LegalZoom Estate Planning Review and Plans
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March 27, 2025
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As we age, making financial plans for the future is necessary, not only for your retirement but also for your estate. With an estate plan in place, you can ensure that all of your property goes to a spouse, child, or other loved ones.
That said, hiring an attorney to create an estate plan can be costly, often costing hundreds of dollars per hour. This is where a service like LegalZoom comes in handy.
Entirely online, LegalZoom allows you to create wills, living trusts, and power of attorney documents for as low as $99 each. If you’re looking to save time and money, LegalZoom is definitely worth a look.
Pro Tip: Estate planning is about more than just designating an heir. To learn the ins and outs of this process, read my comprehensive guide to estate planning.
LegalZoom Pros and Cons
Pros
- Affordability: Estate planning attorneys are costly, with hourly rates often in the hundreds of dollars. LegalZoom offers an economical alternative, providing users with the ability to create living wills and power of attorney documents for less than $100.
- Satisfaction guarantee: LegalZoom offers a 60-day money-back guarantee if the company makes a mistake, provided the order hasn’t been completed. Once the estate plan is completed, you have up to seven days to request a refund.
- Access to licensed attorneys: Although its services are based completely online, LegalZoom provides consultations with practicing attorneys specializing in the area of expertise of the service you purchase. But note that this feature is only available with the Premium package.
Cons
- Not ideal for complicated estates: For the average person, LegalZoom’s estate planning documents will likely be sufficient. Those with large and complex holdings will likely fare better with a traditional attorney.
Did You Know: 56 percent of estate plans from FreeWill, a competitor of LegalZoom, were written by women? In addition, 85 percent of users had children, a spouse, or both.
What Is LegalZoom Estate Planning?
Estate planning is an essential service in which you decide what happens to your assets after you pass. However, according to a Gallup poll, less than half of Americans (46 percent) have made a will. Fortunately, a survey from Trust & Will shows that baby boomers have the highest levels of familiarity with wills, at 58 percent. Gen X is at 53 percent, and 52 percent of millennials are familiar with the process. Moreover, baby boomers made up a plurality of the company’s members in 2023, at 37 percent.
But what happens if you’ve procrastinated on your estate plan and are not sure where to start?
LegalZoom is an online service that allows customers to purchase and complete legally binding wills, trusts, and power of attorney documents. Traditionally, to create these documents, a person had to hire a lawyer who specializes in estate planning; however, LegalZoom streamlines this process by providing users with premade templates that help them to create these documents from their computers. While based online, LegalZoom also provides users with access to licensed attorneys who can help guide them through the process.
The benefits of this model are lower costs and convenience. In our experience, you can create an estate plan in a matter of hours and for under $100.
Did You Know: In addition to estate plans, LegalZoom also handles divorces, residential property leases, and property deed transfers, which could be helpful if you’re moving into a 55 and older community.
Services
LegalZoom offers five documents related to estate planning:
- Last will and testament: A last will and testament protects one’s assets after death, specifying the distribution details of one’s estate, designating guardians for children or dependents, and including specific requests on the distribution of assets. For example, a last will and testament can specify that the entirety of your assets will be passed on to your spouse.
- Living trust: A living trust means your loved ones can receive your money faster because they can avoid probate court, which can take several months or longer and will cost them additional lawyer fees.
- Health care directive: While a last will and testament pertains primarily to one’s property, a living will conveys one’s wishes regarding medical care in the event of incapacity. This document stipulates your preferences about the continuation, or cessation, of life-sustaining treatments if you ever become incapacitated or are unable to communicate normally. For example, you may want to live in a nursing home or assisted living facility in the event of a stroke that renders you speechless. Or you can specify that you want to age in place, either with a family caregiver or a home care service.
- Financial power of attorney: A financial power of attorney is an integral component of your estate plan, permitting you to designate an individual you trust to manage your financial affairs in the event of incapacitation, death, or absence. This delegation of authority allows for the continuance of business operations even in your absence.
- HIPAA authorizations: This form lets you decide who will have access to your medical information and be able to communicate with health care professionals about your care.
LegalZoom Estate Planning Costs
LegalZoom offers two plans for estate planning, both of which include the above five documents. But although the Basic Plan does not offer any attorney review, advice, or communication, the Premium plan includes an attorney review of the documents, unlimited 30-minute calls to an attorney for one year, plus attorney advice for the family. Plus, while the Basic plan only allows free revisions for 30 days, that period goes up to a year with the Premium plan. The Basic plan costs $99 for an individual or $199 for a couple, while Premium costs $249 for an individual and $349 for a couple.
Pro Tip: LegalZoom does not offer an AARP discount, but you can save 20 percent on an estate plan from Trust & Will by using your AARP membership.
Bottom Line
LegalZoom offers affordable options for estate planning as low as $99 for a full-fledged estate plan. In addition to affordability, the process is also incredibly quick, allowing you to create these documents within hours. It’s excellent for individuals who want a quick and easy solution to get their affairs in order without having to meet with lawyers, and also best for people who have the mental capacity to understand what they’re doing.
To learn more about legal concerns of aging, read our helpful guides:
LegalZoom Frequently Asked Questions
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Is LegalZoom good for estate planning?
LegalZoom is good for estate planning, but it may not be ideal for someone with a complicated estate. If you have many holdings beyond a typical home and financial accounts, it’s probably wise for you to hire a traditional attorney instead.
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How much does LegalZoom charge for a will?
For an individual, LegalZoom charges $99 for a basic will, but if you want an attorney to review your documents and provide advice, the cost goes up to $249. For a couple, a basic will costs $199, and a premium will costs $349.
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Do LegalZoom wills hold up in court?
LegalZoom’s wills might not hold up in court. According to the Texas-based law offices of Bryan Fagan, which handle estate planning, the wills could hold up as long as they follow state laws. If the will was created without personalized legal advice, it might lead to disputes in court in certain scenarios. That said, LegalZoom’s premium package includes attorney review and advice, making it more likely that a LegalZoom will stands up in court.