Originally published: March 27, 2019 | Last updated: May 28, 2025
Two of the most frequently asked questions we receive at LegalWills.ca are: “How come your Wills are so cheap?” and “Why are your Wills so expensive?” In this comprehensive guide, we break down the cost of preparing a Will in Canada, explain the three main approaches, what each costs and why, and help you decide which option is right for your situation.
What Is a Last Will and Testament?
A Last Will and Testament is a 4–6 page legal document that serves two primary purposes: it allows you to make key appointments (executor, guardian for minor children) and it describes how your assets, bank accounts, property, investments, personal belongings, should be distributed after your death. Without a Will, provincial intestacy laws determine who inherits your estate, which may not align with your wishes.
Every Canadian adult should have a Will. The document is recognized across all provinces and territories, and it is the only way to ensure your estate is handled according to your instructions. For more on why a Will matters, see our guide on dying without a Will in Canada.
What Does a Will Contain?
A standard Canadian Will includes several key components:
- Executor appointment, the person responsible for carrying out your wishes and managing probate
- Guardian nomination, if you have minor children, you name who should care for them
- Asset distribution; specific bequests (e.g., “my car to my sister”) and residual estate distribution
- Alternate beneficiaries, backup plans if your primary beneficiaries predecease you
- Funeral wishes, instructions for burial, cremation, or other arrangements
- Trust provisions, trusts for minor beneficiaries or dependents with special needs
- Charitable bequests, gifts to charities or organizations
For a detailed explanation of Will terminology, see our article on definitions for non-lawyers.
What Are the Three Ways to Make a Will in Canada?
There are three main ways to create a Last Will and Testament in Canada:
| Method | Cost | Best For | Key Risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| Estate planning lawyer | $500–$1,500+ | Complex estates, business owners | The service charges high fees and the lawyer needs to obtain executor approval. |
| DIY Will kit or blank form | $15–$35 | Very few people (high error rate) | The Will becomes invalid because of errors which make it impossible to read. |
| Online interactive service | $49.95–$99.95 | Most Canadians with straightforward estates | No personalized legal advice |
Each approach has distinct advantages and disadvantages. The right choice depends on the complexity of your estate, your budget, and whether you need personalized legal advice.
How Much Does It Cost to Write a Will with a Lawyer?
How Does the Process Work?
The process starts with finding a lawyer who specializes in estate planning – not all lawyers do. Look for law firms with strong independent reviews on Google. You should try to get a price quote upfront, though this can be difficult. Most lawyers offer “starting at” pricing, with costs increasing for charitable bequests, trusts for minor beneficiaries, and lifetime interest trusts.
Before your appointment, prepare notes about your wishes. Our guide about estate planning lawyer questions will help you get ready for your meeting.
What Are the Pros and Cons of Using a Lawyer?
Advantages:
- Legal service delivers customized solutions which fit your particular situation.
- A lawyer can identify estate planning strategies you may not have considered
- The system handles complicated cases which include family blends and business management and international asset holdings.
- The document is prepared by a licensed professional
Disadvantages:
- High cost – $500 to $1,500+ for a single Will
- Limited appointment availability – you must schedule around the lawyer’s calendar
- Updating your Will requires another paid appointment
- Some lawyers may suggest naming themselves or their firm as executor, which can cost the estate 3–5% of its total value in executor fees
- Risk of your wishes being misunderstood – you describe your wishes verbally, the lawyer interprets and drafts the document
How Much Does a Lawyer-Prepared Will Cost?
A single Will prepared by an estate planning lawyer in Canada typically costs between $500 and $1,500. Mirror Wills for couples require payments that range from $800 to $2,500. The final price depends on the complexity of your estate and the lawyer’s billing structure. Additional documents like a Power of Attorney or Living Will increase the cost further.
One critical cost to watch for: if a lawyer names themselves or their firm as your executor, they can charge 3–5% of the total estate value. On a $500,000 estate, that is $15,000–$25,000 in executor fees. You can save tens of thousands of dollars by naming a trusted friend or family member as your executor who can then hire professional assistance at their discretion.
Who Should Use a Lawyer for Their Will?
Working with a lawyer makes sense in two situations:
- You need legal advice – your situation involves a complicated family structure, a blended family, dependents with special needs, or cross-border assets
- You need estate planning strategies – you want to minimize taxes, establish complex trusts, or structure business succession
If your Will is straightforward (e.g., “leave everything to my spouse, and if we both pass, leave everything to my children equally”), you likely do not need to pay $500+ for a lawyer.
How Much Does a DIY Will Kit Cost?
