How much does a will cost in Australia?

A will in Australia costs anywhere from nothing to about $2,000. Free online services exist and produce valid wills; solicitors charge for time and judgement. Most people with a straightforward estate are choosing an online will between $130 and $360. Here are the real numbers, including the fees that don't appear on the pricing page.

The price ranges in 2026

Prices as published on providers' own websites and checked August 2026; subject to change — verify current pricing before deciding. Solicitor fees vary by city, complexity and firm.

The fee nobody mentions upfront

When you compare online wills, compare the ongoing cost, not the sticker price. Several Australian services advertise a one-off fee and then charge roughly $15 a year once the first 12 months are up. That annual fee doesn't buy a new will — it keeps the will you already bought editable.

The effect is that you get charged at precisely the moments life forces an update: marriage, separation, a new child, a property purchase. Over twenty years a $15 annual fee adds about $300, which can more than double what you believed the will cost.

eQUILL charges $139 once and $0 ongoing. That's the entire pricing model. More on why we don't charge a subscription.

Why "free" isn't automatically the answer

Free online wills are real and legally valid for simple estates. We'd rather be straight about that than pretend otherwise.

What's worth knowing is how a free service pays its bills. The usual model is referral: your details, and your family's, get introduced to funeral, probate or estate-administration partners. That's a commercial relationship formed around the worst week of your family's life. If that doesn't bother you, free is a legitimate choice. If it does, a one-off fee means there's nothing to monetise.

Why a $30 will kit is usually the most expensive option

A printed will kit looks like the bargain. In practice it's the one we'd steer people away from, because it gives you a blank form and no guidance at the exact points where wills fail:

• No residue clause. Most completed kits name a few specific gifts and never say who receives everything else — so part of the estate is distributed as if there were no will.
• Ambiguous wording. "My savings to be split between the kids" is clear to you and genuinely uncertain to a court.
• Witnessing done wrong. Two witnesses must be present at the same time. Kits rarely make that unmissable.
• No substitute beneficiaries. If a beneficiary dies first, the gift can fail.

The cost of these mistakes isn't paid by you — it's paid by your family, in legal fees to fix a broken will, commonly thousands of dollars. A cheap will that fails is far more expensive than a good one.

When paying a solicitor is the right call

Sometimes $139 online is a false economy. See a solicitor if you have a blended family with competing claims, a business or company interests, a family or testamentary trust, assets overseas, a beneficiary with a disability who needs a protective trust, or a real prospect of someone contesting. You're paying for judgement about your circumstances, and in those situations it's worth it.

The costs that come after death

The will itself is the small number. What follows is larger, and a good will reduces it:

• Probate application fees payable to the Supreme Court in your state, typically scaled to the size of the estate.
• Legal fees for estate administration, usually the biggest cost.
• Extra court applications if the will was informal or improperly witnessed — commonly thousands of dollars and months of delay.
• Contested-estate litigation, which can consume a substantial share of the estate.

A clear, correctly signed will with a named executor is the cheapest thing you can do for the people you leave behind. An unclear one is an invoice addressed to them.