Guides › Estate, Probate & Inheritance › Living Trust Cost
Updated September 24, 2026. Quick answer: South Carolina attorneys charge a median $2,350 for a revocable living trust, LegalTemplates’ 2026 study of 909 firms found, with the middle half of quotes falling between $1,950 and $2,800. That puts South Carolina at the 6th-cheapest of the 21 states compared here, coming in under the $2,475 national median for a standalone trust. A DIY platform runs $149 to $649. What that spend buys locally: South Carolina’s probate fee scales from $25 for estates under $5,000 up to $95 plus 0.15% of value over $100,000; a $250,000 estate costs $320.00.
Whether the state taxes the trust’s income is a separate question: does South Carolina tax trust income.
Fast routes: National living trust cost guide | South Carolina probate filing fee | South Carolina probate cost | Is a living trust worth it in South Carolina?
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How our partner relationships workLiving trust cost in South Carolina: attorney vs DIY
Laid out side by side:
| Figure | Amount |
|---|---|
| Median attorney price in South Carolina | $2,350 |
| Typical range of quotes in South Carolina | $1,950–$2,800 |
| 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 South Carolina
Skip the trust and South Carolina probate is the fallback route, with its own court bill attached, described below. South Carolina’s probate fee scales from $25 for estates under $5,000 up to $95 plus 0.15% of value over $100,000; a $250,000 estate costs $320.00. Full filing-fee breakdown.
South Carolina fixes one half of the bill by statute and leaves the other to the court: the personal representative’s commission is statutory and may not exceed 5% of appraised personal property plus the proceeds of any court-ordered real-estate sale, with a minimum of $50 (S.C. Code §62-3-719), while attorney fees are reasonable. The second number is the small-estate threshold, at or under which an estate skips most of probate: $45,000 for the entire probate estate, less liens, by affidavit. Whether any of that reaches a solely owned house is answered below; it is where most published guidance goes wrong. Full South Carolina probate cost guide, and the small-estate shortcut that can bypass probate even with no trust.
South Carolina 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. S.C. Code § 62-7-402: “…the settlor indicates an intention to create the trust…”
- Writing rule. S.C. Code § 62-7-407: “Except as otherwise required by statute, a trust need not be evidenced by a trust instrument.”
- Deed and notary. S.C. Code § 30-5-30: “…it must be acknowledged or proved by the method described…”
- Certification of trust. S.C. Code § 62-7-1013: “…the trustee may furnish to the person a certification of trust…”
For what the court side costs if a trust is not used, see South Carolina probate cost.
Funding the trust in South Carolina
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. Moving your house into your own revocable living trust is inexpensive on the tax side. Because you remain the sole beneficiary and pay no consideration beyond the beneficial interest you already hold, the transfer is exempt from the Deed Recording Fee under S.C. Code §12-24-40(8). It also will not trigger a reassessment: S.C. Code §12-37-3150(A)(3)(a) excludes a conveyance to a trust from the assessable transfer of interest that resets fair market value, as long as you, the settlor, remain the sole present beneficiary. The deed still must be recorded at the county register of deeds; Richland County charges a flat $15 recording fee plus a required, no-cost affidavit of exemption.
Is a living trust worth it in South Carolina?
The math is the $2,350 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 South Carolina 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).
- South Carolina probate filing fee, South Carolina probate cost, national living trust cost guide (Clear Money Guide).
- Statute/agency source, transfer-tax/recording source