How Does a Will Kit Work?
A DIY Will kit provides users with a pre-made form which contains printed material and blank sections for adding individual details about beneficiaries and asset distribution and executor selection. These kits are available at office supply stores, bookstores, and online for $15–$35. Some versions are available as free downloads, though free Will kits come with additional risks.
What Are the Pros and Cons of a Will Kit?
Advantages:
- Very low cost – typically $15–$35
- Immediate availability – purchase and complete at your convenience
- No appointment needed
Disadvantages:
- High error rate – blank forms require you to use precise legal language without guidance
- No prompts or safeguards to catch mistakes
- The estate law system in every province receives no consideration through the universal method which applies to all cases.
- The system fails to manage complicated cases which involve trusts and conditional bequests and blended family situations.
- The Will contains these errors which will only become visible after someone dies because the Will lacks any ability to perform corrections.
- A court will accept a poorly drafted Will for probate which will lead to probate fees that exceed the money you saved by avoiding professional help.
How Much Does a Will Kit Cost?
A Will kit typically costs between $15 and $35 at a stationery or office supply store. The overall expense of your estate will rise because of document mistakes which will lead to probate battles after you pass away. Your beneficiaries will need to spend tens of thousands of dollars for legal expenses because of a Will contest.
Who Should Use a Will Kit?
People rarely use this method in their decision-making process. Will kits contain too many mistakes which prevent their use by anyone who has access to legal professionals or online Will creation tools. You should only use a Will kit when you cannot get internet access and you lack the money to hire an attorney. People who are not part of this group should avoid using these kits because they create major risks of producing invalid or confusing Wills for minimal financial gain.
My research required me to read the Canadian Will kit article which explains how Will services have transformed throughout history.
How Much Does an Online Will Service Cost?
How Does an Online Will Service Work?
Online Will services help users create their Will through interactive software which leads them through the entire document creation process. You answer a series of questions written in everyday language – naming your executor, guardians, beneficiaries, and describing how your assets should be distributed. The software generates a professionally formatted legal document based on your answers.
The completed Will becomes legally binding when you download or print it and then sign it before two witnesses who must remain present throughout the signing process. The entire process typically takes 20–30 minutes. Our complete guide to writing a Will in Canada provides a detailed comparison of Canadian will-writing services.
What Are the Advantages of an Online Will Service?
- Users can access services through affordable prices which range from $49.95 to $99.95 instead of paying $500 to $1,500 for traditional lawyer services. Users can create their Will anytime from any location by using their internet-connected device at their preferred time. The software leads users through each stage of the process which helps them avoid making mistakes or forgetting important details. Uses professional software – the same Will-writing software used by Canadian law firms, producing word-for-word identical documents
- Users can edit their documents at any time without needing to book an appointment for changes.
- The service provides full estate planning solutions which include Power of Attorney and Living Will and other essential documents.
- Users can work at their own speed to achieve their desired distribution results.
- What Are the Limitations of an Online Will Service?
- Users cannot obtain customized legal guidance which matches their particular circumstances.
- Free-text selection options could lead to errors when users enter commands which lack clarity or direction.
You must still print, sign, and witness the document yourself – if you skip this step, you do not have a legal Will
- Complex estates (business succession, cross-border assets, special needs trusts) may still require a lawyer
- How Much Does the LegalWills.ca Will Service Cost?
- The Will service at LegalWills.ca costs $49.95 for a single Will. This includes:
- A complete Last Will and Testament customized to your province
Unlimited updates for one year
Access to our Canadian-based support team
- The ability to create your Will in approximately 20 minutes
- Additional estate planning documents are available:
- Power of Attorney – $49.95
- Living Will – $29.95
Complete Estate Plan bundle (Will + Power of Attorney + Living Will) – $99.95
- For couples, our Mirror Will tool allows two Wills to be created simultaneously at a reduced cost.
- Who Should Use an Online Will Service?
- Online Will services serve as the perfect solution for most Canadians because these services help people who have basic estates without needing special legal help. The online service will create the same legal document that a lawyer would make for your wishes to “leave everything to my spouse and if we both die, split everything between our children equally” at a lower price.
The service operates best for users who can navigate the web and do not require estate planning solutions or intricate trust management systems.
Why Does the LegalWills.ca Will Service Cost $49.95?
Our customers often ask us about the factors which determine our service pricing. Our pricing information shows every factor which contributes to our final prices.
What Are the Operating Costs?
Operating an online Will service which maintains security and dependable service requires large amounts of money to run continuously.
