Estate Planning Packages: Flat Fees for International Estate Plans

Estate Planning Packages

The firm offers four estate planning packages for individuals and couples whose family, assets or residence extend beyond one country. Each package is a flat fee for a defined scope of work, confirmed in the engagement letter after the Initial Consultation Package. There is no additional sales tax or value-added tax.

The fee paid for the Initial Consultation Package is credited toward an estate planning package if the engagement letter is signed within 60 days of the consultation.

Essential International Estate Plan

$12,500 for a single person, $18,500 for a married couple

Best suited for	What is covered	What is included
Individuals and couples without minor children Estates that do not require a trust	Analysis of the family, the assets and the countries of residence, with emphasis on the international aspects Analysis of the client’s goals and of the ways of reaching them Tax optimization Two meetings to discuss and refine the drafts Two rounds of revisions Follow-up questions answered for two months after the signing	Will or wills (without testamentary trusts) Financial power of attorney Health care power of attorney Review of and advice on the titling of assets Review of and advice on beneficiary designations Advice on the effect of immigration status and citizenship Advice on whether an additional will is needed in another country Estate plan summary chart Information worksheet for family members A handbook with explanations of each clause in the client’s estate planning documents

Comprehensive International Estate Plan

$22,500 for a single person, $32,500 for a married couple

Best suited for	What is covered	What is included
Parents of minor children Blended families Owners of assets outside the United States Clients who want a revocable trust	Analysis of the family, the assets and the countries of residence, with emphasis on the international aspects Analysis of the client’s goals and of the ways of reaching them Tax optimization Up to four meetings to discuss and refine the drafts Up to four rounds of revisions Follow-up questions answered for four months after the signing	Will or wills, including the nomination of guardians for minor children New revocable trust or trusts, or testamentary trusts Financial power of attorney Health care power of attorney Review of and advice on the titling of assets Revocable trust funding memorandum Retitling of up to five financial accounts into the trust Review of and advice on beneficiary designations Advice on the effect of immigration status and citizenship Advice on whether an additional will is needed in another country Estate plan summary chart Information worksheet for family members A handbook with explanations of each clause in the client’s estate planning documents

Complex International Estate Plan

$35,000 to $50,000 for a single person, $50,000 to $75,000 for a married couple

Best suited for	What is covered	What is included
Owners of interests in businesses Clients with existing revocable trusts Parents of minor children Blended families Owners of assets, or families with heirs, in several countries	Analysis of the family, the assets and the countries of residence, with emphasis on the international aspects Analysis of the client’s goals and of the ways of reaching them Tax optimization Up to six meetings to discuss and refine the drafts Up to six rounds of revisions Coordination with the client’s accountants and asset managers on request Follow-up questions answered for six months after the signing	Will or wills, including the nomination of guardians for minor children New revocable trust or trusts, or the revision or restatement of existing revocable trusts Provisions for the succession to business interests held by the client or the trust Financial power of attorney Health care power of attorney Review of and advice on the titling of assets Revocable trust funding memorandum Retitling of up to ten financial accounts into the trust Review of and advice on beneficiary designations Advice on the effect of immigration status and citizenship Advice on whether an additional will is needed in another country Estate plan summary chart Information worksheet for family members A handbook with explanations of each clause in the client’s estate planning documents

Private Client Estate Plan

From $75,000, quoted after the initial consultation

Best suited for	What is covered	What is included
Estates above, or expected to grow beyond, the federal estate tax exemption of $15,000,000 per person (2026) Families with a spouse who is not a United States citizen Families with residences, assets or heirs in several countries Business owners planning a transfer during their lifetime	Everything included in the Complex International Estate Plan Lifetime transfer and estate tax planning Coordination of the plan with the law of the other countries concerned, together with local counsel where the firm’s attorneys are not licensed Meetings and rounds of revisions as the plan requires Fee set after the initial consultation, based on the structures chosen	The documents of the Complex International Estate Plan Irrevocable trusts as required, for example spousal lifetime access trusts, dynasty trusts, life insurance trusts or grantor retained annuity trusts Qualified domestic trust for a non-citizen spouse Family limited partnership or LLC documents Gift tax returns for the transfers made under the plan German will, where required A handbook with explanations of each clause in the client’s estate planning documents

Additional Services

The following services can be added to the Essential, Comprehensive and Complex packages at the fees listed below.

Service	Fee
German will drafted by the firm	From $5,000
Qualified domestic trust (QDOT) for a spouse who is not a United States citizen	$7,500
Each irrevocable trust, for example a life insurance trust or a spousal lifetime access trust	From $10,000
United States gift tax return (Form 709)	From $3,500
Deed transferring real estate, per property	$2,500, including recording costs
Retitling of financial accounts beyond those included in the package	Hourly rate
Will or other documents under the law of a country in which the firm’s attorneys are not licensed	Prepared with local counsel; local counsel’s fees billed at cost

Terms

The package fees are guidelines for the situations described. Where the facts are more complex than a package assumes, the firm states the fee in writing before the work begins. Work outside the agreed package is billed at the hourly rate, which begins at $1,000 for the firm’s attorneys. Recording fees, notary fees, certified translations, apostilles and the fees of local counsel are billed at cost. The details are set out on the page Our Fees in Other Matters.

Areas of Law

The firm advises on:

United States federal law, including tax, immigration and citizenship law, as it applies to international clients, cross-border matters and foreign assets;
the laws of the jurisdictions in which the firm’s attorneys are licensed: Virginia, Maryland, Washington DC, California and Germany;
selected laws of the European Union;
international conventions;
bilateral treaties of the United States and of Germany.

On the laws of other jurisdictions, the firm selects and works with competent local attorneys. At the client’s request, the firm coordinates its work with the client’s accountants and asset managers.

Ashford International Law P.C.

International Estate and Tax Law Advisors to UHNWI, Financial Institutions and Family Businesses