Trust & Will membership: what the yearly fee buys, and whether to say no thanks
Say no to the Essentials membership at checkout unless you expect to change your plan within the year: it is $49/year and auto-renews, and its main benefit is editing, because Needs the Essentials membership. Without it you keep your digital download. Add it if a marriage, baby, divorce or move is coming. The Pro membership at $299/year only makes sense if you want ongoing attorney support.
By Nora Whitfield, consumer researcher (not an attorney). Published . Based on the providers' published pricing and terms. How we check.
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Quick picks
- A Trust & Will plan, membership optional: Will and trust plans are one-time payments; you choose at checkout whether to add the yearly membership. See Trust & Will plans
Trust & Will’s will and trust plans are one-time purchases. The yearly fee comes from a separate, optional membership that is offered at checkout. Whether to take it is a real decision, and the answer for most people is no, at least for now. This page explains why, from Trust & Will’s own help centre and refund policy, read on the date in the facts table.
What do the three tiers include?
| Tier | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Free | Nothing | Your digital download and Plan Strength score; no online editing |
| Essentials | $49/year | Editing your plan at any time, plus other member benefits |
| Pro | $299/year | Attorney support, an estate tax report, premium support |
Essentials auto-renews if you add it. Pro is available only from your account settings after checkout.
What do you lose by saying no?
One thing that matters: editing. Trust & Will’s help centre makes editing your plan an Essentials benefit, so Needs the Essentials membership. Without the membership you keep your digital download, so you can always print your documents again.
You do not lose your plan. A will or trust is valid because you signed it, not because you pay a membership.
When is Essentials worth it?
Add it if, in the coming year:
- You are getting married or divorced.
- A baby is on the way.
- You are moving to another state.
- You are still deciding on a guardian, executor or how to split things, and expect to change your mind.
In each case, $49/year for a year of edits is cheaper than buying a new plan.
Skip it if your life is settled. Most people change their will a handful of times over decades, usually after a big event. Paying every year for an edit button you rarely use adds up: three years of Essentials is $147.
What about Pro?
Pro at $299/year adds attorney support, which is the reason to buy it. If you want a lawyer’s input once, the attorney add-on on your plan, +$299, is the more direct route, and it is refundable in full within 14 days if you have not used an appointment. Pro makes sense if you want a lawyer available year-round, for example while you are funding a trust or managing a parent’s affairs. Our page on online wills with attorney review compares the options across services.
The refund rule
Trust & Will’s refund policy says there is None for an active, paid membership. The plan itself has a separate refund window, 30 days from purchase, under its help-centre policy, though its terms of service describe refunds more narrowly (our Trust & Will review explains the discrepancy). In short: once a membership payment goes through, do not expect it back. If you do not want a renewal, cancel before the renewal date.
What Trust & Will does not say
Its help centre says you can choose “No, thanks” at checkout. It does not say whether the membership is pre-selected. Look carefully at the checkout page before paying, and check your account’s billing section afterwards.
How this compares with other services
Most of the market has converged on the same model: first year included, edits after that for a yearly fee. GoodTrust charges $39/year after year one, and Quicken WillMaker & Trust charges $39.99/year for more revisions, optional for more revision time. FreeWill alone lets you edit for free indefinitely. Our revision windows page lines them all up.
Your checkout decision, in four steps
- Is a big life change coming this year? If yes, add Essentials.
- If not, choose “No, thanks”.
- Download every document as soon as your plan is final.
- If you later need to edit, add the membership for that year, or compare it with making a new will elsewhere.
Questions people ask next
Is the Trust & Will membership required?
No. Its help centre says the membership is optional and that you can choose 'No, thanks' at checkout. It does not say whether the option is pre-selected, so look carefully at the checkout page.
Can I add the membership later?
Trust & Will's help centre describes managing your membership from your account, and the Pro membership is available only from account settings after checkout. If you decline Essentials and later need to edit, check your account for the option to add it then.
Can I get a refund on the membership?
Trust & Will's refund policy says there is None for an active, paid membership. If you do not want it to renew, cancel before the renewal date.
Do I lose my documents if I cancel?
No. The free tier keeps your digital download. You lose the ability to edit online. Your signed documents remain valid either way.
Sources
This page is general information, not legal advice. Laws differ by state and change; talk to a licensed attorney about your situation.