Wills & Estates Lawyer Fees in Wollongong (2026)

• Owned outright. Wollongong households own their home outright in 34.8% of cases, above the NSW figure of 31.5% (ABS 2021 Census). A debt-free house is often the largest asset in such an estate, and NSW says property cannot be distributed until probate is granted. If the house is in one name, budget for the $1,450–$14,500 band; held as joint tenants, it passes to the survivor outside the estate.
• Getting the signing right. NSW requires a will to be written or printed, carry your signature (or one made for you, at your direction and in your presence) and be witnessed by 2 adults who see you sign. A beneficiary cannot be one of those witnesses. A supervised signing is part of what the $290–$570 fee buys, and Moneysmart warns that a badly made will can turn out to be invalid.
• Super sits apart. Superannuation sits outside an ordinary will: Moneysmart explains that you name super beneficiaries with the fund itself, and where no binding nomination is valid, the fund's trustee chooses. NSW guidance adds that assets in a trust are held under the trust deed rather than passing through the estate. A large super balance or a family trust gives the lawyer more to coordinate, and the quote may move up a tier.
• The executor and tax. According to the ATO, an estate's representative can be a non-lawyer, yet must set aside whatever tax the estate owes before beneficiaries are paid. That job, along with collecting accounts and dealing with the house, is what the $1,450–$14,500 tier covers. Ask whether the firm also handles the final tax return or refers it to an accountant.
• A professional executor. Naming NSW Trustee and Guardian as executor is an option for people with no one suitable to act. Its fees are set and regulated by the NSW Trustee and Guardian Act and Regulation, apply only once you have died and are normally paid from what you leave. Ask a private firm how its own administration charges are worked out, so you can set the two side by side.
• Contested estates. Eligible people, such as a spouse, de facto partner, child or former spouse, have 12 months from the death to seek part of an estate, or a larger part, from the Supreme Court, and they need not wait for a grant. Matters like these sit at $24,000–$38,000. An executor who hears of a possible claim should tell their lawyer straight away.

Use a solicitor where there is property, a business, a blended family, overseas assets or any chance the will is challenged.

A single person with modest assets and a simple wish can use a low-cost online will; be aware Public Trustee 'free' wills are recovered through commission on the estate.