Guides › Estate, Probate & Inheritance › Living Trust Cost
Updated September 24, 2026. Quick answer: New Hampshire attorneys charge a median $2,800 for a revocable living trust, LegalTemplates’ 2026 study of 909 firms found, with the middle half of quotes falling between $2,350 and $3,200. That puts New Hampshire at the 14th-cheapest of the 20 states compared here, coming in over the $2,475 national median for a standalone trust. A DIY platform runs $149 to $649. What that spend buys locally: New Hampshire prices probate on a statutory tiered fee schedule: $150.00 to open an estate worth $10,000 or less, $205.00 for an estate of $10,001 to $25,000, and $305.00 for any estate over $25,000.
Whether the state taxes the trust’s income is a separate question: does New Hampshire tax trust income.
Fast routes: National living trust cost guide | New Hampshire probate filing fee | New Hampshire probate cost | Is a living trust worth it in New Hampshire?
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How our partner relationships workLiving trust cost in New Hampshire: attorney vs DIY
Laid out side by side:
| Figure | Amount |
|---|---|
| Median attorney price in New Hampshire | $2,800 |
| Typical range of quotes in New Hampshire | $2,350–$3,200 |
| National median, all 50 states and DC | $2,475 |
| DIY document platform range | $149–$649 |
Attorneys who bundle the trust into a fuller package (pour-over will, financial power of attorney, healthcare documents) charge a national median of $2,700 for that package. DIY document platforms run $149 to $649 and do not vary by state; the national living trust cost guide has the full platform comparison table (LegalZoom, Trust & Will, Quicken WillMaker, FreeWill) with what each one includes.
Attorney figures: LegalTemplates, September 24, 2026.
What a living trust avoids: probate in New Hampshire
Skip the trust and New Hampshire probate is the fallback route, with its own court bill attached, described below. New Hampshire prices probate on a statutory tiered fee schedule: $150.00 to open an estate worth $10,000 or less, $205.00 for an estate of $10,001 to $25,000, and $305.00 for any estate over $25,000. Full filing-fee breakdown.
New Hampshire publishes no percentage schedule for probate compensation; the personal representative and the attorney are each paid what the court finds reasonable, so the bill tracks hours worked rather than the size of the estate. There is no dollar-based small-estate threshold either; the route is a waiver of full administration under RSA 553:32. Whether any of that reaches a solely owned house is answered below; it is where most published guidance goes wrong. Full New Hampshire probate cost guide, and the small-estate shortcut that can bypass probate even with no trust.
New Hampshire living trust: signing, notary and the deed
Each line is a short extract quoted from, or a plain summary of, the statute cited; the section has the exceptions.
- Creating the trust. N.H. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 564-B:4-402: “…the settlor indicates an intention to create the trust…”
- Writing rule. N.H. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 564-B:4-407 (summarized, not quoted): a trust need not be evidenced by a trust instrument unless another statute requires one, but an oral trust and its terms can be established only by clear and convincing evidence.
- Deed and notary. N.H. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 477:3: “…signed by the party granting the same and acknowledged by the grantor…”
- Certification of trust. N.H. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 564-B:10-1013: “…certification of trust may be signed or otherwise authenticated by any trustee…”
For what the court side costs if a trust is not used, see New Hampshire probate cost.
Funding the trust in New Hampshire
The paperwork does not end at signing. Real estate specifically has to be re-deeded into the trust’s name to actually be covered by it. Funding the trust in New Hampshire counts as a transfer under the real estate transfer tax, but Department of Revenue Administration rule N.H. Code Admin. R. Rev 802.02 tells the Department not to presume fair-market-value consideration for a deed between a grantor and their own revocable trust created as an estate-planning vehicle, so the transfer is taxed only at the statutory minimum rather than on the home’s full value. Property-tax appraisal runs on a separate track: N.H. Rev. Stat. §75:1 ties valuation to each town’s own market-value appraisal, with no reassessment triggered by the transfer itself. The deed and a transfer-tax declaration still have to be recorded at the county Registry of Deeds for a per-page fee plus the minimum tax.
Is a living trust worth it in New Hampshire?
The math is the $2,800 setup cost versus the probate bill above; the part no dollar figure captures is privacy and a quicker transfer for heirs. The full worth-it analysis for New Hampshire goes through the numbers for your own real estate and situation.
Sources
- LegalTemplates, 2026 Estate Planning Costs in the US (909 firms, read September 24, 2026).
- New Hampshire probate filing fee, New Hampshire probate cost, national living trust cost guide (Clear Money Guide).
- Statute/agency source, transfer-tax/recording source