So you’re thinking of becoming a guardian for a loved one in Wisconsin and wondering how much it will cost. Guardianship can be a long process—court filings, attorney work, medical evaluations and sometimes ongoing responsibilities for managing someone else’s care or finances. That’s why we created this calculator to help you get an estimate of your total guardianship costs.
Let’s break down what goes into the cost and how each part of the calculator works.
Most people work with an attorney to file for guardianship especially when it involves complex issues like mental health or contested family situations. In Wisconsin attorneys usually charge between $200 and $300 per hour. Enter your attorney’s rate so the calculator can estimate the total fees based on time spent.
This is how many hours your attorney expects to spend on your case. That might include preparing paperwork, going to court, attending meetings and helping you understand your responsibilities as a guardian. A basic uncontested case might take 10-15 hours. A more complex case could take much more.
Wisconsin courts charge filing fees to open a guardianship case. You may also need to pay for “service of process” (which means notifying other parties involved). These fees vary by county but usually fall between $180 and $280.
If you’re seeking guardianship over an adult the court may require a professional evaluation of that person’s mental or physical capacity. That evaluation has a cost which can range from $200 to $800 depending on the provider.
If the guardian is paid for their role (often the case when it’s not a family member) that amount can be entered here. Some guardians serve voluntarily while others receive compensation approved by the court.
There are always small additional costs in legal cases—travel to hearings, copies of documents, background checks, postage and more. This field helps you account for those little expenses that can add up quickly.
Once you’ve entered your numbers the calculator gives you a total estimated cost for guardianship. It’s not a final number—actual costs can vary—but it gives you a rough estimate so you can plan ahead.
Navigating a guardianship case on your own can be overwhelming. If you’re thinking about starting the process, our Wisconsin guardianship attorneys are here to guide you through it from start to finish.
Contact us today to schedule a consultation and find out how we can help make the process easier—and give you peace of mind.
When we started our firm in the midst of the recession, we learned to survive in a lean environment and pass the savings on to our clients. As the economy has improved, we have not changed our philosophy. We are hungry to grow our client base, and so we have intentionally set our rates below what the market will bear. Our mission is to make each client walk away feeling that they got more value than they paid for. This is easier to do when we make our prices affordable.
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