Server infrastructure – secure, encrypted hosting with 99.9% uptime, regular backups, and redundancy
Legal review – our documents are reviewed by estate planning lawyers in every Canadian province to ensure compliance with provincial legislation
Software development – our development team updates the platform daily, refining existing features and building new tools
- Customer support – a Canadian-based support team available to answer questions about the service
- Payment processing – credit card and payment gateway fees on every transaction
- SSL certificates, domain registration, and security monitoring
- What Makes LegalWills.ca Different from Other Services?
- LegalWills.ca has operated since 2001 – over 24 years of continuous service. Key differentiators include:
- Track record – hundreds of thousands of Canadians have used the service, and the documents have been proven to work through probate
The Will receives provincial customization which makes every document comply with the legal requirements of your specific province or territory.
The system contains original elements which consist of the KeyHolder process that protects information until death and the digital vault and LifeLocker service and Mirror Will creation tool for couples.
- The platform provides complete estate planning solutions through its Will and Power of Attorney and Living Will services and additional available services.
- The service receives new code updates every day to create continuous service enhancements.
- Is the LegalWills.ca Service Worth the Cost?
- Consider this perspective: $49.95 is roughly the cost of a dinner for two at a restaurant. The $49.95 price lets you create a valid Will which safeguards your loved ones while directing your property to your chosen recipients and stops the government from taking control of your assets. The alternative – dying without a Will – can cost your family thousands of dollars in legal fees and years of delays through the courts.
- Our customer reviews consistently reflect the value of the service:
Frequently Asked Questions About the Cost of a Will in Canada
Can I Write My Own Will for Free?
Yes. Some provinces will accept a Will which contains your complete handwriting and signature as a valid document. The creation of holographic Wills leads to extreme danger because they exist as the most disputed Will type which different provinces accept differently. The small cost of a professional service or even a Will kit is worth the legal certainty. Learn more about free Will kits and their risks.
How Often Should I Update My Will?
You should review your Will after any major life event: marriage, divorce, birth of a child, death of a beneficiary or executor, significant change in assets, or a move to a different province. At minimum, review your Will every 3–5 years. With an online service like LegalWills.ca, updates are included in your subscription, making it easy to keep your Will current. For more on this topic, see our guide on updating a Will.
Is an Online Will Legally Valid in Canada?
Yes. Canadian provinces and territories accept online Wills as valid documents when you follow proper printing procedures and testator signing requirements and obtain two adult witnesses who do not benefit from the Will. The method of creation does not affect legal validity – what matters is proper execution (signing and witnessing).
Do I Need a Lawyer to Make My Will Legal?
No. There is no legal requirement in Canada to use a lawyer to prepare your Will. A Will receives legal status through proper signing and witnessing procedures instead of depending on the person who created it. Lawyers need to handle only complicated estates that need customized legal support and advanced estate planning techniques.
What Happens If I Die Without a Will in Canada?
The province will use its intestacy rules to distribute your estate when you pass away without creating a Will. The distribution of assets might differ from what you want to happen because common-law partners obtain no inheritance rights in certain Canadian provinces. The process is also more expensive and time-consuming for your family. Read our detailed article on dying without a Will.
Can I Include Digital Assets in My Will?
Yes. Your Will needs to contain instructions which cover all your digital assets including email accounts and social media profiles and cryptocurrency and online banking and digital files. LegalWills.ca includes digital asset planning as part of the Will creation process.
Which Option Should I Choose?
Most Canadians find online Will services to be their best option because these services deliver excellent quality service while providing easy access and affordable pricing. The document which results from this process contains the same legal content which a qualified lawyer would prepare but at a much lower price. If your estate involves complex legal issues, consult a lawyer. Avoid DIY Will kits unless you have no other option.
Ready to get started? Create your Will at LegalWills.ca in approximately 20 minutes for $49.95.
Which Option Should I Choose?
For most Canadians, an online Will service provides the best combination of quality, convenience, and value. The document produced is legally identical to what a lawyer would prepare, at a fraction of the cost. If your estate involves complex legal issues, consult a lawyer. Avoid DIY Will kits unless you have no other option.
Ready to get started? Create your Will at LegalWills.ca in approximately 20 minutes for $49.95.
Tim Hewson is one of the founders of LegalWills.ca.
He has over 20 years of experience helping people to write their Will and other estate planning documents. He has been interviewed by many of the major news media outlets including CTV, Global News, The Toronto Star, and other leading Canadian publications. He has also contributed to a number of financial planning books.
Throughout his career, Tim has written extensively on the subject of Will writing and estate planning.
