The Estate Planning Guide Est. 2026

How Much Does a Will Cost in Pennsylvania?

Published June 11, 2026 5 min read

Quick answer

A simple will in Pennsylvania typically costs $300 to $900 with an attorney, and $0 to $150 online. Pennsylvania is unusual — it doesn't require witnesses for a will to be valid at signing — but two witnesses still have to prove it at probate unless it's self-proved. And remember a will directs your estate through probate; it doesn't avoid it, and it doesn't dodge Pennsylvania inheritance tax either.

Educational guide — not legal advice. Costs and laws change; confirm current rules with a licensed Pennsylvania attorney before relying on them.

What a will costs in Pennsylvania

How you make it Typical cost in Pennsylvania Best for
Attorney-drafted $300 to $900 Most people; anything with children, property, or blended families
Online will service $0 to $150 Simple estates, clear beneficiaries
Pure DIY / handwritten $0 Rarely the best idea — easy to get wrong

Illustrative Pennsylvania pricing as of 2026 — re-verify with current quotes. Attorney quotes are often for a small package (the will plus financial and healthcare powers of attorney), not the will alone.

A simple will in Pennsylvania is genuinely inexpensive — $300 to $900 with an attorney, and as little as $0 online. The price is low for a reason: a will is a relatively simple document. The cost climbs only when your situation is complicated — minor children and a guardianship decision, a blended family, a business, or potential estate tax.

What makes a will valid in Pennsylvania

A Pennsylvania will must be signed by you; witnesses aren't required to validate it, but two are needed to prove it at probate (20 Pa.C.S. §2502, §3132).

The witnesses should be disinterested — that is, not people who inherit under the will — so no one can later argue they had a reason to lie about the signing. Get that one detail wrong and the gift to an interested witness (or the whole will) can be challenged.

Can you write your own will by hand in Pennsylvania?

Pennsylvania does not require witnesses for a will to be valid at signing — even a handwritten, signed will can be valid (20 Pa.C.S. §2502). The catch: two witnesses must then prove the will at probate unless you added a self-proving affidavit.

Even where a handwritten will is legal, it’s the riskiest way to do it: no witnesses means no one to confirm it was really you and that you weren’t pressured, and ambiguous handwriting is a gift to anyone who wants to contest it. A typed, witnessed, self-proved will costs very little and avoids all of that.

The self-proving affidavit (a small step that saves a big headache)

Because Pennsylvania needs witnesses at probate even though not at signing, a self-proving affidavit (20 Pa.C.S. §3132.1) is especially valuable here — it lets the will be admitted without finding witnesses years later.

Without it, your witnesses may have to be tracked down years later to confirm they watched you sign — which can be impossible if they’ve moved, lost touch, or died. It’s one of the cheapest, highest-value things you can add to a will.

The catch: a will doesn’t avoid probate in Pennsylvania

This is the part the price tag hides. A will is cheap because of what it doesn’t do: it does not avoid probate. A will simply tells the Pennsylvania probate court who should get what and who should run the estate. Everything it covers still goes through probate — the public, months-long, fee-charging court process.

So the real cost of “just a will” isn’t the $0–$1,000 you pay now; it’s the probate your family pays later. To see that number for Pennsylvania, read How Much Does Probate Cost in Pennsylvania?.

Do you need more than a will in Pennsylvania?

For a lot of people, a will is genuinely enough — especially renters, younger families, and anyone whose main assets (retirement accounts, life insurance) already pass by beneficiary designation outside probate.

You may want more than a will if you own a home and want to spare your family probate, value privacy, own property in more than one state, or want a plan for incapacity. That’s where a living trust comes in — it costs more up front but can avoid probate entirely. Compare the two honestly:

How to keep the cost down in Pennsylvania

  • Use a quality online service for a truly simple estate. Several are free; paid ones run $0–$150. Make sure it’s Pennsylvania-specific and includes a self-proving affidavit.
  • Bundle the basics. A will, a financial power of attorney, and a healthcare directive are cheaper together than separately — and the POA and directive matter while you’re alive, which a will never does.
  • Pay for an attorney when it’s not simple. Minor children, a blended family, a business, a special-needs beneficiary, or estate-tax exposure are all worth a real attorney’s time. A cheap will that’s invalid or unclear is the most expensive kind.

The honest takeaway

A will in Pennsylvania costs $300 to $900 with an attorney, or nearly nothing online — and for many people that’s all they need. Just go in clear-eyed about what you’re buying: a will directs your estate through probate; it doesn’t avoid it. If avoiding probate matters to you, price a living trust against what Pennsylvania probate would actually cost your family, and decide from there.

Whatever you choose, sign it correctly with two disinterested witnesses, add the self-proving affidavit where Pennsylvania allows it, and tell your executor where to find it.

Will costs in other states

Compare Pennsylvania with what a will costs in other states:

This page explains will costs and validity rules in Pennsylvania in general terms as of 2026. It is not legal advice; statutes and figures change and depend on your situation. Confirm current rules with a licensed Pennsylvania attorney. Cost figures reflect published 2026 attorney and online-service pricing and should be re-verified with live quotes. Sources: Pennsylvania Courts (pacourts.us); 20 Pa.C.S. §2502 (execution), 20 Pa.C.S. §3132.1 (self-proving).

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