Clear Money Guide
What this guide covers
A quick view of the questions and evidence developed below.
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Updated August 1, 2026. Quick answer: a standalone power of attorney drafted by an attorney runs a median of $300, with the middle half of firms charging $250 to $400 (LegalTemplates 2026 study of 909 firms, verified July 23, 2026). But almost nobody should buy one standalone: the DIY platforms bundle a financial and medical power of attorney into a will package for less than the attorney charges for the POA alone. Trust & Will’s Will Plan is $199 individual / $299 couple and includes a will, HIPAA authorisation, living will and power of attorney (published price, re-verified August 1, 2026).
What each route actually costs
| Route | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Attorney, POA only | Median $300 (middle 50%: $250–$400) | One document, drafted for your situation, executed correctly |
| Trust & Will — Will Plan | $199 / $299 couple | Will, HIPAA authorisation, living will and power of attorney |
| LegalZoom — Pro Will | $149 / $249 couple | Adds healthcare directive, medical and financial POAs, HIPAA auth |
| Quicken WillMaker Plus | $149 | Software: adds living trust, durable POA and a transfer-on-death deed |
| Attorney, full package | Median $1,000 (middle 50%: $750–$1,500) | Will + POA + directive, drafted and executed together |
Platform prices are published list prices; attorney figures are the LegalTemplates 2026 nationwide study of 909 firms. All verified July 23, 2026, with Trust & Will re-checked August 1, 2026; the study’s will-package row — median $1,000, middle 50% $750–$1,500, 319 firms — was read at the source on August 12, 2026.
If you are ready to sign one
A financial power of attorney is one of the two documents that does its work while you are alive, and the gap between a form and an attorney is narrower here than anywhere else on this page. LawDepot builds a state-specific power of attorney, executed under your own state’s witnessing and notary rules.
LawDepot pays us a commission if you buy through this link — it costs you nothing extra. We are not a law firm and this is not legal advice. Affiliate Disclosure.
The number that should actually decide this
A power of attorney is cheap to create and expensive to lack. The failure mode is not overpaying by $150 — it is not having one when someone becomes incapacitated, at which point the alternative is a guardianship or conservatorship proceeding: a court process costing thousands and taking months, with a judge rather than your family choosing who manages the money. What drives that bill is read state by state, and the filing fee — the only number most pages quote — is usually the smallest part of it.
Two practical notes that cost nothing. Durable is the default you want — a non-durable POA ends exactly when incapacity begins, which is when you needed it. And a springing power of attorney needs somebody to certify the incapacity first, which is where these documents most often fail in practice.
Execution costs are small but not zero
Most states require notarisation, and many require two witnesses as well. A notary runs a few dollars to about $15 depending on the state, banks often notarise free for customers, and platform packages do not include notarisation — you arrange that yourself. Budget an hour, not a line item.
Where this fits
If you are pricing the whole set rather than one document, the bundle is almost always cheaper than the parts: what a full package costs. The document most people buy alongside it is a will, and the health-care half is the advance directive, which is frequently free. If you are weighing platform against attorney, the honest decision rule.
And once it is signed: what to do when a bank refuses to accept it — in most states that refusal carries a court order and their liability for your legal fees.
Getting the money side right
A power of attorney decides who manages the money if you cannot. If the assets it would cover are substantial, the person managing them is worth choosing as carefully as the document.