Public Trust wills in New Zealand: the cost, the process and the alternatives

Written by Henry Smith · Reviewed by Smiths Insurance & KiwiSaver, licensed Financial Advice Provider (FSP712931) · Updated 2026-09-09 · Reviewed annually, or sooner if the rules it describes change.

Public Trust, New Zealand's state-owned trustee corporation, charges $69 for a Basic online will, $99 for a Standard will and $159 for a Comprehensive will, plus a mirror-will upgrade for a partner from $66 on the Standard tier, and a free annual update is included (Public Trust, Pricing, retrieved 9 September 2026). It separately charges to administer an estate if named as executor, capped at 5% of the estate's assets and income.

This page compares Public Trust's own will service against a lawyer and a DIY template. For the general legal requirements and process of making any will in New Zealand, see our estate planning hub and making a will in NZ; for the cheapest DIY route, see will templates in NZ; and for what happens if no will is ever made, see dying without a will in NZ.

What Public Trust's will service costs

Public Trust prices its online wills in three tiers, based on how much of the document's wording you can customise, plus optional add-ons.

The table below sets out every tier and add-on with its published price.

Source: Public Trust, Pricing, retrieved 9 September 2026; Public Trust, Making a will pricing, retrieved 9 September 2026.

How much does Public Trust charge to write a will?

Public Trust's cheapest online will is $69 for a Basic will (single person only), rising to $99 for Standard and $159 for Comprehensive, and a mirror will for a partner adds $66 on Standard or $112 on Comprehensive (Public Trust, retrieved 9 September 2026). Its In-Centre, fully adviser-drafted service costs $750 for one person or $1,400 for a couple, aimed at more complex estates that benefit from sitting down with an expert directly.

Is Public Trust cheaper than a lawyer for a will?

For a simple estate, generally yes. Public Trust's Basic online will at $69 is well below typical simple-will pricing from a law firm, which our making a will in NZ guide shows starting around $500 to $750 at named firms for a single person's simple will (Public Trust; law firm pricing; retrieved 9 September 2026). Once a will needs a testamentary trust or unusual conditions, Public Trust's Comprehensive tier or In-Centre service closes much of that gap, and the comparison becomes closer to like-for-like.

Signing and updates

How do I sign a Public Trust will?

You can arrange your own signing with two independent witnesses who are not beneficiaries or related to a beneficiary, as required for any will under the Wills Act 2007, or book an in-centre signing appointment with a Public Trust expert for $68 per will (Public Trust, retrieved 9 September 2026). Either way, the same two-witness signing rule applies regardless of who drafted the will.

Does Public Trust update my will for free?

Yes, Public Trust includes a free update each year as part of its online will packages, intended to keep the document current as circumstances change, such as a new grandchild, a change of executor, or a change in what you own (Public Trust, retrieved 9 September 2026). A significant life event such as marriage, a new relationship or a divorce is still worth checking against the will separately, since these can affect a will's validity under the Wills Act 2007 in ways an annual update alone will not automatically catch.

Can I change my will if Public Trust holds it?

Yes. You can update the will yourself through Public Trust's free annual update, or make a new will or a formal amendment at any time while you have capacity, in the same way as with a lawyer-drafted will, since the Wills Act 2007 allows anyone 18 or over to change, revoke or revive a will at any point (New Zealand Legislation, s9, retrieved 9 September 2026). Public Trust holding the original document does not restrict your ability to change your own will.

How long does an online will with Public Trust take?

Public Trust's own support team describes the most basic online will as completable in as little as 30 minutes, with most people taking 60 to 90 minutes overall, and you can save your progress and return later if you need to gather information first (Public Trust, retrieved 9 September 2026). More complex, Comprehensive-tier wills take longer simply because there is more to decide.

Is a Public Trust online will legally binding?

Yes, provided it is signed and witnessed correctly under the Wills Act 2007, an online will drafted through Public Trust is just as legally binding as one drafted by a lawyer or written on a DIY template (New Zealand Legislation, s11, retrieved 9 September 2026). Public Trust's online tool structures the questions and produces the legal wording, but the underlying signing and witnessing requirements are the same for every valid will in New Zealand.

Can I choose someone other than Public Trust to be my executor, even if Public Trust drafted the will?

