estate with the county recorder and changing the owner on bank and brokerage accounts. Utah charges no real-estate transfer tax, so re-deeding a home into your trust is inexpensive. 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 Utah

Utah has an active flat-fee and online trust market; a reputable flat-fee attorney ($1,500–$2,500) or online service ($200–$600) handles a simple house-plus-accounts estate. Pay full custom rates for blended families, special-needs beneficiaries, a business, or out-of-state real estate.

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 Utah

In Utah the operative factors are out-of-state real property, privacy, blended families, and estate complexity. 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 Utah
Attorney-drafted living trust $1,500 – $3,500
Online trust services $200 – $600
Governing statutes Utah Code §75-3-718 (reasonable probate compensation); Utah Uniform Trust Code, Utah Code Title 75, Chapter 7; Utah Code §75-3-1201 (small-estate affidavit, $100,000); Utah Code §75-6-401 et seq. (transfer-on-death deed)
State authority Utah State Courts Self-Help Center (utcourts.gov)

A trust holds outside probate only the assets actually retitled into it; an unfunded trust leaves those assets in probate. The Utah 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 Utah with living trust pricing in other states:

This page explains living trust costs and the probate they avoid in Utah 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 Utah attorney. Cost figures are drawn from published 2026 attorney and online-service pricing and should be re-verified with live quotes. Sources: Utah State Courts Self-Help Center (utcourts.gov); Utah Code §75-3-718 (reasonable probate compensation), Utah Uniform Trust Code, Utah Code Title 75, Chapter 7, Utah Code §75-3-1201 (small-estate affidavit, $100,000), Utah Code §75-6-401 et seq. (transfer-on-death deed).

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