Yes. Drafting your will through Public Trust does not require you to name Public Trust as executor; you can name a family member, a friend, or a lawyer instead, and only pay Public Trust for the drafting service itself (Public Trust, retrieved 9 September 2026). See our guide to being an executor of a will in NZ for what the role actually involves before you decide. Many people choose Public Trust or another trustee corporation as executor specifically because they have no suitable person to ask, not because the drafting service requires it, and how a relationship affects what you can leave someone is a separate question covered in our guide to the Property (Relationships) Act in NZ.

What ID or information do I need to start an online will with Public Trust?

You will generally need your own identification details, a list of your assets and debts, the full names of your chosen executor, beneficiaries and any guardians for children under 18, and, if you are completing a mirror will, the same details for your partner (Public Trust, retrieved 9 September 2026). Having this ready before you start makes the online process faster.

Naming Public Trust as executor

What happens if Public Trust is named executor of my will?

Public Trust can act as executor and trustee in place of a family member, which some people prefer for a complex estate, a blended family, or simply because they have no obvious person to ask. Public Trust charges to administer the estate once it starts that work, based on the effort involved, capped so its fees and charges cannot exceed 5% of the estate's total assets and any income Public Trust receives while administering it (Public Trust, Fees and charges, retrieved 9 September 2026). Some special fees, such as obtaining probate, managing property or running a business on the estate's behalf, sit outside that cap.

Does Public Trust charge to administer an estate?

Yes, if it is named executor and takes on that role, Public Trust charges for the estate administration work, quoted upfront with an estimate before it proceeds, and capped overall at 5% of the estate's assets and income, aside from special fees such as court costs, including obtaining probate itself. It does not charge simply for being named executor in a will that has not yet come into effect. Our guide to administering a deceased estate in NZ covers what that administration work actually involves, whichever executor ends up doing it (Public Trust, retrieved 9 September 2026).

What are the alternatives to Public Trust for writing a will?

The main alternatives are a law firm, a DIY paper or online template, or QuoteHub's own free will service. Our will templates in NZ guide covers the roughly $30 to $80 DIY route, and making a will in NZ sets out full law firm pricing by complexity, so you can weigh all the options against Public Trust's tiers on this page (Public Trust; PK Law; retrieved 9 September 2026).

Should I choose a law firm or Public Trust for a complex estate?

Both can handle a complex estate, and the deciding factor is usually who you want managing the ongoing relationship, a named lawyer at a firm you may already use, or a trustee corporation that will still exist decades from now regardless of any individual's retirement. Public Trust's Comprehensive online tier and In-Centre service are built for exactly this comparison; a testamentary trust or a will involving a family trust generally needs either the Comprehensive tier, the In-Centre service, or a law firm rather than a Basic or Standard online will.

Alongside a will: EPAs and Public Trust

Public Trust also prepares enduring powers of attorney, and pricing them alongside a will at the same appointment is common, since both documents are usually reviewed together; see our guide to power of attorney in NZ for EPA-specific costs across Public Trust and named law firms. If Public Trust is also managing a family trust for you, our family trust in NZ guide covers Public Trust's separate family trust pricing.

Choosing between the options

There is no single right answer, and the table below sets out the situations where each option tends to make the most sense.

(Public Trust; PK Law; retrieved 9 September 2026.)

Whichever option you choose, the will still has to meet the same signing and witnessing rules under the Wills Act 2007, and it is worth reviewing it alongside a power of attorney and, if your estate is more complex, whether a family trust or testamentary trust is worth the extra cost. There is no inheritance tax to plan around in New Zealand, so the decisions above are about process and protection rather than tax; see inheritance tax in NZ for that separate question. If you already hold life insurance, checking who your policy actually pays out to matters just as much as who your will names; see who gets your life insurance payout in NZ. Financial advice is provided by Craig Smith Business Services Limited, trading as Smiths Insurance & KiwiSaver, a licensed Financial Advice Provider (FSP712931). QuoteHub is a trading name. A licensed financial adviser, or your nearest insurance adviser, can review whether your income protection or trauma cover matches the plan your will sets out, and the life insurance calculator is a useful starting point.

Compare your cover with a licensed NZ adviser · free, no obligation.

Cite this page QuoteHub NZ (2026). Public Trust Wills NZ: Cost, Process, Alternatives. www.quotehub.co.nz/guides/estate/public-trust-wills-nz. Updated 2026-09-09.

References

• Wills Act 2007
• Public Trust: Online wills, so easy you can do it in your slippers
• Public Trust: Making a will, pricing and fees
• Public Trust: Fees and charges

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